by Katherine Born

Created on: September 20, 2009

People have many proverbs about communicating one thing with our actions and another with our words ("Two-faced", "hypocrite", "backstabber", etc). If dogs had a language, they would have none of these proverbs because to them, our body language (including tone of voice) is the ONLY way we communicate! Thus, our body language is very important when we interact with a dog. A dog's response to us depends completely on what we're "saying" with our bodies to them.

Somehow humans can be unaware of what they communicate with their bodies and actions. There is a form of dog-therapy used with prison inmates with anger problems. They are assigned a Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog), a breed known for its nervous temperament, and told to watch the dog. The Sheltie's actions will give the inmate a mirror to see when they are communicating anger and aggression. The dog cowers and whimpers whenever any aggression is shown - our Sheltie can't be in the same room with my husband during hockey games for this reason! Thus, a person's body language can be such a strong factor on dog's behavior that it can even be used in therapy.

An important reason to become knowledgeable in how body language affects dog behavior is that not every dog you encounter will be your pet. Pets can acclimate to their owners but there is not usually any time for that when encountering a strange dog. A dog usually chooses between fight or flight when threatened, and if the strange dog you encounter is a "fight" dog you don't want to be coming across as threatening! Even children can be threatening to some dogs, as can be proven by the numbers of children bitten every year. Using your body language to avoid threatening a dog is important, and learning how to appear friendly can be just as important. When introducing a new pet into the house every person should be aware of and practice good "friendly body language" to put the dog at ease and avoid any "fight" reactions.

Another important factor in human-dog relations is headship. Dogs instinctively check minute body signs to assess the pack order. If a dog senses that they are the pack leader, not you, then there can be MANY problems! Dogs need to know that they are not the pack leader, you and every other human in the household is of higher status. This is not optional because in dog world, the way to change pack position is fighting a higher-ranked dog. If you win, you've moved up a notch. A dog that thinks it is higher than, say, a child, will bite or growl or push that child. Less important headship problems can be refusing to listen to the pack human, jumping, pushing and generally acting like a bully to the other humans. Size is no excuse for communicating the wrong thing to your dog. Even large dogs can be taught to respect diminutive human leaders, as long as the all-important body language signs are there that show the dog "who's the boss!"

Being a dog owner means that you must learn to control your body language so that you are communicating properly with your dog. It is the only way they understand you, and a dog will always want to be in good stead with their pack. Your body language is a crucial component in insuring a harmonious household. If you are unsure of what "friendly", "authoritative" behavior is, then watch a show like "Dog Whisperer" or consult a dog trainer in your area. If you're experiencing any headship problems like the ones listed above, learning how to change your body language is an easy and necessary fix. When it comes down to it, we all just want to get along, don't we?

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