Body Language

Question 1

Backward body posture

Answer 1

generally fear related

Question 2

Conflicted body posture

Answer 2

dog waivers between forward and backward posture; moving forward then dashing back; some body forward, but weight is held backwards

Question 3

Loose body

Answer 3

playful, relaxed

Question 4

Tight body

Answer 4

stress, potential aggression, alert

Question 5

Soft eyes

Answer 5

relaxed, appeasing

Question 6

Hard eyes

Answer 6

high likelihood to be aggressive, alert

Question 7

Whale eye

Answer 7

whites of eyes showing while dog looks out of the side of his eyes; usually related to guarding behavior, even of body; “I don’t want to look but I want to keep an eye on you”

Question 8

Agnostic pucker

Answer 8

mouth pinched closed, often lips pursed forward; usually aggressive

Question 9

Submissive grin

Answer 9

wide, exaggerated smile; corners of mouth pulled far back; usually a sign of appeasement or extreme stress

Question 10

Relaxed soft face

Answer 10

everything is loose

Question 11

Tap out

Answer 11

Often mistaken for solicitation of belly rubs. A tap out has no movement and the tail is often tucked. The dog doesn’t appear to breathe

Question 12

Distance Increasing Signals

Answer 12

barking, lunging, tall and forward body, walking away, looking away, sniffing the ground, tap outs, whale eye

Question 13

Distance Decreasing Signals

Answer 13

approaching with a wiggling and curved body, presentation of wiggling rear end, play bow, loose tail wag, licking, presentation of toy or other valuable (usually)

Question 14

Stress Signals

Answer 14

yawning, lip licking, shaking off as if wet, presentation of back, slow motion, heavy panting, play bow/ stretching, refusing to take treats

Question 15

Forward body posture

Answer 15

generally aggression related