Friendly or Scared DogFriendly or scared dog: If you are just getting to know a dog it is not recommended you lean in front of them and stare into their eyes. A dog that has been well trained will know that eye contact is a friendly gesture and not a threatening one, however, even trained dogs will feel a little worried about it when a stranger does this and they will show it in their body language. One way to notice a dogs concern is to see if his tail is under his body, if his ears are glued to the back of his head, and if his mouth is slightly open. A nervous dog will also pant due to stress and not knowing what to do. Understanding a dog: A dog that is used to being around humans will accept almost any way a person greets them. However, leaning over a dog and looking into their eyes is a threatening thing for most dogs. You can notice if a dog is not happy about this type of greeting by the way the tail of the dog is, if it is in a neutral position it means the dog is neither worried, excited, happy, or anxious. If the person were to then stretch out his or her hand to touch the dog, he would most likely get a little nervous about it. You can notice how the dog is feeling by how his ears are if they are leaning upwards it means the dog is interested, if they are back and glued to the dogs head, it means the dog is not comfortable with the situation. If this happens, help the dog feel more confident and comfortable by turning slightly towards the side and not looking at him directly into his eyes. |
