How Dogs Use Their Tails As Signals & Gestures: Part 2

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How Dogs Use Their Tails As Signals & Gestures: Part 2

Tail position is an important indicator of social standing and mental state of a dog. There will be some variations, of course, depending upon the natural tail position of the dog: a West Highland white terrier will carry its carrot-shaped tail higher than a golden retriever its flowing, feathery tail, and a greyhound's relaxed tail position is lower yet.

Almost horizontal, pointing away from the dog but not stiff: This is a sign of attention. It roughly translates as "Something interesting may be happening here."

Straight out horizontally, pointing away from the dog: This is part of an initial challenge when meeting a stranger or an intruder. It roughly translates as "Let's establish who's boss here."

Tail up, between the horizontal and vertical position: This is the sign of a dominant dog, or one who is asserting dominance, and translates as "I'm boss here."

Tail up and slightly curved over the back: "I'm top dog," this says. It is the expression of a confident, dominant dog who feels in control.

Tail held lower than the horizontal but still some distance from the legs: "I'm relaxed." "All is well."

Tail down, near hind legs: This changes its meaning with the posture of the dog. If the legs are still straight and the tail slightly brushes back and forth, it means "I'm not feeling well" or "I'm a bit depressed." If the legs are slightly bent inward, giving a slight downward slope to the back it means "I'm feeling a bit insecure," especially in an unknown setting or situation.

Tail tucked between the legs: "I'm frightened!" or "Don't hurt me!" This is especially common in the presence of a dominant dog or person, when it can also mean, "I accept my lowly role in the pack, and I'm not trying to challenge you.

Bristling hair down the tail: The bristle in the dog's tail is a sign of aggression. It may modify any tail position. Thus, with the straight out it means "I'm ready to fight if you are!" and with the tail slightly up or over the back it means "I'm not afraid of you and will fight to prove
I'm boss."

Crick or sharp bend in the tail when held high: This is more characteristic of the dogs that look like wolves, such as the German shepherds, and means much the same as the tail bristling. It is the precursor to possible aggression.

Broad tail wag: "I like you." This is often shown during play, when one dog seems to be attacking the other, pouncing, growling, and barking. The wagging tail serves as reassurance that this is all in fun. It also means "I'm pleased" in many contexts.

Slow tail wag, with tail at half-mast: During dog training, I interpret this as "I'm trying to understand you. I want to know what you mean, but I just can't quite figure it out." When the dog finally solves the problem, the speed and size of the tail wags will usually markedly increase.

How Dogs Use Their Tails As Signals & Gestures: Part 1

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How Dogs Use Their Tails As Signals & Gestures: Part 1

In addition to barking, dogs also use their bodies to communicate about social and emotional matters. A dog's tail, eyes, ears, and mouth all speak to us, and whole body postures add further information, serving to modify the message given.

Tail wagging can come about simply as a sign of excitement, the degree of which is indicated by the vigor or speed of the wag. In judging excitement, you should attend to the speed of wagging independent of the size of the actual movement. A sporting dog with a full,
flowing tail might seem to move it much more than a terrier moves its carrot-shaped tail (where a furious wag may seem like nothing more than a tremor). Yet in both cases, high-speed movements simply mean "I'm excited." The relative size of any single dog's tail wag does convey other information, however.

Tail wagging is a completely social gesture. In some ways, it serves the same functions as a human smile. Humans seem to reserve most of their smiles for when somebody is around to see them or when they are thinking about somebody or something special. For dogs, the tail wag seems to have the same properties. A dog will wag its tail for a person or another dog. It may wag its tail for a cat, a horse, or a mouse. But when a dog is by itself, it will not wag its tail to anything it perceives as lifeless.

A dog will wag its tail to express its gratitude to you as you put its food bowl down, but should the dog walk into the room and find the bowl full, it will approach and eat the food just as happily, but with no tail wagging other than, perhaps, a slight excitement tremor. This is one indication that tail wagging is meant as communication or language. In the same way we don't talk to walls, dogs do not wag their tails to things that are not apparently alive and socially responsive.

For most breeds of dog, the tail will tend to lighten toward the tip, and on many breeds there is a characteristic white tip to the tail. It is also quite visible in jackals, foxes, wild dogs, and dingoes. Some evolutionary biologists have suggested that the purpose of this light area is to make tail signals more visible. For some wolves, the tail is marked with a dark tip, which, of course, can serve much the same function of making it easier to see the tail position and motion.

Interesting Comparison Study With Wolves and Poodles

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Interesting Comparison Study With Wolves and Poodles

Some instinctive social behaviors of the wolf may be left unexpressed in the dog simply because the opportunity never arises for them to be expressed in a new social setting. But even when dogs range freely in wild or semi-wild circumstances, they show distinct divergences from their wild ancestors. As part of his behavioral study of the wolf, Erik Zimen raised a pack of poodles and a pack of wolves under quite similar conditions. While the wolves ran free inside an enclosure, the poodles had free run of the rest of the property.

Zimen and his colleagues recorded 362 specific behaviors displayed by wolves, everything from yawning and stretching to howling and tail wagging. The poodles displayed 64 percent of those behaviors with little or no change. About 13 percent of wolf behaviors had vanished altogether, and 23 percent persisted but in markedly modified form. Zimen found that in performing many of these modified behaviors, the poodles lacked a seriousness of purpose; compared to the wolves, the poodles were more playful or simply inept. As Raymond Coppinger observed with his village dogs, Zimen's poodles were incapable of hunting large prey. The poodles readily chased things, but their choice of "prey" was indiscriminate - birds, leaves, bicyclists - and it was clearly a game, an end in itself, very much as with young wolves at play.

The most striking differences seen in the poodles was in their expressive behavior or rather, lack thereof. Wolves exhibit a rich array of facial expressions, ear movements, tail positions, and body postures. In poodles many of these expressions were greatly simplified, and many were absent altogether. The lip curling, snarling, and baring of teeth displayed routinely by wolves in defensive and aggressive situations was considerably muted and simplified in poodles. In part, this is simply because poodles are generally less fearful and less aggressive and tend not to mind invasions of personal space as much as wolves do: they just have less of an impulse to act annoyed. Starting as early as four weeks, wolf cubs begin to sleep
apart from one another more and more often. By the time the cubs are four to six months old, they are like adult wolves, and almost never make contact with another wolf when sleeping.

The poodles, however, continued to frequently lie together through the age of eight months or older, and even as full-grown adults did so about a third of the time, and even in hot weather when there was no conceivable reason for huddling to preserve body heat. Dogs are, in other words, simply more pacific and easygoing by nature.

Studies of poodle-wolf hybrids suggest that there may be more than one behavioral component to dogs' milder dispositions. When Zimen recrossed poodle-wolves ("puwos") together, these second-generation hybrids came in a mixed assortment of behavioral types. Some were timid about approaching humans but were very affectionate when they did; others were tame and not disposed to flee from novelties but were emotionally aloof. Zimen suggests that a reduction in the flight instinct and a greater capacity for socialization and bonding may be separately inherited traits, though both are necessary for wolves to become dogs.

More Dog Sounds And What They Mean

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More Dog Sounds And What They Mean

Soft whimpering: "I hurt!" "I'm scared." The average person is most likely to hear this at the veterinarian's office, when the dog is suffering, or when a submissive dog is in a strange place that appears threatening. This is really a carryover of the mewing sound that young puppies make when cold, hungry, or distressed.

Louder, more prolonged whining sound: "Please give me . . ." or "I want ..." A dog usually uses this sound when waiting for food, or for the leash to be put on, or when trying to get his owner's attention, and so forth.

Sighs: This vocalization, which is invariably accompanied by the dog's lying down with his head on his forepaws, can have two meanings, depending on the context and certain facial expressions. With eyes half-closed, it is a sign of pleasure, meaning "I am content and am going to settle down here." With eyes fully open, it is a sign of disappointment when something anticipated has not materialized, best interpreted as "I give up!"

Baying: This is the characteristic sound of hounds during a hunt. It is usually interpreted as "Follow me!" "Let us get him!" or "All together now!"

Yip-howl: This is really more of a yip-yip-yip-howl, with the final howl quite prolonged. It usually means "I am lonely" "I feel abandoned!" or "Is anybody there?"

Howling: "I am here!" "This is my territory!" or "I hear you out there!" A confident animal will often howl simply to announce his presence. Howling also often occurs in response to a yip-howl from another dog. It has a more sonorous sound to the human ear than does the yip-howl, which is often described as mournful.

Moaning: This sounds something like "ar-owl-wowl-wowl . . ." over a short interval of time. It is a sound of spontaneous pleasure and excitement that means "I am excited!" or "Let us play!" A dog usually moans when something he really likes is about to happen.

Panting: "Let us go!" This is a sign of excitement.

Dogs can also learn specific vocalizations. For instance, the bark that dogs give to the command speak sounds qualitatively different from a spontaneous bark. The same can be said for the bark that police and protection dogs learn to give. Some dogs can even be taught
specific sounds for specific settings, ranging from simple barks, moans, or play-growls to more complex sounds that may sound like yodels or attempts at speech.

Measuring Your Dog's Intelligence

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Measuring Your Dog's Intelligence

Some dog owners and dog trainers expect their dog's level of thinking and smartness to be the same of humans, when being trained. This mistaken assumption about dog psychology can be devastating to the expectations of both the dog owner and the dog itself.

Trainers shouldn't assess canine intelligence against human standards. Each individual canine may possess his own unique talent. If the occasion does not arise for the animal to display this talent, it doesn't mean he's dumb. For centuries, behavior experts have been trying to devise a test that measures all aspects of human intelligence and have failed miserably. With this success rate in mind, how can canine experts profess to measure the dog's intelligence when we do not even speak the same language?

Labeling a dog dumb can be as unproductive and damaging as labeling humans. If an animal is labeled dumb, the owner usually gives up trying to teach the dog. The label then becomes self-fulfilling because if his owner won't train him, the dog really won't know anything.

On the other hand, labeling a dog smart may create unrealistic expectations and disappointment if he doesn't respond as expected. Perhaps all these "dumb" dogs are just clever enough to make their owners think they are dumb to avoid the effort of obeying! A very frustrated Basset Hound owner complained to his instructor that he had spent a month trying to teach his dog to sit on command and the dog just didn't get it. As the owner was explaining his dilemma, the instructor was mindlessly playing with a piece of liver that she had not put away after working with another dog. The Basset noticed the liver and began nudging the instructor. From pure habit, she told the dog to sit. The Basset plopped his rear end down as fast as Bassets do. This is a good demonstration of learning theory proven long ago that a lack of response does not mean that learning is not occurring. This dog was learning, the owner just hadn't found the right motivator to get him to respond.

Perhaps canine intelligence is not measurable, particularly when the criteria for intelligence are measured on another species' yardstick. Fortunately, regardless of breed, the great majority of dogs are intelligent enough to grasp basic obedience commands when training is intelligently presented. A trainer armed with motivating training methods and a good understanding of the principles behind canine learning can shape a dog's behavior into desirable conduct.

Preventing Fear & Mistrust In Your Dog

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Preventing Fear & Mistrust In Your Dog

Dogs become fearful when the owner's correction is too abusive. For a correction to be effective and convey accurate information to the dog, it must fit the transgression. A puppy that is teething and nips does not need, and will not understand, a correction fit for the dog who has just bitten someone because the person's hand touched his food dish. Unnecessarily abusive corrections will inhibit the dog from developing an outgoing, joyous, companion personality.

The owner who finds a day-old pile of feces left by the 10-week old puppy and reacts by beating the puppy until he cowers has only taught the animal to be very fearful and mistrusting in his owner's presence when feces are on the floor. Beatings and physical abuse only produce fear and mistrust. Abusive treatment of any living entity is inhumane, cruel, and not to be tolerated for any reason. If any canine behavior, perhaps other than a deliberate act of aggression, can elicit enough anger in a pet owner to result in a severe beating, then ownership of a dog should be seriously reevaluated and professional advice sought. A trusting relationship cannot develop or flourish in an abusive atmosphere.

Furthermore, a dog may also learn to mistrust an owner who delivers untimely corrections or discipline. Specifically, a correction must occur immediately following the behavior or during the enactment of an undesirable behavior. The dog will not connect a correction with the undesirable behavior if the correction occurs several minutes after the event. The puppy who was beaten after the owner came home to a dried up mess on the floor associated the punishment with the owner coming home rather than the accident on the floor. The dog associates punishment, and praise for that matter, with the last event or action that occurred prior to the consequence. A correction must occur during or immediately following the behavior for the dog to connect the punishment with the undesirable action. On the other hand, if the owner should unintentionally lose control of his or her temper once or twice in the relationship, a dog is a very forgiving animal. Depending upon how traumatic the temper tantrum was, the dog may eventually forget and forgive.

Communication problems also develop when the owner credits the dog with too much ability to comprehend messages. Such an owner expects the dog, frequently without the dog receiving formal training, to automatically know what or what not to do. When the dog does not respond as expected, the owner becomes angry and punishes the dog. The owner who truly believes the dog inherently knows which behaviors are wrong neglects to teach the dog right from wrong. The dog, who in spite of the owner's claims cannot read minds, does not know what behaviors deserve the punishment or how to avoid a reprimand, and therefore becomes mistrustful and confused.

Sending Your Dog Mixed Messages

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Sending Your Dog Mixed Messages

Dog behavior problems are frequently the result of unclear communication. The owner may not even be aware that the messages he is sending to the dog are confusing. The owner of a well-trained Standard Poodle was unaware of her confusing messages during an epic long session of grooming. The Poodle tired and attempted to sit. The owner, wanting the dog to remain standing, yelled "Don't sit." The dog stood for a few seconds in a crouched position, and, confused about what the word "don't" meant, tried to sit again. Totally perplexed, he was trying very hard to comply with what he thought was his owner's request.

Good communication with your dog is comprised of clear, consistent, distinct messages. A dog cannot possibly respond correctly if the vocabulary or the rules change at whim from day to day. Another example of inconsistent, mixed messages is demonstrated by the owner who allows a behavior occasionally, punishes the dog for it at other times, and does not use distinct cues to inform the dog when the conduct is not acceptable.

A dog who is petted for jumping up when the owner arrives home from softball practice is going to be encouraged, to the owner's dismay and anger, to jump up when the owner comes home from a party all dressed up. Unfortunately, few dogs are able to distinguish between the owner's softball jump up clothes and the owner's party stay off clothes. Consequently, without any distinct warning, the dog may receive a swat for jumping up on the wrong clothes. The dog learns that jumping up will sometimes be rewarded by petting and other times, for no apparent reason, will elicit a smack.

The only lesson a dog may learn from inconsistent messages is that the rules are unstable. Clear and consistent communication requires that an owner teach a command for each desired and undesired behavior to inform the dog about acceptable behavior. For example, you can teach a jump up command that tells/the dog jumping up is acceptable, and another command such as, "off” that instructs him not to jump up. When messages are confusing, the dog can neither establish a pattern to earn the owner's approval, nor predict the owner's reactions. The dog who cannot establish a way to earn his owner's approval gives up trying to please. The dog who does not know how to predict his owner's reactions becomes fearful, mistrusting, and avoidant.