The signal dictionary
Every entry states what a signal looks like, what it usually means, what it does not mean, what changes the reading, and how confident anyone can honestly be. Each one names its sources and grades them, because the difference between an experiment and an experienced guess matters.
Body language
A dog is never saying one thing with one body part. Each region below contributes a piece of the sentence, and the pieces can disagree with each other. Read them together, always against that individual dog's own baseline.
Body and posture
How to read a dog's posture: tension, weight shift, and what a stiff forward body means. Plus the common misreadings that put people within biting distance.
cautionBody languageBelly up
Rolling over can invite contact or ask to be left alone. The difference is muscle tone, not the posture, and misreading it is a common way children get bitten.
cautionBody languageFreezing
A dog who suddenly goes still is often giving a late warning. How to tell a warning freeze from ordinary watching, and what to do in the next few seconds.
stopBody languageEars
Dog ear positions explained: forward, neutral, back and pinned, judged against your dog's own baseline. What ears can and cannot tell you, plus safety.
noneBody languagePinned-back ears
Pinned-back ears in dogs usually signal fear, appeasement or pain, not guilt. How to tell which is which, what to do right now, and when to call the vet.
cautionBody languageEyes
What a dog's eyes really show: soft eyes, hard stares, whale eye and gaze direction, read against the whole body. Calm, evidence-informed, force-free.
cautionBody languageHard stare
A hard, fixed stare in a dog is usually a warning, not dominance. How to tell it apart from friendly eye contact, what to do next, and when to get help.
stopBody languageWhale eye
Whale eye is the crescent of white showing when a dog holds a stare while turning away. Usually a stress signal and a request for space. What to do next.
stopBody languageRaised hackles
Raised hackles are an involuntary arousal reflex, not a decision to threaten. What piloerection does and does not tell you, and what to check next instead.
cautionBody languageMouth and face
What a dog's mouth and face show: lip licks, yawns, tense lips, panting. How to read them with the eyes and body, and when a tight mouth means give space.
cautionBody languageLip licking
A tongue flick with no food nearby is usually early, low-level discomfort. What lip licking means, when it is medical, and what to do instead of correcting it.
cautionBody languageYawning
A yawn away from sleep is often tension, not tiredness. What dog yawning means, why contagious yawning muddies it, and what to do when it repeats at the vet.
cautionBody languageTail
A dog's tail reports arousal and attention, not happiness. Read position and movement separately, against that dog's own baseline, and with the whole body.
cautionBody languageHigh stiff tail
A high, rigid tail usually means strong arousal and readiness to act, and often precedes a warning. How to read it safely and why space beats correction.
stopBody languageTucked tail
A tail clamped against the belly usually signals fear or appeasement, not guilt. What it looks like, what it does not mean, and what to do next to help.
cautionBody languageTail wagging
A wag shows engagement and arousal, not happiness. Height, width, speed and stiffness change the reading, and a moving tail is never permission to touch.
cautionVocalisations
Sound carries real information about how aroused a dog is and, broadly, whether they are asking for distance or for contact. It does not carry words. These entries cover what the acoustics actually support.
Barking
Barking is context-dependent, not a vocabulary. What the acoustics do and don't tell you, how to read the trigger, and when barking should prompt a vet check.
noneVocalisationsAlarm barking
Alarm barking: the fast, harsh burst set off by a doorbell, siren or stranger. What it signals, what it does not, and when to stop and give the dog space.
cautionVocalisationsGrowling
Growling is usually a request for distance, not proof of aggression. How to read the body around the sound, and why punishing a growl removes your warning.
stopVocalisationsLow warning growl
A low growl is a warning that helps prevent bites. What it usually means, what to do in the moment, and why punishing it removes the warning you rely on.
stopVocalisationsPlay growl
Growling in play is usually part of the game, not a threat. How a play growl differs from a serious one, what to watch in the body, and when to pause the game.
cautionVocalisationsHowling
Howling is long-range contact, not automatic distress. Why sirens and music set it off, what solo howling in an empty house means, and when to get help.
noneVocalisationsWhining
Whining in dogs is often about access, contact or discomfort. How to tell need from anxiety from pain, and why ignoring it is not always the right answer.
cautionBehaviour
Some things a dog does are best understood as whole patterns rather than as single signals. These entries cover the functional behaviours that owners most often encounter and most often misread.
Appeasement behaviour
Appeasement is a dog lowering social tension, not an apology or guilt. What it looks like, why punishing it removes your warning, and how to take pressure off.
cautionBehaviourDisplacement behaviour
Yawning, lip licking, scratching or shaking off at odd moments often signals mild stress. How to read displacement behaviour, and when it is a vet question.
cautionBehaviourPlay bow
Front end down, rear up: the play bow is usually an invitation to play and a marker that what follows is not serious. Read the other dog's reply first.
noneBehaviourResource guarding
Guarding food, toys or beds is usually about keeping something valuable, not dominance. What the early signals look like, and why never to punish a growl.
stopBehaviourSeparation distress
Separation distress is panic at being left alone, not spite or protest. What it looks like, how to tell it apart from boredom, and when to involve a vet.
cautionBehaviourTrigger stacking
Trigger stacking is how small stressors add up until a dog reacts to something it normally handles. How to spot the build-up, and why a growl is a warning.
stop