What’s your dog saying to you with his body?  Canine body language is a large part of communication in the pack and with humans. 

Playing -  When playing, the ears are up and forward, usually the mouth is open and the eyes are relaxed.  Dog to dog play is a way they learn to fight, hunt and reproduce.  Many times the first move to initiate play is a bow or pawing the air at each other.  It’s like they are telling each other that all the biting, growling and stalking is not serious, it’s playtime. 

Confidence -  A confident dog stands erect, tail up with a slow sweeping wag.  The ears are up or relaxed but he looks directly at you and his pupils are small.  A confident dog is a relaxed dog. 

Fear -  Fear is shown by a lowered stance with the tail down or tucked under the bottom.  Sometimes the tail will do a quick, frantic wag.  The dog will look away and the pupils are dilated.  He may bark out of fear to warn whatever is there to stay away.  This barking can become intense if fenced in, on a leash or cornered.

Dominance -  Alpha dogs have a very calm way of showing their dominance.  Standing tall is one.  Another is putting their head or paw over another dog’s shoulders.  They might accept a lick on the mouth or even stare at the other dog with calm eyes.  “Humping” can be a sign of dominance but it can be used by lower-ranking dogs to try and demonstrate allegiance to the alpha dog. 

Submissive -  The submissive dog will lower its head and allow other dogs to stand over them.  They might roll on their back with their head pointed away from the other dog.  Their tail will probably be between their legs. 

Stress -  Dogs can get stressed in many different situations but usually it’s frustration or fear; as in learning something new or not being able to do something.  Signs of stress are dilated pupils, rapid panting with the corners of the mouth pulled back, tail down, “submissive” urination, whining, shaking, scratching, sniffing, turning head away or “fence barking or fighting”

Calming -  Because dogs are pack animals, they have developed ways of diffusing and even avoiding conflict and aggression.  Calming sign can be yawning, looking away, lip-licking, circling, just lying down calmly and even “shaking” off tension. 

Aggression -  Watch your dogs’ body.  Stiff legs and body mean aggression when it’s coupled with a lowered head and ears back, narrow-fixed eyes, lips in a snarl, “hackles” up, tail out straight and intense stare.