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Ask Yvette

Dear Yvette

Last night I spent the better part of an hour trying to get a good picture of our dog. Nearly every picture is terrible because Max is either sticking his tongue out at the camera, yawning or looking away. Why is it so hard to get a simple picture of a dog?

Randy

Your camera has captured some of the essence of natural dog behavior called calming signals or cutoff signals. Watching natural dog behavior is in my opinion one of the most fascinating aspects of sharing a home with an animal. I must confess to becoming completely enthralled when watching dogs. The ensuing litany of signals is a subtle back and forth that leaves me in awe. Why do dogs have all these rituals?

In a nutshell, dogs are excellent at conflict resolution, which allows them to survive as a species. When you take an animal that has speed, strength, strong jaws and teeth and place it in a group environment, a method for resolving conflict must be present.

Overt aggression is not the primary way well socialized dogs resolve disputes. If this were the case, dogs would not be able to co-exist. Constant fighting would leave members maimed. Even the winners of struggles would likely be harmed. The pack would die out.

That is where cutoff signals and displays come into play. Calming signals can work to diffuse conflict. An obvious physical display, it clearly indicates, “I feel discomfort or conflict and mean you no threat.”

If you watch quietly, you will probably see many of these signals crop up in the daily life of your dog. These signals may be directed at you, at other animals, at loud noises or even at inanimate objects – like cameras. Many owners see these signals but mistake it for something else. Have you ever watched someone hugging a dog? Watch closely. Did you notice that most dogs try to look away from the person or start lip licking? It's not entirely unexpected. Dogs do not hug one another. It is not part of their nature. The dog is not entirely comfortable and is quietly telling you so.

These rituals allow dogs to interact with one another. Owners can benefit from knowing some of these signs. For example, when scolded, many dogs will look away. They are not showing guilt. They are avoiding conflict. They want to calm the situation down.

Here are some common signals you can look for:

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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