Dog Communication Signals
Dogs communicate with each other in many ways. In this course, we’ll focus on visual dog communication signals.
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Course Materials
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Introduction: Video Playback Tips
Video Playback Tips
We put together a quick video so you can learn the extra features for watching videos, navigating through the chapters, and even changing the resolution if your bandwidth is limited.
Video length: 3:17
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Lecture Part I: The Head Turn
The most common visual signal we see in dogs is the head turn. This signal can mean many things, but it’s most likely either a request to slow down or a “no thank you” response.
Video Length: 5:58
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Lecture Part II: Splitting and Children
The next important dog communication signal we can recognize and duplicate is splitting. This is when a dog (usually an older dog or parent) physically gets between two dogs, a dog and a person, or even two people when they perceive a miscommunication or conflict potential.
Video length: 2:59
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Lecture Part III: Lip Lick, Turning Away, and Distance Increasing Signals
More subtle signals like the lip lick often show up in combination with the head turn and even the yawn.
We’ll also discuss another strong signal, when a dog turns and even walks away. And, you’ll learn about distance increasing signals, too - which are what dogs use when the polite signals are not recognized (or the dog feels too stressed to try them).
Video length: 2:39
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Lecture Part IV: Paw Lift, Yawn, and Lie Down
The paw lift, yawn, and lie down signals aren’t as common as the head turn, but are important signals to recognize and respect.
The lie down is often confused as an invitation - especially when the dog goes on his or her side. It might be an invitation if the person nearby is a trusted family member, but it’s good to exercise caution if you are not familiar to the dog.
Video Length: 4:16
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Lecture Part V: The Head Dip, Britta's Story, and Conclusion
The head dip is an interesting signal used in a variety of contexts - it can look like the dog is sniffing, but when you identify what happened before and after the head dip, you’ll see the behavior was deliberate. Dogs often use the head dip to basically say, “all’s okay here - I’m fine with you and I’m trustworthy.”
Video length: 4:22
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