But my dog was wagging his tail…

…that means he’s happy, right? Why did he suddenly growl if he was happy?

In our doggie classes, from new pups through our obstacle course, we look at our dog’s body language to help us determine when they are feeling safe and confident, and when they may be sending us signals that they are not loving their current environment or situation.

I remember after a long consult with a behavioral specialist when I had my ZigDog, I remarked “he’ll never jump in the car anywhere but here! Why does he do that? You ARE an amazing dog specialist.” He laughed and said, “No, you just don’t know how to read your dog…he HATES it here and can’t wait to get out!”

Then he pointed out how he was holding his tail, compared to how he “usually” does. It was low and wagging. I thought that meant he was relaxed! Nope. Scared.

He pointed out ZigDog’s gait, was a quick trot with an occasional “happy dance” step. I thought he was happy trotting. Nope. Fearful steps coupled with over-excitement.

When Ziggy looked at me constantly during our sessions there, I thought he was FINALLY concentrating on watching me in a distracting environment. Sigh. WRONG AGAIN! He WAS concentrating on me, but basically asking, “are you showing me ANY signs we’re going home?”

I was so overwhelmed! How was I going to ever help my reactive Ziggy if I was misreading all of his signals? I was doomed to fail! Alas, the behaviorist calmed me down and told me my only job was to notice the different behavior in different settings. He’d help me figure out what it meant as we worked with Ziggy.

The short point is…we are given a LOT of misinformation about what a dog’s behavior means, and it gets both us and the dog into some bad situations.

Tail wagging = happy!Not always.

Play bow = I want to play! Not necessarily.

Yawning = I’m tired or bored. Nope!

Sometimes the behaviors DO means what we think, but dog’s “speak” in body language and there are so many things to notice before we make up our story.

Let’s take the “play bow” as an example because this is one that often precedes an unexpected doggie fight or scary interaction.

We’ve all seen a dog “bow”, stretching out their front legs, leaning down on their elbows with their butt in the air. We even named a yoga pose after this play bow, says at least one theory.

Most of the time, this is a dog’s invitation to play!

However, sometimes it represents anxiety or trying to thwart another feeling. It can be a displacement behavior, which occurs out of context with a dog is trying to cope with a situation. This is the same thing with a yawn! It can be used to try to relax the nervous system.

Humans have displacement behaviors, too. We may bite our nails, run our hands through our hair, sigh, fidget or relentlessly check our phone while waiting in line even though we know it didn’t buzz with a new message!

A play bow may signify some annoyance or impatience - like when your dog has to wait for you to type a message on your phone when they thought you were going for a walk. They were ready to move so they are throwing you some signals that it’s time to get going.

A bow can also be used with another dog that appears aggressive or irritated as your dog’s way to say “Hey! I’m not trying to get on your bad side!”

It’s always important to look at your dog’s behavior in context to interpret what they are trying to communicate. As humans, we want to make up a lot of stories and then believe them. So, try to just observe your dog.

If they bow when you are about to throw the ball, it may mean “Let’s play! I’m ready”. If they bow as you are standing talking to a friend, it may mean “I’m irritated, let’s get moving!”

If a dog yawns, it could be a release of tension. It could mean they are trying to calm down.

A tail wag, if low and quick, may mean fear. If high and tight, it may mean fear or alert. A quick whipping tail may mean over-excitement. A “happy” wag is usually soft and fluid so look for the signs.

This is not meant to overwhelm you! It’s just I’ve seen too many people say, “my dog was wagging his tail and play bowed…then attacked another dog out of nowhere!” Chances are, he was trying to signal “I don’t like or trust this…" but we didn’t listen because we were stuck in our own story of meaning.

So…keep an eye on your dog. What’s she REALLY telling you?

Casa Luna Canines is your partner in dog training, human learning. Join us to learn how to be your dog’s best friend using 100% pain and fear free methods. Imagine what it will feel like when your dog chooses to behave well around you, no matter where you are!