You may be completely unaware of this, but your dog is trying to talk to you. He can’t speak in the same language that we do, but his barking is also not a language all on it’s own either. The only way your dog can talk with you is through body language and behavior, which means chances are you are completely ignoring what he is trying to say because you’re not speaking the same language. Do yourself and your pooch a favor by learning the body language he is trying to reach out to you with so that your relationship with him can be stress free with more clear communication.
The Yawn
The yawn is an interesting behavior that your dog will do, and carries different meanings. It is up to you to decipher what he is telling you with a yawn depending on the context in which he does it. This means looking at the situation that is going on at that time. A yawn can simply mean he’s tired, and is more likely to happen around bed time. That is the most thought of reason for a dog yawn, but it gets far more complicated than that as tired yawns are only a small portion of dog yawns.
Stress yawns are probably the ones we see the most from our canine companions. This is the yawn you see in a car ride, at the vet office, and even during training sessions. The yawn is your dog’s way of saying “Can we please take a time out? I’m really stressed out!” The stress yawn is often accompanied with lip licking, low hanging head and averted gaze. A vocal dog may even whine.
Protective Barking
Too many pet owners think it’s cute or sweet when their dog overreacts and barks excessively at other people or animals. Even more honestly believe that the dog is protecting them against a possible threat or protecting their property. This cannot be further from the truth! Your dog is not trying to protect you when he’s barking at that other dog across the street or because he hears a noise outside. He’s barking in a alert to say “Hey everyone, I’m scared! I don’t like what’s happening and I’m not afraid to defend myself if need be!” So, in a way, he is being protective but it is for himself and not for anything else.
This behavior is called reactivity. It typically happens when a dog has not been socialized properly and he has no idea how else to act around his trigger. This behavior can be trained out of him through counter conditioning or desensitization, but it takes a great amount of time and patience on your part. Acquiring the aid of a professional, private trainer will greatly set your dog up for success and put his mind at ease instead of barking his head off at the neighbors or that little dog walking with his owner.
Mounting
When your dog mounts you, be it male or female, it is easy to become offended. The same can be said when he does the same to a toy, his bed or another dog. While many people will assume this is either a mating or dominance display, the true reasons for mounting are typically much less complicated than the assumption! Puppies as young as 3 to 4 months old, sometimes younger have been documented mounting their siblings, parents, toys and humans and this behavior will carry throughout the dog’s lifetime on occasion. More often than not, it’s a playful behavior! Some dogs will just get so full of energy while playing that mounting, mimicking a mating behavior, is the one way to get out that energy.
Punishing a dog for mounting, or any of these behaviors will only confuse the dog and could lead to future behavioral problems. Mounting on it’s own is most easily just ignored. If your pooch mounts you, just shoo him off and engage him in playing with an appropriate toy. A stressful yawn can be eased with comforting your stressed or scared dog while reactive barking is best handled with positive training techniques. When in doubt, consult a professional trainer!
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