Understanding Dog Mouth Expressions
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
Your dog has a whole range of facial expressions that he uses very effectively to communicate with you and with other dogs he encounters. Regularly observing these expressions in play or, conversely, when he’s feeling scared or threatened can give you a good insight into your dog’s state of mind, particularly if you take into account other body language signals and the situation he is in.
By taking time to learn to pick up on your dog’s expressions early enough in an interaction, you can gauge how he is feeling and become far more adept at defusing potentially difficult situations.
| RESEARCH: Studies have shown that the severity of a dog’s bite can be gauged from his growl. American and German researchers measured growl frequency patterns for 21 breeds. The growls of larger dogs tend to show patterns that are more closely spaced, whatever the dog’s head shape. It is thought that dogs may use this information to assess each other’s strength.. |