Dog Body Language
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 9th, 2006
So.. what do you think went wrong here? Warning: this could be viewed as graphic.
The Dog is sending very clear warning signals. Anybody see them? I’ll share them in my next post, but in the meantime, let me know what you think in the comments section.
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Well to me it looked like the guy invaded the dogs space when the dog did not know who he was. He also made eye contact with the dog and his hand was on the dogs troat.
I am sure I am wrong but this is my guess.
Eye contact is one of the big ones. Dogs only “greet” with eye contact when they are threatened or threatening. Which is why, for all you obedience folks, recalls with a front are so hard. You are asking the dog to do two things contrary to it’s nature. Come to you on a straight line (dogs always greet in curves) and look at you.
Good Call Pete. The dog also gave 4 distinct “warning/calming” signals before threatening . I say threatening, not biting, because the guy still has a face. The dog “warned him” by returning eye contact you’ve got one out of the four!
The ears are back too. Whenever our dog (also a G.S) has the ears going back, she’s on alert and not at all comfortable with whoever it is she senses or is with.
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Jennifer: Yup you’ve got one.. ears back are an excellent signal. A dogs ears can express a TON of information.
So no eye contact,
the guy grab his thoart, poor dog, i bit the guy too.
ears back, hunched down seemed like he wanted nothing to do with being in the situation.
Obvisoulsy a police dog so, perhaps he didn’t know he wasn’t sopossed to be working?
In my opinion, the handler should have been more aware of what was going on with the dog…
The two that are left are tough ones… most people don’t know them.
Take a peek at what the dog does at the very beginning of the video. Something that seems like nothing…
HINT: it’s something that some people do when they are nervous.
well he licked his lips and checked back in with the handler, really quick? hhhmmm
Good!
The lip licking is a “calming signal”.. its sort of a “I’m uncomfortable here.. see.. I’m telling you I’m not cool with this”.
There is one more…. and Kara you may have hit on it a little, but I’m not sure
Um, yeah…as soon as that second guy started moving in, the dog’s whole attitude changed. I said, Oh, he’s gonna get it…then bam. He got it.
Nice blog–glad I stumbled through via Blog Explosion!
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