Decoding Doggie: What Your Dog Wishes You Understood

If you've ever wished your dog came with a translator, you're not alone. Because here's the hard truth: most of us are social klutzes when it comes to understanding Dog. Dogs are primarily physical communicators, relying on body language more than vocalizations. At our rescue, we meet plenty of seasoned dog owners who misunderstand their dog, certain canine social cues and what they actually mean. This includes the underestimation of how much communication is actually occurring in a given moment. So how much of Dog do you actually know?

The Signals

Most dog owners know the basics. Certain ear positions, body postures, eye movements and other signals are clues. But there are many common, oversimplified interpretations universally shared without nuance, which can easily lead to misunderstandings. 

For instance, we often interpret a direct stare as attention or alert. But it can also signal a challenge, hyper-fixation or threat. A wagging tail doesn't always mean happiness and a growl doesn’t necessarily mean aggression.

It’s All About Nuance

Take this example: A playful puppy bounces up to a resting adult dog, who responds with a growl and raised hackles. When the pup doesn't take the hint, the adult dog gets up and pins the puppy down briefly with a growl before walking away. What looks like aggression to some is actually a masterclass. The adult dog communicated their feelings with that puppy the only way they can, without injuring them, and as a result, taught a lesson. The puppy just learned to pay attention to signals that mean “I’m uncomfortable, leave me alone."

Being on guard during such an interaction makes sense, but if we intervened too early and disciplined the adult dog for growling, a beautiful lesson would have been lost and left the adult dog confused. If a puppy never grows up never learning similar cues, the puppy may grow into an adult dog that does not listen to the boundaries of other dogs they may meet, which may escalate into a fight with less patient dogs, no matter the original intent. That cycle will eventually create paranoid, anxious or aggressive dogs. The same is also true if discipline is needed but never dispensed. Dogs need to learn to communicate just as much as you do and sometimes need assistance to discern what is actually a threat.

Mind Your Manners

How much manners a dog understands and can apply determines the traits of a dog in both short-term social interactions and long-term behavioral development. This is why socializing puppies with patient adult canines is an especially important, yet often overlooked, task. The good news? Learning Dog isn't rocket science. 

Take a look at this chart of canine body language:

Think of these signals as digits in a math equation. Sometimes a dog will give multiple signals at one time, so we add them up and consider the context.

Signal + signal + signal + context = what the dog feels

Example: Perked Ears + Staring + Wagging Tail + Tall posture + Meeting a new dog = I'm on alert and unsure.

Now we can deduct what is being communicated and predict what may come next to avoid those awkward (or potentially dangerous) social "faux paws" and/or encourage the right behavior.

The Benefits

Understanding the nuance behind canine communication can dramatically change how we interpret and respond to dogs' behavior. You don’t need to become the next Dr. Dolittle. But learning to read and respect these signals makes us a better advocate for ourselves and our dogs when a poor interaction begins. Including when our pawsitively perfect pooch is actually the culprit. Dog-dog and dog-human communication isn’t just a series of commands — it's also a silent conversation that can be seen loud and clear.