Last time on the blog, LazyPaw Animal Hospitals outlined how to tell whether a dog is happy, relaxed, playful or alert. Today, we’re discussing how to recognize signs that a dog is feeling aggressive, fearful, stressed or worried. Knowing the difference will help you be a better pet parent, but it will also help you read your animal for cues that they are not ready to interact with strangers or children.
Stressed
When a dog is anxious or distressed, her body will be lower to the ground, tail curled under, ears back and pupils dilated. She may hold the corners of her mouth back and pant, and her paw pads might sweat. A dog in this posture is uncomfortable and nervous, probably due to environmental or social stress. When you see your dog showing these body language signals, it’s time to take a time out and understand what is making her so uncomfortable. Once you know the cause, gently calm her down until she feels secure again.
Fearful
When your dog is downright worried, she will likely display signs of submission. Her tail will be down and may wag just a tad, and her body will be lowered. Ears will be held back with a smooth forehead and any eye contact will be brief and indirect. She may lick the face of the dominant dog or lick the air and raise one front paw. These are all submissive actions meant to appease the top dog that Fido sees as threatening or challenging. Her posture shows she wants to avoid conflict and not pose a challenge to the leader of the pack.
Total submission
When a dog is really scared or shy and needs to demonstrate total submission, she’ll essentially grovel on her back before the top dog in hopes of avoiding conflict. Her stomach and throat will be exposed, tail tucked, and ears flat. She’ll turn her head to avoid direct eye contact, which is seen as a challenging message, and her eyes may close partially.
Aggressive—dominant
If a dog is feeling threatened and wants to prove they’re at the top of the pack, they’ll display confidence and use body language that says they’ll respond aggressively if challenged. The legs will be stiff with weight forward, lips curled, and mouth open with teeth and often gums visible. The nose will likely wrinkle, as will the forehead. Ears will tilt forward and may spread slightly to make the dog appear larger. The tail will be raised, stiff and bristled, and it may vibrate and quiver from side to side. If the dog has short hair, the hackles will be raised. These signs all read, warning! I’m ready to bite and fight!
Aggressive—afraid
Some dogs will flop belly-up immediately in the face of a foe, but others who are afraid choose to show they will fight if pushed too far. Many of the signs of these emotions are the same as an aggressive-dominant dog, with the main difference being posture. Hair will be bristled, pupils dilated, ears back, nose wrinkled, and teeth and gums showing with the corners of the mouth pulled back, but the dog’s body will be crouched with a tucked tail.