Learn to Understand Your Dog's Body Language

If, no matter how hard you try, you can't understand your dog or figure out what it is trying to tell you, this NUPEC Blog article will help: we explain what your dog communicates through its body. Keep reading to learn more.

Before you start, keep in mind that these interpretations are only a guide and are in no way meant to replace the advice of a canine behaviorist. Also bear in mind that a dog's body language can vary, so it should be assessed together with other aspects, including the dog's behavior, mood, the energy it projects and its vocal communication (the sounds it makes: barking, crying, whining, growling, etc.).

We insist: to understand the emotions a dog communicates through its body language, always look at its whole body and what it projects. Examining all these aspects together will help you avoid unpleasant situations caused by misreading its language.

For example, a tail calmly wagging in circles is not the same as a tense tail wagging quickly. Carefully assessing your dog's body language will help you avoid confusing happiness with anxiety, two very different emotions that can both show in the movement of the tail and that trigger different reactions in dogs.

NUPEC^® tip: to explore this topic further and prevent inappropriate behavior, aggression or biting, we always recommend consulting a canine behaviorist or a professional dog trainer.

With these points in mind, we can now explain more about a dog's body language.

According to experts, this is what canine body postures mean:

Tail

• Straight and raised tail: alert
• Tail between the legs: nervous or scared
• Tail calmly wagging in circles: happy
• Tail wagging fast and tense: anxiety or stress

Body

• Upright, legs tense: stress
• Upright, tail up, legs tense and slightly crouched: attack position
• Raised hackles: attack signal
• Crouched or hunched: nervous
• Body upright, but avoids eye contact or turns away: submission
• Lying down with the tail tucked: submission / fear
• Walking slowly with ears tense and slightly back: dominance
• Body and muscles relaxed, lying down: relaxed
• Crouching low while wagging its tail: playful

Ears

• Ears straight and tense: tension, stress or aggression
• Ears in their normal position, not tense: relaxed
• Ears back: attention or fear
• Ears down: fear or stress

We hope this guide helps you better interpret your dog's body language. However, if you don't yet have enough practice to recognize these postures, remember you can always turn to an expert (behaviorist or trainer) for personalized help.

And finally, don't forget: if you have a dog at home, give it a balanced diet every day with products like those offered by NUPEC , foods formulated by veterinarians to provide conscious scientific nutrition for every life stage (pregnancy, puppy, adult or senior) or for your dog's specific nutritional needs (overweight, food allergies, digestive problems, kidney problems or urinary problems). All these products, available as kibble, wet food or functional treats, will help you give your dog a better quality of life.

If you need more information about dog body language, our products or the benefits they can offer for your dog's health and well-being, we recommend talking to your trusted veterinarian.

At NUPEC^® , we are committed to enhancing the health, beauty and life of pets through responsible scientific nutrition, bringing fulfillment to their owners.