Decoding Your Dog Quotes

“Table 1.1: Canine Body Language Body Part Position What It Can Mean Eyes Unwavering, fixed stare Challenge, threat, confident Casual gaze Calm Averted gaze Deference Pupils dilated (big, wide) Fear Wide-eyed (whites of the eyes are visible) Fear Quick, darting eyes Fear Ears Relaxed, neutral position Calm Forward, pricked Alert, attentive, or aggressive Ears pinned back Fear, defensive Mouth Panting Hot, anxious, or excited Lip licking, tongue flicking Anxious Yawn Tired or anxious Snarl (lip curled, showing teeth) Aggressive Growl Aggressive, or playful Bark Reactive, excited, playful, aggressive, or anxious Tail Up, still Alert Up with fast wag Excited Neutral, relaxed position Calm Down, tucked Fear, anxious, or submissive Stiff-wagging or still and high Agitated, excited, and perhaps unfriendly Body
carriage Soft, relaxed Calm Tense, stiff Alert or aggressive Hackles up Alert or aggressive Rolling over Submissive”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones

“Keeping in mind that jumping is usually an attempt to get attention, the solution to most jumping problems is to ignore the behavior. Do not speak to the dog or look at him or touch him. Turn your back. If he jumps on your back, leave the room. The behavior will eventually be extinguished.”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones

“Being a good owner involves accepting that dogs come with some limitations and respecting those limitations, so that we don’t place dogs in situations where they are likely to fail. Avoiding Pitfalls and Staying on Track Remember to look at the entire dog, not just one body part or a single vocalization, and to also look at the situation to get an accurate read of the dog’s emotional state. Dogs understand some words, but they can’t understand a full conversation. Gestures and body language are clearer ways to communicate with dogs. Clear communication takes attention and effort, but is well worth it! Not every dog can succeed in every situation. Watch your dog for signs of anxiety or aggression and change the circumstances so that the dog doesn’t get overwhelmed. If something seems like it’s about to happen, step in. Either remove the dog from the situation or change what’s happening. What Did We Say? Sometimes our dogs must feel the way you would if you were dropped into a place where you don’t speak the language and no one speaks English. Dogs primarily use nonverbal communication. Learn to read dog body language. Listen with your eyes as well as your ears. Using visual cues and training techniques based on positive reinforcement will help you be more successful in communicating with your dog. Not every dog can do every task or succeed in every situation. Pay attention to your dog and make smart choices.”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones

“The morals of this story are that if the reward is good enough, the dog will work to earn that reward, and, second, what is one dog’s most valued reward may not be another’s.”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones

“Dogs may not be as smart as wolves, but they know where to go for help.”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones

“Scientific studies of dog behavior have demonstrated that domestic dogs do not try to form hierarchies with humans.”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones

“The Biology of Animal Stress, prenatal exposure to elevated levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, can set puppies up to develop abnormal brain chemistries, specifically, an abnormal regulation in the pathway between the hypothalamus in the brain and the adrenal glands (glands that produce stress-related hormones), called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. HPA axis abnormalities can lead to anxiety, fear, and even aggression problems as adults.”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones

“The dangerous consequence of the dominance myth is that owners try to physically dominate their dog in an attempt to change the dog’s behavior. This “solution” is likely to cause the exact opposite of the result they want. A recent study by veterinary behaviorist Dr. Meghan Herron found that confrontational techniques are, in fact, more likely to escalate aggression, resulting in more dog bites to owners.”
― American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Decoding Your Dog: Explaining Common Dog Behaviors and How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones