Dog body language

Stress signals are the quiet ones. Dogs use them to say they are uneasy and to calm a situation down, which is why they are often called calming signals. Merck lists yawning and lip licking as displacement behaviours in anxious dogs, alongside a low body posture (Merck).

• Lip licking or tongue flicks with no food around (RSPCA, VCA)
• Yawning when not tired (RSPCA)
• Looking away or turning the head (RSPCA)
• Whale eye, with the whites of the eyes showing (ASPCA)
• A raised front paw, a low body or a tucked tail (RSPCA)
• A tight, closed mouth, or lips pulled back at the corners (ASPCA)
• Wet pawprints, because stressed dogs sweat through their pads (ASPCA)

Does showing teeth always mean aggression?

No. Some dogs show a submissive grin: front teeth showing, but with a lowered head, soft, squinty eyes, flattened ears and a wagging tail. It is an appeasing signal, not a threat. A snarl comes with a stiff body, a wrinkled nose and often a growl (ASPCA).

Do puppies use the same signals?

None of the veterinary sources we read describes a separate set of puppy signals, so read a puppy with the same chart. Play bows appear early: one study recorded them in the play of young dog and wolf puppies (Byosiere et al.).

The play bow is the clearest play signal: the front legs bend and the rear end stays up. A study of dog and wolf puppies found play bows most often came after a short pause in play and were followed by bursts of very active play, and almost all were made when both animals were looking at each other (Byosiere et al.).

Pupils can dilate in play as well as in fear, so look at how loose the body is before you decide (ASPCA).

Subtle signals usually come before bold ones, and most dogs warn before they bite (VCA). The ASPCA lists the warnings in order of rising intensity (ASPCA):

1. Becoming very still and rigid
2. A guttural, threatening bark
3. Lunging forward or charging with no contact
4. Growling
5. Showing teeth
6. A snarl: a growl with the teeth showing
7. A snap, which VCA describes as an inhibited bite and a final warning
8. A nip, then a bite

Dogs do not always follow this order and often do several at once (ASPCA). Any dog can escalate with little or no warning, and a fearful dog may show only its fearful posture and attempts to get away (VCA).

Why you should never punish a growl

A growl gives you time to back off. Punishing growling may stop it, so the dog skips straight to a bite (RSPCA). Punishment can also increase a dog's fear and make it more aggressive (VCA).

A wag tells you a dog is aroused, not that it is friendly. The shape of the wag and the height of the tail tell you which kind (ASPCA, RSPCA).

• Loose, wide wag with a relaxed body: friendly.
• Fast circular helicopter wag: friendly and excited.
• High, stiff tail with short, fast wags: high arousal or possible aggression.
• Tail tucked between the legs: fear.

Breeds carry their tails differently, so learn your dog's natural, neutral position first. For a dog with a docked or tightly curled tail, rely more on the ears, eyes, mouth and body (ASPCA).

1. Ask the owner first, and do not reach out to an unfamiliar dog (ASPCA).
2. Hold the back of a closed hand a little way off, never in the dog's face, and let the dog come to you (VCA).
3. If the dog does not come and sniff, it does not want to be petted (VCA).
4. If it does, stroke the chest or shoulders. Petting over the head can feel threatening (ASPCA, VCA).
5. Back away if the dog looks nervous, moves away, freezes, growls or snarls (VCA).

Teaching children to read dogs

Children are the most common victims of dog bites, so always supervise them with dogs (ASPCA, ASPCA). Teach them to leave a dog alone when it is eating, sleeping or with puppies, to pet only the back and sides, and to stand still like a tree if a dog seems aggressive (VCA).

A change in how your dog behaves can be a health problem. Dogs may bite because they are hurt or in pain, and the RSPCA, ASPCA and Merck all say to have the dog checked by a vet before working on the behaviour (RSPCA, ASPCA, Merck).

• New warning signals when touched, picked up or groomed
• A normally relaxed dog that now looks worried much of the time
• Any bite, snap or nip

Your vet may then refer you to a behaviour specialist (RSPCA). For anxiety when you leave the house, see our guide to dog separation anxiety. For noisy warnings, the barking cause finder may help, and the dog behaviour checker gives a quick read on other changes. If you also have a cat, our cat body language decoder covers the feline side.

Every figure and threshold on this page comes from the veterinary sources below, and each one is linked where it is used. Where no source gives a cut-off, we say call your vet rather than invent one.