Decoding Dog Body Language and Behaviour

Ever wish your dog could talk? The good news is they already do, we just need to know how to listen properly.

Understanding your dog’s body language is crucial in preventing unwanted behaviours, recognising stress, and building a trusting relationship. And when you link behavior to breed and drive, things start to make even more sense.

Reading Dog Body Language: The Basics

• Tail position: Tail positions tell a lot about what a dogs is feeling at a certain moment. For example, a high and wagging can often mean excitement or arousal while a tucked tail can mean fear or discomfort. 
• Ears: A lot of time raised ears turned forwards can mean alert or curious, at this point a dog is trying to hear better to asses a situation. Flattened back ears often signal anxiety when dogs are unsure and feeling uncomfortable in a situation. 
• Eyes: Whale eye (showing the whites staring down from the side) in most situations is a red flag, meaning stress or discomfort.
• Mouth: Yawning or lip licking can signal a dog is in stress, eaither a situation they are not too comfortable with or anxious about.
• Posture: A stiff body usualy is a warning while loose, wiggly movements show a dog is relaxed.

When interpreting a dog’s body language and movement, general guidelines can help us assess a situation more accurately. However, it’s important to remember that every dog is unique and breed traits play a big role in how certain cues are expressed. For example, some dogs flatten their ears not out of fear or anxiety, but from sheer joy and excitement when greeting someone. Similarly, a high, fast-wagging tail often signals happiness, but often in high-drive working breeds, that same wag can indicate intense prey arousal. In these cases, the dog isn’t just excited, they’re primed to chase or catch something they perceive as prey.

Breed and Drive Influence Behavior

Remember the drives we talked about in this article? They also shape how a dog communicates.

• A Border Collie’s intense stare might seem aggressive, but it’s a herding behavior.
• A Beagle’s constant sniffing is driven by their hunting instincts.
• A German Shepherd’s alert posture isn’t always guarding—it might be their natural defense drive at work.

Knowing the why behind these behaviors helps owners respond correctly and train more effectively.

The Cost of Misreading Signals

Many common issues like reactivity, aggression, or shutdown behaviour happen because owners misunderstand what their dog is saying. Learning to read your dog improves communication, reduces conflict, and leads to more successful training.

Download our dog training app and use your free 3-day trial to start learning how to read and respond to your dog’s behaviour the right way. Training for just 10 minutes a day, you will see the bond between you and your dog become stronger every day. They will start percieving you are their leader, their trusted guide which will lead to them becoming more confident. And a confident dog is a well behaved dog.