My first Publication CC April Edition-19-High Resolution | Page 23

not the case, you should consult a canine
behaviorist who can help you bring your
dog’s focus back on to you.
Th e Hello!
Dogs love peace. If asked what the most
common behavior among dogs is, the
answer is ‘Avoidance of Confl ict’. Dogs go
to great lengths to make it clear with each
other that they intend no harm. Th ey have
an elaborate vocabulary of body signals by
which they do this. You can see many of
these signals in action if you observe two
dogs approaching each other, and the most
common ones are listed below:
Avoidance of eye contact:
Two dogs engaging in direct eye contact
are either about to fi ght or are in the
middle of play; and obviously these two
looks can be noticed to be very diff erent.
Dogs make conscious eff ort to avoid direct
eye contact when they meet and greet each
other. Th is action might be performed just
by diverting the gaze to the side or down,
or by a slight turn of the face to the side.
Th is tells the other dog that he intends no
harm.
Curving of the body:
Direct straight line head-on approach to
each other is considered rude among dogs.
A dog approaching another dog like that
is considered a threat and chances are
that the other dog might get defensive or
go on the off ensive. A dog with peaceful
intentions will always curve its body a
little and show its side while approaching
another dog. It might even take a curved
route to the dog, possibly approaching it
at an angle.
Open mouth, loose lips:
You can tell a lot about the mood of a
dog by observing its mouth and lips. A
closed mouth with tight lips is a reason
for concern, as the dog is clearly not
relaxed and is feeling nervous, confused
or unhappy. Th at said, a dog would close
its mouth while inspecting another dog up
close, but the mouth would open within a
few seconds once the inspection is done. So
if you notice either of the dogs not relaxing
and keeping their mouths shut, you should
pay more attention to the situation.
Loose body:
A tight body, with tightened muscles is
the clearest indicator of extreme unease
among dogs. It is also an indicator of
an imminent action, mostly an attack.
A loose body with relaxed muscles and
swingy movements shows that the dog is
comfortable in the situation.
Fast wagging relaxed tail:
Dogs indicate friendliness by the quick
wag of their tail through the duration of
the initial interaction. If the tail of either
one goes stiff , it could be an indicator that
the dog is not enjoying the interaction
anymore or is getting stressed about the
situation.
Sniffi ng of the ground:
When two dogs approach each other, it is
quite oft en seen that one of the dogs would
act as if it is sniffi ng the ground, which
is usually reciprocated by the other dog
too. Th is again is one of the signals that
come under a wide range of behaviors,
commonly classifi ed under the name
‘Calming Signals’. Th e intention of the
behavior in this context is to convey that
there is no intent to harm.
Along with the above signals, two dogs
would exchange a host of other calming
signals during their approach and aft er.
Th ey include quick nose licks, gentle eyes
with lots of blinking, yawns, look-aways,
chomps and so on. Th ese signals are to be
read in context only and in a dog to dog
meeting, they are used to indicate the lack
of any intent to harm and also as requests
to give space or to slow down the approach.
Social status and meetings
When two dogs who know each other meet,
the above signals are also accompanied
by a host of other signals indicating
submissiveness or dominance, depending
on how they consider each other in status.
For example, a dog which is submissive to
the other would wag its tail fast but at a
lower level, I.e. close to its body; whereas
a dog higher in status would hold or wag
it once in a while, keeping it high. Also,
depending on their level of submissiveness
and confi dence, the dogs can lower their
entire body to the ground or even roll over
and expose their belly to the other dog. It
April 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 4 • Noida
23
| Creature Companion