It’s Me or the Dog: How to have the Perfect Pet. Victoria Stilwell
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paws placed over his neck? You’re telling him you love him, but he might think you’re being controlling.
The stomach
Most dogs love to have their tummies stroked and will flop onto their backs happily to invite you to do so. This clear body signal is a submissive gesture that your dog learned as a puppy. While play-fighting, puppies like to pin each other down, practicing the body signals they will need as adults. Showing the opponent the stomach puts the dog in a vulnerable position. It says: “I trust you enough to show you the most delicate part of me. I am no threat to you whatsoever.”
But there is another side to this signal. After a kill, wild dogs and wolves always go for the stomach of the prey first. For good reason: Entrails contain the most nutrients. When a nervous dog lies on his back to show you his stomach, he is not inviting your touch, he is asking you to back off.
The play-bow
The play-bow is an invitation to play and a demonstration of friendliness. It’s a very distinctive posture. The dog will lower his front quarters and bow down on his front legs, placing them flat on the ground in front of his body. His body will be curved, and the tail will be curved or wagging. The play-bow is often accompanied by a couple of short barks. It’s a very engaging stance, and one a dog will sometimes adopt if he’s been scolded.
Sniffing
Dogs do a lot of sniffing: It’s their most important way of exploring the world around them. Sometimes, however, a dog will sniff the ground to calm another dog down and show him that he is not a threat. He’s saying: “I’m much more interested in this patch of grass than you.”
Yawning
This is an easy one, you might think. What else could yawning mean but tiredness? Well, that’s not always the case. Yawning can mean a dog feels stressed and nervous. It can be used as a distraction or a calming signal. We humans do it, too, in situations that make us feel uncomfortable.
Scratching
Like yawning, scratching can also be a displacement activity. Humans bite their nails when they’re anxious; dogs scratch. I often see a lot of scratching when I start to train a dog.
Sneezing
Similarly, sneezing can also be related to stress and anxiety. Insecure dogs often sneeze when meeting another dog or greeting a human.
Stretching
Dogs stretch for the same reason we do, to relieve muscle tension when moving from a sedentary pose to a more active one. But they may also stretch as a distraction or as a displacement activity in situations where they do not feel very comfortable.
Freezing
There are three principal ways in which a dog will respond to a threat: He’ll run away, which is generally the most sensible option; he’ll fight, if he feels up to it; or he’ll freeze and hope that the threat goes away. If you touch a nervous dog and he freezes or his body tenses up, take your cue from that and back off. If you keep on stroking him, the next stage will be a warning growl, then a snarl, then a nip. Some dogs don’t even bother to give a warning, but go straight to a bite.
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