What am I saying? Je suis bien content de te voir. Rester loin

Translation I am happy to see you Stay away

How do dogs communicate? 1. Vocalizations 2. Body Postures 3. Direct Contact 4. Scents or Smells http://www.petprofessionalguild.com/DogBodylanguage

What to observe Ear positions Tail positions Gaze – Where it is looking Stance or positioning Mouth position/baring teeth Vocalizations Displacement behaviors – Not in a meaningful context

Displacement Behaviors Not in a meaningful context 1. Yawning 2. Lip licking 3. Grooming 4. Redirected Aggression – Can not get to the cause of frustration so takes it out on the closest person/animal.

Summary of What to Observe Pay attention to all parts of the dog’s body Watch for subtle or sudden changes in the dog’s behavior Be aware of what is going on in the surrounding environment Notice the context in which the behavior occurs

Observations vs. Interpretations Observation – describe what you see Interpretation – What you think is happening

Threatening gestures 1. Direct eye contact 2. Facing the dog 3. Leaning over the dog 4. Reaching for the dog

Body Postures to observe Ears Neutral (relaxed) Alert (forward) Back (down) Pricked ears – stand up on head, ex/ German Shepard Floppy ears – hang down, ex/ beagle Cropped ears – Ears are cut, ex/Doberman

Body Postures to observe 2. Eyes and gaze A. Direction of gaze Direct eye contact is a threat Avoiding eye contact – fear/submissive B. Pupils – black center of eye Large pupil = scared C. How open are the eyes?

Body Postures to observe: 3. Mouth Panting – can be hot or stressed (displacement) Yawning Baring of teeth Submissive grin – showing teeth, but not threatining Lip licking Happy Face

Body postures to observe 4. Tail When watching tail, notice… Is it carried low or high How does it change over the course of your observations? Is the hair on the tail fluffed up? Piloerection Is the tail stationary or wagging? If the tail is wagging, is it moving quickly or slowly How does the rest of the dog look?

Body postures to observe 5. Overall body carriage Relaxed or at ease Alert Crouched or cowering Play bow

Animal Body Language Always observe animals body language before and while handling animals.