Dog’s give us many cues, to let us know what they are feeling, or telling us know what they want or don’t want from us. Correct interpretation of their body language is essential in understanding what our dog is telling us. We access the dog’s ears, eyes, mouth, tail and their body stance.
What do their ears tell us?
Our dog’s ears are pinned back indicating that they are fearful or feeling threatened and may act out defensively. It is clear that this pup is NOT comfortable with what is happening, this could easily end with a bite at the handler.
Or their ears, forward or upright, is indicative of alert/attentive or aggressive, we need to access the other body cues, to understand exactly what this dog is trying to tell us. The eyes are full and the mouth is slightly curled, which tells us, he could react aggressively.
Or their ears are relaxed, in a neutral position, such as this, he is completely happy, content and relaxed. Definitely a green light from this dog!
Do a complete scan of their eyes, ears, mouth, posture and tail, to get the whole picture. Just because a dog is wagging their tail, it doesn’t always mean they are happy – we need to see what other clues they are giving us.