The Basics of Subtle Canine Body Language

Read this post to learn more about your dog’s subtle body language, to start noticing dog communication cues in general, and subtle signs in dogs, in particular.

The goal is to tune into all of the subtle signals, or “tells,” that your dog is already sending you. That way, you’ll open the door to a whole new level of connection with your best friend. You’ll become better at reading dog emotions while building trust with your dog because you’ll better understand his or her point of view.

By subtle body language, I mean the cues you can easily miss because they’re broadcast silently and with minimal movement. I’m talking about the slow, low-key changes in your dog’s expressions.

Subtle head and body posture cues include lifting his head high, facing a particular direction, and assuming a rigid stance.

Subtle eye expressions include avoiding eye contact, staring, or looking on with eyes wide open.

Subtle mouth expressions include yawning, panting, licking, and keeping his mouth shut.

There are several more cues to notice such as long, protracted sighs and silent, imploring eye contact. Your dog may also have a variety of unique and subtle ways of making physical contact with you, from a light nose nudge to your leg, a single lick of your hand, or gently leaning against you.

By paying attention to these cues, you’ll learn that your dog displays a rich variety of subtle body language displays and expressions that reveal his mood, state of mind, needs, attitude and feelings.

The Benefits of Understanding Dog Body Language, Especially the Subtle Cues

A major benefit of reading these subtle cues is the early warning they give you when there’s trouble brewing, so you can intervene before the situation turns dire. By paying attention to the subtle cues, you’ll have a far better idea of when your dog is hungry, tired, happy, frustrated, fearful, in pain or simply needing to go potty. Then you can act accordingly before things go south on you and your dog. In other words, getting better at interpreting dog signals

Again, I want you to tune into your dog’s posture, stance, gaze, level of focus, muscle tension and eye expression. Stay alert to changes in these body language cues. Make a point of noticing what your dog is looking at. Notice whether your dog is scanning the trail, staring at something in particular, gazing about in a happy, relaxed demeanor. Make a point of observing the level of tension or relaxation in your dog’s neck, back and legs. Also take notice of when your dog shivers, yawns, pants or licks his lips.

In many scenarios, your dog will display these subtle cues far in advance of more overt body language such as wagging his tail or laying his ears back, raising his hackles, barking, lunging, growling or baring his teeth.

For example, when faced with what he perceives to be a threat to his social status or safety, a dog may first direct his gaze, begin to stare, stiffen his back, then adopt a rigid stance. He may display all of these tells long before growling or barking at the perceived threat. His early tells will allow you to steer him away from what’s getting under his skin, before the situation escalates. But if you didn’t know better, you might misread his rigid stance as a cheeky display of stubbornness or willfulness.

I’m not an expert in this field, but I’ve spent three years rearing a large hybrid breed, a standard poodle crossed with a Newfoundland dog. He’s an intact male who weighs 95 pounds. I’ve learned that if I pay attention to his tells, cues and subtle signs, I can often steer him away from other large males who may pose a challenge to him.

I’ve begun to get to know my dog’s body language through countless walks in all kinds of different environments, urban, rural and in the wilderness.

I hope my observations are clear, useful and helpful to you in reading your own dog’s body language, so you can see what’s going on with your dog long before any crisis arises.

Below I describe or illustrate my dog’s body language cues in five different scenarios.

Scenario One: Body Language Tells associated with Stress and Fear

Let’s begin with the most important of the subtle doggy body language signals that indicate that your dog may be feeling stress or fear.

When there’s something within my dog’s radar that incites stress or fear, my dog will first focus on the source of it. Along with heightened focus, he may yawn or lick with increasing exaggeration. His focus, yawning and licking grow more exaggerated as the source of stress looms closer. These tells may overlap with other signs, usually a rigid stance or sometimes descending into a crouch, but they’re the primary ones that alert me to a perceived threat on his radar screen: intent focus, licking and yawning. I’ve read that these tells indicate elevated cortisol levels and strong feelings of stress and fear.

The subtle cues will give way to my dog locking comprete attention on the source.

When the fear or stress becomes intolerable, his whole body will go rigid. I try my best to prevent the situation from reaching that point. Raised hackles come next.

Both your dog and mine will display several levels of clearly escalating body language before assuming a rigid stance and raising their hackles. Even here you can intervene on your dog’s behalf. You can remove him from the perceived threat before his behavior escalates to growling, barking, lunging and snarling.

It’s best to tune into his subtle cues so you can intervene early on and avoid the escalation.

Scenario Two: Need and Urgency Signals associated with Thirst, Hunger, the Need for Attention or to Go Potty

I’ve noticed a whole cluster of cues my dog will display to communicate his needs, whether for food, water, rest, to go potty, or for attention and love.

When he needs to go out for a walk, my dog will casually walk up to me and gently nudge my thigh or elbow his nose. It’s a very gentle nudge that’s easy to dismiss.

If I don’t clue in, he’ll escalate to the next level by pointing his muzzle at his leash (or at his water bowl, comfy chair, treat cupboard, etc) The next level of escalation is to lick my hand.

If I persist in ignoring his polite requests, he may retreat into a kind of stoic funk or a sullen sulk.

Only after extreme neglect will he resort to pawing, whining, then demand barking.

Again, there are multiple levels of escalation starting from the very subtle.

Sadly, it’s only quite recently that I became attuned to his polite requests for water, food and companionship thirst.

Previously, he had seemed to be a stoic and proud dog who didn’t like to ask. Now I realize that he was using his body language cues to broadcast his needs all along.

Scenario Three: Predator Cues associated with a Dog’s Inner Wolf

Let’s consider the canine predator cues that a dog will show you.

The Predatory Escalator

Over the eons, dogs have evolved as marathon predators who work in packs, meaning that your dog is hardwired to hunt, stalk, chase, catch, kill, dismember and eat its prey.

He’s hardwired to follow a seven step predatory escalator: to hunt, stalk, chase, catch, kill, dismember, eat.

Trainers exploit parts of the predatory escalator for working, herding and hunting dogs. Trainers teach herding dogs to hunt for strays, then stalk and chase them back into the fold. Trainers teach terriers to catch and kill rodent pests.

You can benefit from reading the cues at the beginning of the predatory escalator, namely the hunting and stalking steps. Then you can intercept your dog’s behavior and divert it from trouble further up the escalator.

Hunting

The predatory escalator begins with hunting behavior. This includes sniffing, tracking and searching (P. Miller, The Whole Dog Journal, 2003, 2019). I certainly recognize this in my newfiedoodle, as well as scanning and waiting.

These cues for hunting – sniffing, tracking, searching, scanning and waiting – tell me that I need to reconnect with my dog. I need to remind my dog that we’re on a walk together, not on a primal hunt for survival. So I’ll get some treats out, or perhaps a favorite toy, then change things up with some training or a game, complete with rewards, before the predatory escalator can go any further.

Some dogs may show an additional cue – pointing. They point by lifting one of their front paws before they stalk.

My goal is to notice these cues early on before my dog reaches the next step – stalking.

Stalking

A stalking dog is truly an amazing sight to behold.

When stalking, dogs switch gears to slow motion, cat-like behavior. My dog will crouch into a stalking stance, then creep forward.

Stalking behavior can be made part of work or play. It may become a problem because a stalking dog gets into a behavioral zone where his attention is completely locked on its target. My dog will ignore all my commands. He tunes me out.

Much of what happens next depends on how much of the wolf has been bred out of the dog.

The point is to keep a sharp eye on your dog when he’s stalking so you can quickly step to distract it with a toy or a treat, to prevent him from continuing on to chasing.

The point is to always know what’s going on with your dog by tuning into the more subtle cues at the very beginning of its predatory escalator.

Scenario Four: Social Cues of a Dog who wants to Make Friends

To describe all the body language dog’s show when socializing would fill volumes.

Look for the subtle body language of friendship with your dog.

Your dog will stay close to you or lay down in the same room. At the next level, your dog will lie down at your side or at your feet where he can be ready to follow you. Then comes licking, nudging and leaning against you. Your dog will assume a relaxed posture with some happy tail wagging when you give him attention.

And your dog will be over the moon with bliss and exuberance when he greets you at the door.

The message is clear – friendship, affection, love and a clear sense belonging to the same pack.

Your dog is telling you that he’s happy with you, with other dogs and the situation in general.

Pay very close attention when his demeanor changes.

Sudden changes should alert you to brewing trouble. Your dog may be feeling fear because of a perceived threat, agitation in response to a dominance challenge from another dog, or some kind of aggression trigger. The earlier you notice your dog’s change in demeanor, the more options you’ll have to intervene.

Let’s take a deep dive into your dog’s early warning cues.

Scenario Five: Social Cues of Dog who wants You to Move On

(see D. Horwitz et al.)

Dogs will clearly tell whoever’s approaching to back off if they perceive a threat or challenge that makes them feel fear, anxiety, agitation, nervousness or aggression.

Once again, their social cues and body language escalate from subtle to overt.

Dogs may first show their displeasure, discomfort and desire to move away by licking their lips and yawning. This ramps up to averting eye contact or looking on with wide open eyes, known as showing whale eyes. They will also pull away or lean away from the threat. Also watch for a stiff, closed mouth. These are all early warning signs that you need to notice.

If you don’t intervene to remove the threat or your dog, the tension will continue to amplify. You will see your dog engage in a direct, staring face-off with its threat, with direct eye contact and eyes wide open. Your dog is now in danger of starting a fight. He’ll assume a rigid stance, shift his weight forward and raise his tail in preparation for a violent rumble.

If you and your dog have reached this point, you need to take immediate evasive action. Get your dog out of there! Distract him and pull him away if necessary. Shout at the other dog owner to do the same.

If a fight hasn’t already broken out, the next behavior may confuse uninformed dog owners. Your dog may wag his tail in a deliberate, tense manner, while stiffly holding his tail high. This is not a friendly gesture at all. It’s an aggressive challenge known as flagging. It’s displayed by a dog who’s ready to fight.

Get your dog out of there now!

After this, your dog will raise his hackles, growl, bark, snarl, snap and lunge.

Don’t you wish you’d intervened earlier at the yawning stage?

The Basics of Subtle Canine Body Language