The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club - Cavaliers as Companions

Body language is of great importance to a dog as without verbal language it is their foremost means of communication. When two dogs meet they can usually size each other up within just a few moments and quickly know if they are going to be friends or foes. Although they do have a whole array of barks, growls and whimpers, these vocal sounds are rather incomplete without body language, posturing and facial expressions. Let us look bit by bit at the various ways a dog communicates.

Facial Expressions
When relaxed the ears are usually held forward, eyes appear to have a soft look when gazing and not a hard staring look. Mouth maybe slightly open or closed in a relaxed way and not gripped tight. When anxious the eyes may be glancing sideways and away. Ears may be held back and mouth could be clenched tight or the dog may even be lip licking. When fearful it could also show these expressions but even more extreme with the ears press very tightly back and panting or breathing heavily through a somewhat clenched mouth. When intimidating the eyes star hard like searchlights with ears forward and cheeks raised showing bared teeth. Breaking eye contact is a sign of subordination, so dogs test each other to achieve dominance. The dog that blinks first or looks away first is the loser and therefore ranked lower.

Head Position
Head held down could be submission or depression. Head held high with a craning neck usually means interest.

Tail Position
Held high is a sign of alertness, confidence and also dominance. This is where a dog normally carries its tail straight out and it suddenly goes up. It must not be confused with a dog that has a naturally high or gay tail carriage. Tail wagging is generally accepted to be a sign of playfulness but it can also be a sign of agitation. When held low it could be submission or fearfulness. Held horizontally and wagging rather slowly can be a sign of caution. A study by Italian neuroscientists at the University of Trieste studied the behaviour of a group of thirty dogs over a period of a month. They observed the dogs’ reaction when they were joined by either their owner, an unfamiliar human, a cat and a very dominant dog, in this case a Belgium Shepherd. To the scientists’ surprise all the dogs’ tails wagged vigorously to the right when they were shown their owners but less so when they saw an unfamiliar human. The cat produced a small wag to the right but the dominant Belgium Shepherd sparked a sharp move to the left. The scientists concluded that the muscles in the right side of the tail reflect positive emotions while those on the left expressed more negative feelings.

Gesture
Front legs and head held low to the ground but with eyes looking up and rump held high is play soliciting and is a sign of happiness and an invitation to play. Rolling over is both submission and deference. A dog that averts his gaze from another dog and drops low to the ground rather nervously maybe trying to defuse a situation by acting submissively. Paws on top of another dog’s back is a sign of dominance. Tensing of muscles and the raising of hackles is a threat and a sign of an imminent fight. Humping another dog is not necessarily a sexual action, it is often a sign of asserting dominance within a pack and who holds the alpha position. This is particularly true when bitches hump each other.

Backing away is a sign of submission when the head and gaze is held low. However working Collies regularly move backwards when herding sheep, but this movement is totally different and although their head is low to the ground, their neck is usually arched upwards and their gaze is high and are ready to leap into action to circle the sheep. Puppies that are raised without the company of litter mates, particularly between three to six weeks of age, are the worst canine communicators. Some people are quite alarmed at seeing litters of six week old puppies play fighting and biting each others’ ears and yelping. However, this is not real aggression, it is play fighting and socialization and is very important as it reinforces behaviour patterns that are vital throughout their lives.

As well as body language and verbal communication from barks and growls, dogs also use their highly developed sense of smell to acquire the information and the status of other dogs. Although we might find this none too pleasant, dogs can learn a great deal from smelling faeces and urine of other dogs, (I guess you could say that they talk through their backsides!!!) Dogs have anal sacs in their rear quarters that contain a mixture of pungent acids. When they defecate the muscles around the anus squeezes out a few drops on to the stool. This smell holds a great deal of information about the dog that can be picked up by other dogs that smell it, (in other words ‘poetry in motion’!!!) They also leave behind information in their urine and this may be a way of ascertaining territorial rights within certain areas. Male dogs try to lift their leg as high as possible to ensure that their scent covers the marking of any other dog. But bitches often squat and urinate over where another bitch has urinated so as to claim rights to this area and prove that she is the alpha bitch.