If other body signals indicate relaxation and play, then it is likely not aggression. If the body is relatively still and forward, it’s aggression. It is often seen with resource guarding because the dog is keeping his nose pointed at the valuable resource while watching you to gauge how much of a threat you are.Īgain, the rest of the dog’s body language is key to knowing when whale eye is an aggression signal and when it is not. While it is often a warning sign and precursor to a bite, dog whale eye really just means the dog is looking sideways while his nose is pointing forward. This is a dog trainer term for when a dog shows the whites of his eyes. If you want your dog to make eye contact with you more, avoid body language that suggests to him he needs to defer to you, and spend lots of time reinforcing him for looking you in the eye. Unfortunately, humans often perceive a dog as being sneaky if he won’t look them in the eye or your dog is looking sideways – a totally off-base interpretation of a very sweet canine trait. He’s doing his best to be polite and non-confrontational. It’s a deference behavior – his way of saying he doesn’t have any desire to challenge you. Often, unless a dog has been strongly reinforced for making and keeping eye contact, he will look away when you look at him. While the human species prizes direct eye contact as a measure of someone’s character and honesty, in the dog world, direct eye contact can be perceived as a threat. If you approach he may feel threatened, and bite. If the dog is squinting with his body posture back and lowered, it is likely fear. ![]() If the dog is squinting and approaching, it’s a friendly, social expression, and it is probably safe to interact with him. However, appeasement can also be a signal for fear, which is not such a good thing. This is a sign of appeasement, which is often a good thing, if it is simply the dog’s nature to be appeasing. If this warning is ignored, the dog is likely to bite. This may be part of a pre-aggression “freeze” where the dog goes completely still. Accompanying body language is usually assertive – dog is standing tall and forward, tail erect and still or wagging stiffly. The eyes are piercing, and there is often little or no body movement. This is a hard, direct stare which, if you are good at reading dogs, gives you the chills. Often accompanied by affiliative (distance decreasing) behavior such as a relaxed tail wag, and body curved or even wiggling. The eyes are round or almond-shaped and soft, with the pupils dilated appropriately for available lighting (small pupils if light is bright, large if light is dim). This is a dog who is social, confident and friendly. Dog Expressions With Their EyesĪ dog’s eyes, like a human’s, are capable of conveying a multitude of meanings and emotions. It really is quite a useful skill to have. It may enable you to interpret for humans who haven’t yet learned to understand what their dogs are saying. It just might have a positive influence on your relationship with your own dog. We broke down dog expressions by their eyes, ears, mouth, and mouth muscles.Īdd this lexicon of dog facial expressions to what you already know about canine body language and you may be able to qualify as an expert dog listener. Keep in mind, though, that when drawing conclusions about a dog’s facial expressions, it’s important to factor in the rest of the body language in order to get the whole message. The following are some of the more common canine communications offered by those very expressive furry faces. ![]() There is great value in having a solid understanding of dog facial expressions and their accompanying body language and behavior.
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