Make you puppy training easier and more fun by

understanding that your puppy is trying to communicate

with you in other ways than barking or wagging his tail.

Remember, your puppy also communicates with his ears,

tail, paws, mouth and more and your puppy training and

everyday life with your dog will be much more fun.

Here is a short guide to some basic dog body language

and what it means:

Dominant - You'll find that a dominant dog has its ears

straight up or forward, its mouth slightly opened or

closed, its eyes open wide or staring, its body standing

stiff and tall with hackles possibly raised, and its tail out

from the body stiffened or fluffed. A low and assertive

bark can often be expected.

Friendly - A friendly dog has perked up ears, open and

alert eyes, a relaxed mouth, a tail or whole rear end

wagging, and possibly whimpering, yapping or giving

short barks.

Playful - A bow position with wagging tail means "let's

play".

Submissive - A dog with its ears tightly back, eyes closed

and paw raised is showing extreme submission. The dog

isn't happy but shows it will not attack.

Aggressive - An aggressive dog has its ears flattened

back against its head, its eyes narrowed or challenging,

body tense, mouth open to show teeth and tail held out

from the body and fluffed up if possible. Snarls or growls

are typical.

Worried - Sharp barks combined with growling, ears

flattened and neck hairs raised means "I'm worried" or

"something is wrong."

Fear - A dog shows fear with a lowered stance, tail down

or tucked underneath, an arched back, looking or turning

head whilst showing the whites of their whites of eyes

and dilated pupils. Dogs often bark out of fear, especially

if they are cornered, fenced in, or on a leash.

Stressed - A stressed dog will often have ears back and

down, a wide open mouth, lips drawn back with rapid

respiration. Also shoulders lowered, hunched forward, tail

tucked, tension in haunches and will probably be

trembling.

Now that you understand more about what your puppy is

trying to say to you about how he feels or the mood he is

in try to accommodate this in your puppy training and

everyday life.

In a puppy training session your dog should be showing

that he is in a friendly or playful mood. If he shows he is

dominant then you know that he may not be taking you

seriously or could be being stubborn and you probably

need to be more assertive.

Some submissive behaviour is not a bad thing as it

means that that he understands that you are in charge.

If your puppy becomes stressed, fearful, worried or even

aggressive, you must stop your training and reassure

your dog immediately. If you have been training for more

than 15 minutes stop and take a break. When you come

back takes things more slowly or approach things in a

different way.

Use your knowledge in every day life too. Observe your

puppy in different situations and you will quickly discover

what he likes and dislikes or how he is feeling. You can

then take steps to give him more of what he enjoys and

more support, confidence and training in situations he

finds more difficult.