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How Do Dogs Communicate?
Understanding canine communication and body language
Dogs are sociable animals and, like humans, display a wide range of behaviours and interactions when communicating. Whether it's with humans, dogs or other animals, their behaviours can be construed as positive or negative depending on different factors such as the context and the specific situation.1–3
Below we have provided some examples of positive and negative signs of dog communication in order to help you better understand different behaviours during interactions.
Positive Communication
- Tail wagging: A wagging tail can indicate happiness, excitement, and friendliness in a dog.4 But there are also many nuances between different tail positions while wagging, e.g. speed and angle can indicate different meanings and intentions of the dog.5 Read more about this below.
- Relaxed body posture: When a dog's posture is relaxed and shows little to no tension in the muscles, it signals a sense of comfort and ease.
- Playfulness: When dogs engage in playful behaviours, such as a 'play bow' (a common, crouched posture with front legs extended and the rear end elevated) and joyful barking, they show a positive and friendly disposition.6 However, in a stressful situation, a play bow can also indicate uncertainty or mental or physical overload.
- Affectionate behaviours: These include licking someone’s hands or face, leaning against their owners, and cuddling with them are all signs of affection and bonding.7
- Responsive to signals: Whether this be vocal or sign cues, a dog that responds well to given signals and is receptive to obedience training shows a happy willingness to cooperate and please their owner. More specifically, the dog is attentive, looks at the owner and behaves in a calm and focused way.
- Socialising with other dogs: Interactions with other dogs that involve mutual sniffing, play, and appropriate body language demonstrate good social skills.8 In general, the dog’s body should be curvy, loose and with a low muscle tone, i.e. not too much tension or stiff body postures.
- Gentle mouth: When dogs interact with humans, a soft and gentle mouth, without wrinkles and muscle tensions, during play or taking treats, is a positive sign.
- Calm greeting: A dog that greets people calmly without jumping up or excessive excitement displays well-mannered behaviour. Teaching a dog to remain on all fours during greetings helps prevent overwhelming or unwanted interactions.
Negative Communication
- Growling or snarling: These aggressive vocalisations often signal that a dog feels threatened or uncomfortable.9 The cause should be addressed to avoid future problems, but it's good to remember, however, that this is also a normal part of dog communication. Be aware that if you punish your dog for growling or snarling, then in order to communicate, they may resort to snapping or biting to 'escape' from the unpleasant situation.
- Raised hackles: Hackles refer to the hairs along a dog's neck and back, supported by a specialised set of muscles. When these muscles contract, the hairs stand upright — a reaction known as piloerection. This involuntary response can signal a range of emotions, including excitement, fear, anxiety, or aggression. Dogs cannot consciously control this reaction, which is similar to how humans get goosebumps.
- Baring teeth: This is a clear sign of aggression and should be taken seriously. It is important, to figure out the cause of this behaviour and change the situation accordingly based on the dogs needs.
- Stiff body posture: A rigid, tense stance suggests that the dog is on high alert and/or feeling threatened. Therefore, this posture often reflects heightened stress or discomfort.
- Nipping or biting: Dogs may resort to nipping or biting when they feel threatened, scared, or provoked and want to distance themselves from the situation. Puppies need to learn to regulate the strength of their bite, which is called 'bite inhibition'. Baby teeth play a crucial role in this process as they provide immediate feedback when they bite too hard.
- Excessive barking: While barking is natural behaviour for dogs, excessive and continuous barking may indicate anxiety or frustration. In this case, it is highly recommended to seek professional help to search for the trigger.
- Avoidance or hiding: If a dog avoids interactions or hides from people or other animals, it may indicate fear or discomfort. Most likely, the dog will display various communication signals that they find calming.10,11 These include behaviours like licking their lips, looking away, turning away, crouching and pawing.
- Resource guarding: When a dog becomes possessive of food, toys, or other items, it can lead to aggressive behaviours to defend their valued resources. In this case, the dog’s body will be highly tensed and ready to attack.
It is important to note that every dog is individual and has different needs and past experiences. Each dog’s behaviour should be interpreted within the context of their unique personality, breed tendencies, and specific circumstances.
Understanding a dog's body language and respecting their boundaries are crucial factors for building a positive and trusting relationship with them. If you encounter problematic behaviours, then seeking guidance from a professional dog trainer or behaviourist using reward- and choice-based methods is highly recommended.
Body Language
Visual communication
- Tail: How a dog wags their tail, both in the speed and the width, can reveal a lot about their emotional state. A wide, fast wag often signals positive emotions, such as excitement or happiness, when greeting someone. In contrast, a slow, stiff wag with minimal movement side-to-side may indicate negative emotions, like uncertainty or discomfort when encountering an unfamiliar dog. The tail position also plays a crucial role. A horizontal tail typically reflects a neutral emotional state, while an erect tail may indicate alertness or confidence. If the tail is tucked in, then this often signals fear or submission.
- Eyes: A dog's eyes can offer valuable clues into their emotional state. Pay attention to whether the eyes are open or closed, squinting, widened, or showing the whites of the eye — known as the 'whale eye', which may indicate discomfort or stress. You can also distinguish between two general eye expressions, namely 'hard', meaning intense staring and a fixated gaze, indicating tension and unease. Or 'soft', which shows round or almond-shaped neutral eyes typically reflecting calmness and comfort.
- Width of the pupils: Large pupils often indicate a high level of heightened emotions, e.g. due to fear, excitement, aggression, etc. Note that when there is bright light around, the pupils will be smaller due to the light conditions.
- Ears: Note that this is highly dependent and influenced by breed-specific shape and morphology.
- Relaxed: Loosely hanging to the side or down (droopy ears), no muscle tension, especially in the base of the ear.
- Attentive: Standing up and facing the front.
- Nervousness: To the side, back, down or close to the head – high muscle tension, straight, pointed ears.
- Defensive aggression: In this state, a dog's body language typically shifts to a downward and/or backwards posture. For example, the ears are pinned back, crouched posture, tail tucked in tightly, facial tension such as a long or tight mouth, visible whites in the eyes, facial wrinkles and squinted eyes.
- Offensive aggression: In this state, a dog's body language typically shifts to a forward and upwards posture. For example, mouth open and baring teeth, wrinkles on nose and snout, raised hackles, tail up high and stiff, tense muscles, pointed ears to the front, stiff legs, and body posture.
- Fear and confidence:
- Signs of fear: Trying to appear small and displaying the so-called calming signals.11
- Signs of confidence: Trying to appear bigger by standing tall with a stiff posture, raised tail, upright ears, and a forward-leaning stance to assert dominance.
- Sounds/vocal communication: This can include growling, whining, howling, barking — and these behaviours will depend on the respective context.4
Source
1. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, Van Hooff JARAM, De Vries HW, Mol JA. Chronic Stress in Dogs Subjected to Social and Spatial Restriction. I. Behavioral Responses. Physiology & Behavior. 1999;66(2):233–242. doi:10.1016/S0031-9384(98)00289-3
2. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, van Hooff J, J.A.R.A.M, Vries, Mol J. Behavioural and hormonal indicators of enduring environmental stress in dogs. Animal welfare 9, 2000, 49-62. 2000;9.
3. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, Van Hooff JanARAM, De Vries HW. Manifestations of chronic and acute stress in dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 1997;52(3–4):307–319. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01131-8
4. Siniscalchi M, d’Ingeo S, Minunno M, Quaranta A. Communication in Dogs. Animals. 2018;8(8):131. doi:10.3390/ani8080131
5. Tami G, Gallagher A. Description of the behaviour of domestic dog (Canis familiaris) by experienced and inexperienced people. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2009;120(3–4):159–169. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2009.06.009
6. Sommerville R, O’Connor EA, Asher L. Why do dogs play? Function and welfare implications of play in the domestic dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2017;197. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2017.09.007
7. Topál J, Miklosi A, Csányi V, Antal D. Attachment Behavior in Dogs (Canis familiaris): A New Application of Ainsworth’s (1969) Strange Situation Test. Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983). 1998;112:219–29. doi:10.1037/0735-7036.112.3.219
8. Bradshaw J, Rooney N, Serpell J. Dog social behavior and communication. In: The domestic dog: Its evolution, behavior and interactions with people,. 2017. p. 133–159.
9. Blackshaw JK. An overview of types of aggressive behaviour in dogs and methods of treatment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 1991;30(3):351–361. doi:10.1016/0168-1591(91)90140-S
10. Mariti C, Falaschi C, Zilocchi M, Fatjó J, Sighieri C, Ogi A, Gazzano A. Analysis of the intraspecific visual communication in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris): A pilot study on the case of calming signals. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2017;18:49–55. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2016.12.009
11. Mariti C, Papi F, Ducci M, Sighieri C, Martelli F, Gazzano A. Domestic dogs display calming signals more frequently towards unfamiliar rather than familiar dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2010;5(1):62–63. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2009.10.007
2. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, van Hooff J, J.A.R.A.M, Vries, Mol J. Behavioural and hormonal indicators of enduring environmental stress in dogs. Animal welfare 9, 2000, 49-62. 2000;9.
3. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, Van Hooff JanARAM, De Vries HW. Manifestations of chronic and acute stress in dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 1997;52(3–4):307–319. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01131-8
4. Siniscalchi M, d’Ingeo S, Minunno M, Quaranta A. Communication in Dogs. Animals. 2018;8(8):131. doi:10.3390/ani8080131
5. Tami G, Gallagher A. Description of the behaviour of domestic dog (Canis familiaris) by experienced and inexperienced people. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2009;120(3–4):159–169. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2009.06.009
6. Sommerville R, O’Connor EA, Asher L. Why do dogs play? Function and welfare implications of play in the domestic dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2017;197. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2017.09.007
7. Topál J, Miklosi A, Csányi V, Antal D. Attachment Behavior in Dogs (Canis familiaris): A New Application of Ainsworth’s (1969) Strange Situation Test. Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983). 1998;112:219–29. doi:10.1037/0735-7036.112.3.219
8. Bradshaw J, Rooney N, Serpell J. Dog social behavior and communication. In: The domestic dog: Its evolution, behavior and interactions with people,. 2017. p. 133–159.
9. Blackshaw JK. An overview of types of aggressive behaviour in dogs and methods of treatment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 1991;30(3):351–361. doi:10.1016/0168-1591(91)90140-S
10. Mariti C, Falaschi C, Zilocchi M, Fatjó J, Sighieri C, Ogi A, Gazzano A. Analysis of the intraspecific visual communication in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris): A pilot study on the case of calming signals. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2017;18:49–55. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2016.12.009
11. Mariti C, Papi F, Ducci M, Sighieri C, Martelli F, Gazzano A. Domestic dogs display calming signals more frequently towards unfamiliar rather than familiar dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2010;5(1):62–63. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2009.10.007