Body Language and Stress
Updated: Feb 3
When we're trying to help our dogs feel better, it's invaluable to be able to read their body language! Especially behaviors that mean our dogs are stressed. When you can read subtler signs of stress, you:
Are more in tune with when and why your dog is stressed
Are better able to see how much progress they are making
Can intervene and help them earlier (which = less practicing of their Big Feelings!)
In our session, we watched video examples of many common signs of stress. Refer to the Ladder of Aggression (from Horwitz and Mills) for a reminder of some of those behaviors.
Ladder of Aggression
.pdf
Download PDF • 110KB
A few common behaviors that might indicate mild to moderate stress in our dogs are:
A tense body
Lip licking
Staring
Head turning/eye aversion (Like when you see someone in the grocery store you don't want to talk to)
Walking away
Pawing behaviors
Shaking off
You can also find the full Powerpoint presentation available for download here. (It's a BIG file! Streamable video available in the future.)
Body Language of Stress Animal Insight
.pptx
Download PPTX • 593.27MB
Have questions about your dog's body language? Let your trainer know and we can help you out!