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Boonie Tails

By Grace Keilbach

Understanding Dog Body Language

Most people love dogs but very few actually understand their body language. Wether you own a dog or just see them occasionally, it’s important to know what they are communicating to keep you and your human/fur family safe. Read along to learn the basics and improve your dog whispering skills!

The Basics

Tails

Although tail wagging can be a sign of happiness or excitement, it really just means your dog is emotional aroused which isn’t always a good thing. To gage what the tail wagging actually means, assess the height and speed of the wag. Long, completely back and fourth tail wags (think of the full body wiggle when your dog knows you’re about to go on a walk or even a full circular helicopter like motion with the tail) indicate a very happy dog.

If a dog is wagging their tail in a shorter, more twitching like movement, this is a sign of confidence but confidence does not equal friendly or good vibes and can actually be a warning of potential aggression. Again, tail wagging = an emotionally aroused dog and as we all know from our own personal experiences, high emotions aren’t always a good thing.

In addition to wagging, height and position of the tail can indicate how a dog is feeling. A low tucked tail indicates fear, neutral posture is relaxed, and tail pointed directly up (especially not wagging) means your dog is on alert. Although none of these signals alone indicate a friendly or aggressive dog, when put together with other body language cues, you can gain a better understanding of what this dog is thinking and therefore how safe they are to be handle.

Mouth and Ear Movements

Lip licking (outside of the irresistible excitement for a treat) and excessive panting (when your dog is not overheating) are a sign of stress and anxiety. Ears perked up are a sign of alertness, ears drooping/down mean your dog is relaxed, and ears pointed back signal fear, anxiety, or submission. Let’s go over the body language displayed in this picture and assess what we see…

Even though all three dogs are displaying similar behavior such as open mouths, if you know what to look for, one is alert and anxious, one is complexity relaxed, and the other is excited and happy to be there. So, which is which and how do we know?

If you guessed that Lottie, the dog on the far left, is anxious and fearful, you would be correct. The tucked tail combined with the open panting mouth, ears pointing back and her wide open, eyes all point to a very stressed dog. Nellie, the middle pooch, is relaxed and content. We know this because of her laying down posture, neutral tail/ear position, and relaxed eyes. Although her mouth is open, it’s easy to spot the difference of facial expressions between her’s, which is more relaxed, and Lottie’s, whose is more rigid. Although Tequila, the dog on the right, is more alert than Nellie which we know based on her slightly forward perked ears, and neutrally/happy tail position, she is not anxious, just more interested in her surroundings. Nellie and Tequila are both displaying overall positive, happy, content, safe body language.

Putting it All Together

When assessing a dog’s body language, make sure you are combining ALL of their body signals. Looking at the dog’s full body instead of just one specific display such as what their tail is doing will give you a much better and accurate understanding of how the dog is feeling, allowing you to handle the situation appropriately and predict how they might react. Although there is so much more to understanding dog body language than could ever be discussed in one newsletter, we hope you learned something new about the furry companions in your life! All dogs are trying to tell us something, we just need to listen.

Boonie Bandanas

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(Let’s pretend this dog was rescued, it was the only stock photo available!)

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Boonie of the Week: Meet Calamansi!

Rescued by Boonie Babies super volunteers Drew and Sean from a shelter in New York, Calamansi is now enjoying the spoiled life with his three dog sisters Kaya, Ruby, and Dizzy. Calamansi is named after a fruit similar to a lemon and a lime that grows abundantly across Saipan as he was adopted in honor of all the cats Drew and Sean rescued, fixed (sometimes at the cost of almost losing a finger), and found homes for during their time on the island.

This city kitty enjoys spending time on the coolest, hand crafted cat tower you’ve ever seen, cuddling with his family, camping adventures, and people watching through the window.

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