Do you understand your dog's body language?

In order to communicate with our dogs, we have to learn and adopt their "language", instead of expecting them to learn ours, reminds famous trainer Juliana Weiss Ressler in her blog.

Her instructions and attitudes that can make it easier for us to communicate with our pet, reports Pet Magazine.

One way to decode a dog's language is to remember the formula: Energy = Intention and Emotion, writes Juliana Weiss Ressler.

So his energy is "his intent and emotions, working together," and his body language communicates that. An illustration of this can best be seen when dogs play.

As one approaches the other, the body is arched, the movement is forward, but the front part of the body is lowered to the ground. The intention (movement) is excitement, but the emotion (lowered body) is a friendly sign, so the energy is playful.

Be aware of energy

It is important to remember that similar behaviors can mean completely different things. For example, both a happy excited dog and an aggressive dog may move forward toward a person, but one does so because it is playful and the other because it feels threatened. Likewise, a dog may run away in fear or may run away to initiate a game of chase with another dog.

Therefore, we have to pay attention to special parts of the body, such as the head, ears, tail, back, because their position tells us a lot. The higher they are raised, the more the dog tells us how dominant it is, while on the other hand, the lower and closer to the ground they are, they tell us how submissive and insecure they are.

Pay attention to how tense and rigid the whole body is, especially the back and legs. The more tense it is, the higher the energy level.

Pay attention

It's easy to get confused when interpreting behavior, so make it a habit to pay attention to their body language. For example, many people get scared when a dog shows its teeth, but an experienced observer knows that in the case when a dog shows its teeth together, its ears pulled back against its head, its eyes squinted and its body lowered and bent closer to the ground, it actually shows submission and obedience.

Likewise, a dog can run up to you barking loudly, but if its body is relaxed, its tail is wagging, it is not tense, it shows excitement, not aggression.

Of course, dogs cannot describe what they want and feel with words, so it is necessary to focus on what they are telling us with their body. Once we learn this, the whole spectrum of communication with our pet will open up for us, concludes trainer Juliana Weiss Ressler, reports Pet magazine.