How to Interact with Animals, Reading Body Language, & Building a Relationship:
Pet comfort is always our top priority, so knowing the disengage signals is crucial to being able to respect a dog’s space and boundaries.
There are a number of things dogs do that are considered appeasement gestures. The following are examples of appeasement gestures:
Yawning
Lip licking (outside of meal times)
Scratching
Sniffing the ground
Averting gaze
Submissive grinning (can easily be confused with bared teeth as a display of aggression)
“Whale Eyes” - is a term dog trainers use to describe a dog's body language when the whites of his eyes (the sclera) are visible. The dog will avert his head slightly, but his eyes stay fixed on something or someone.
Dogs use appeasement gestures when they are feeling stressed, uncomfortable, or fearful
If you see any of these signs:
it's a good idea to step back from what you're doing, and give the dog a chance to relax
Petting a dog:
If we’re petting a dog we like to “check in” every couple of minutes by removing our hands and letting the dog decide if they want more. If they push at your hands and lean into your space, as if to say “why’d you stop?” then feel free to resume petting and playing. If they turn away or “disengage”, they’ve likely had enough of the interaction.
Dogs communicate fear and aggression through their body language, showing signs such as:
cowering, tucking their tail between the legs, and averting their eyes
dogs often show aggression when they are afraid
While you might want to know how to get an aggressive dog to trust you, that's not always possible—sometimes it's best to leave the dog alone.
A few guidelines we recommend our team members follow:
Respect animal boundaries and space, err on the side of caution and give animals space if you are unable to determine how they feel
Bribe their affection with treats
Never take away food or toys from a dog’s mouth (we recommend trading it for a treat or distracting by throwing a treat)