How to understand your dog's body language

Dogs come in many shapes, sizes and breeds, and these differences can affect the way they communicate.

• Dark coats and long fur can make it harder to spot smaller movements compared to dogs with short, paler fur.
• Floppy ears can mean that ear movements won’t be as obvious as they are for dogs with ears that sit up high on their head.

Some dogs have been bred to have exaggerated features.

• Very wrinkled or tight skin may restrict how much the body and face can move.
• Tightly curled tails can make it harder to show feelings.
• Brachycephalic and short-muzzled breeds may find it harder to make use of different facial expressions.

These exaggerated features are often associated with certain diseases and medical issues. So, this can negatively affect dogs’ health and welfare as well as their behaviour.  

Some dogs may have had their ears, tail, or both, surgically removed.

• Ear cropping is illegal in the UK.
• Tail docking is illegal in the UK, except for essential medical reasons or for certain breeds of working dogs.
• At Dogs Trust, we don’t think it’s acceptable for dogs to have their ears or tails painfully mutilated for cosmetic purposes. These practices can cause life-long physical and emotional pain.
• Ear cropping is often carried out during a puppy’s socialisation period – a key stage in their emotional and behavioural development. Trauma during this time can affect how a dog experiences and responds to pain for the rest of their life.
• Dogs use their ears and tails to communicate and express themselves, so cropping and docking may limit their ability to do this.

It’s important to look at your dog’s entire body – from head to tail. Only looking at one part of the body won’t fully explain how they feel.

This is important for a few reasons.

• Things can change quickly – the whole body gives more information at the same time.
• Small shifts in body language can mean big changes in what your dog is trying to say.
• Conflicted dogs can show mixed signals. The whole body tells a fuller story.

For example, dogs may wag their tail when they’re excited but might also wag their tail when they feel worried.

Behaviours can have different meanings depending on the situation. For example, a dog might drool and lick their lips as their dinner is being prepared. This is a normal bodily response to expecting food.

If a dog shows that same response in a different context, like when they’re lifted into a car, this could show that they’re worried about the car journey.

Dogs that are fearful of something can normally cope better when it’s far away.  How far away the scary thing, or ‘trigger’, needs to be depends on the individual dog. They might feel safe when the scary thing is 30 metres away but struggle to cope when it’s on the other side of the street. This is known as ‘critical distance’. 

Knowing your dog’s critical distance helps you to stay far enough away that your dog feels safe and remains calm.

This critical distance can change depending on how intense the trigger is. The more intense or overwhelming it is, the more space your dog may need to stay calm. Less intense triggers are often easier for your dog to cope with at a shorter distance.

For example, your dog might feel comfortable watching one small, quiet dog from across the street. They may find it harder to cope if there are several dogs together, or if the dog is barking or moving quickly. In these situations, you may need to increase the distance to help your dog stay calm.

Dogs repeat behaviours that work. If your dog reacts to a perceived threat with aggressive behaviour and it goes away, they learn that it’s a successful strategy. As well as the threat physically leaving, the dog might feel a sense of relief and safety. They’re then more likely to use aggressive behaviour again in similar situations in future.

If you calmly move your dog away, or give them space, when you notice the early signs of stress, they learn that you’ll support them and help them stay safe. This means they may be less likely to use aggressive behaviour in similar situations in the future.

Pain, illness or ongoing discomfort can have a significant impact on your dog’s body language and behaviour.

Changes to body posture – pain can limit movement and change how the body is held. This can make body language confusing. A sprained tail that can’t be raised into the normal position might look like a tucked tail shown by an anxious dog.

Defensive behaviour - some dogs might show avoidant or defensive behaviours, or escalate to showing defensive aggression quicker, to avoid further pain or injury.

Less tolerance and resilience – pain, illness and discomfort can affect a dog’s mood, their sleep and how resilient they feel. This is likely to lower their tolerance of others and could mean that they’re quicker to show signs they’re frustrated, overwhelmed or need space.

Learnt fear responses – medical issues and pain can lead to lasting fear responses that change how dogs move, interact or respond in different situations.

If your dog’s normal body language and behaviour changes, or they develop new behaviours, it’s best to take your dog to the vet to rule out underlying medical problems.

Options available – your dog may be more likely to choose an aggressive response when other options to increase distance, like avoidance, are limited.​ For example, a dog might prefer to avoid someone and move away but can’t because they’re backed into a corner or on the lead.

New environments – moving into a new home or being somewhere unfamiliar can increase anxiety. This could lead to signals for space being used more often until they find their feet.

Association – a dog that always plays with their friends in a certain park might show excited body language every time they visit. In contrast, they might walk calmly past another park every day as they’ve never played there, so don’t expect to.

Equipment – equipment like harnesses and muzzles can hide or seem to change what a dog’s trying to say. For example, pulling into a harness may result in the dog standing on their back legs which could look confrontational to other dogs.

Some dogs will roll on their back for a belly rub from people they trust and in surroundings that feel safe. But we need to make sure that dogs who do this are not doing an ‘appeasement roll’.

Appeasement rolls are used by dogs that feel anxious or afraid. They’re trying to show they’re not a threat. If the perceived threat continues to approach the dog when they’re in this position, there’s a risk they could use aggressive behaviours to get the space they need.  

If you think your dog is showing an appeasement roll, give them space and make sure other people and dogs to do the same. Some dogs learn to use appeasement behaviour over time if they’ve received a positive response to it. They may take a while to gain confidence and learn to greet in other ways.

If your dog is relaxed and asking for a tummy rub they will be loose and floppy when they roll over in front of you. You should see other signs of relaxed body language described in the ‘What to look out for’ section of this page. If you give your dog a gentle three second stroke on their tummy then stop, this gives them the chance to move away if it’s not what they want. If they ask you for more fuss then you can continue saying hello as long as they stay relaxed.

If you’re still not sure why your dog is rolling on their back, or would like further support or guidance, give our friendly Behaviour Support Line team a call. They’re ready and waiting with free, qualified advice.

Not necessarily. Raised hackles are a sign of high stimulation rather than aggression. They might be raised during play or during conflict. Consider the rest of your dog’s body language – is their body loose and wiggly or are they stiff and tense?

Check out the rest of this page to help you work out how your dog feels when their hackles are raised. If you’re still not sure, or would like further support or guidance, give our friendly Behaviour Support Line team a call. They’re ready and waiting with free, qualified advice.

Not always. Tail movements help to communicate different feelings and are a big part of dog communication. While dogs do wag their tails when they’re happy and relaxed, they also wag them for other reasons too.

• A quickly wagging tail in your dog’s normal tail position probably means they’re happy.
• A tail that’s low and wags quickly could be a sign of conflicted feelings or anxiety.
• A raised, stiff tail that moves slowly might mean your dog is on high alert. They might feel unsure or they could be preparing to use aggressive behaviours.
• A tail that spins in a circle like a helicopter rotor means your dog is happy – you might see this when they greet their friends – animal or human.

Don’t forget to take your dog’s full body into account when working out how they feel. Tails can look quite different between dogs too so it’s important to know what your dog’s tail looks like when they’re relaxed.

Sort of – but there’s no guarantees they’ll learn the right thing.

Most puppies develop some body language and communication skills when they’re with their mum and siblings. And they’re likely to continue learning throughout their lives. Leaving them to figure the rest out once you’ve brought them home is risky. 

It’s a bit like putting a child in a room of strangers and telling them to get an education. They’ll probably learn something, but what they learn, whether it’s appropriate, and the effect it has on them is out of your control.

The best chance for your pup to develop good communication skills with both humans and other dogs is to help them. Carefully introduce new experiences and choose good role models for them to spend time with. We understand that this might sound daunting so check out our puppy pages for advice.

This behaviour is known as the ‘Flehmen Response’. You’ll most often see this in male dogs that are sniffing the urine or back end of a female to see if she’s in season. This behaviour helps the dog to process the scent and get information.

While dominance theory has persevered for some time, it’s been disproven by science. Often, a high tail carriage is just how a dog looks. Pugs, for example, have tails that curl over their back.

If your dog’s tail regularly moves from a neutral position to a raised position, it’s possible they feel alert, anxious or unsure. Look at what the rest of their body is saying as that should make their communication clearer. If it feels too confusing, or you’re not sure what to do next, our Behaviour Services Team can help you.

If your dog tends to use defensive behaviours as a first response, they might have learnt that this is more effective than using subtle signs of anxiety. This doesn’t mean your dog can’t learn to use these signs in future. In the meantime, there's some steps to take that will help your dog and keep everyone safe.

Don’t struggle alone - get support from one of our behaviour experts to help your dog with their anxiety. Take your dog to the vet to rule out underlying medical conditions.

Avoid challenging situations – try to avoid places and things that cause your dog to show aggressive behaviours. Calmly encourage them to move away instead. If you’re not sure why your dog is using aggressive behaviours, keeping a diary can help.  

Step in early – if you know your dog is likely to be anxious about something, help them. For example, if your dog is worried about interacting with strangers or other dogs, politely tell the person not to come closer or ask them to call their dog back.

Knowing if dog-to-dog play is fair and welcome can be tricky, especially mid-chase or wrestle. Some, but not all, dogs show a relaxed ‘play face’ that signals friendly intent, but others can be harder to read. Normal, healthy play will often include behaviours that can look aggressive too like growling, barking, and gentle mouthing.

Here’s some indicators that play is appropriate.

• body language – should be loose and wiggly for both dogs
• role switching - taking it in turns so both dogs get a chance to ‘win’
• mirroring – copying each other’s movements
• self-handicapping – dog’s limit their own advantages, like big dogs lying down to play with small dogs
• regular breaks – these help to regulate excitement levels
• sneezing – shows that there’s no ill intent and they’re having fun.

Understanding how to play appropriately is a skill that dogs need to learn. So if you aren’t sure everyone’s having fun, call your dog away and give them a break. If all dogs are desperate to carry on, they were probably having fun. If any of the dogs move further away or shows signals of anxiety, you made the right call.

Your dog might need help knowing when to have a break if they’re:

• struggling to respond to your instructions
• jumping up at or on their playmate repeatedly and not letting the other up
• starting to nip when chasing or mouthing harder when wrestling
• snatching treats or toys
• chasing intensely, or the chase is one-sided
• getting ‘the zoomies’ where they run at high speed with their bum tucked under their body – this is a sign of excitement but can also be a sign of overstimulation.