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[heidiho]

I was reading a thread here and someone asked were the ears down and tail down when the dog was being aggressive or were they up!! Is there a difference in the aggression if the ears are up or down?? Because when my dog growls at me when i go near his food his ears are all the way down....

[melanie]

but my girl often puts her ears up and down for differnt reasons, down in play when she is running fast ect, and she has a floppy ear. i have been told that some dogs wag their tail when cranky, i wonder??

[heidiho]

Yeah when i first get home he is so happy his ears are down,but when the food problem is happening his ears are also down,so just rying to figure out the difference.... when he is growling if his ears were up does that mean something different then if they were down?? hhhmmm?? i just dont know..

[Karin]

Canine language. Everyone who lives with and around dogs or merely works with them should know how they communicate.
With experience you can "read" them & communicate like there wasn't a species barrier at all.

* jumping off of my soap box now.*

[melanie]

forgot to mention there is some really good dog psychology books out there, the best one i ever read was called 'Think Dog'. im not sure of author or isbn's but shouldnt be hard to find. i really think you need to start looking at this sort of stuff, it will help you understand more about him and his ways thus strengthening realtionship.

[Lucky Rescue]

Dogs relie heavily on body language. In general, a dog who is showing his teeth, has ears flattened, tail tucked under and is leaning away from the person or other dog is defensive and/or fearful.

Head and tail high, ears foreward and growling with no teeth showing is USUALLY aggressive and/or dominant.

Tail wagging does not necessarily mean friendliness. A dog could be excited by the thought of getting in a fight, or attacking a cat, etc.

[Luba]

Helpful info here:
http://www.unclematty.com/training/tempertesting.html#

[cutelittlemako]

Lucky Rescue is absolutely right! Ears and tail low may be a sign of submissiveness or agressiveness - either way, approach the dog with care. When dogs have high tails and high ears, it may be a sign of playfulness or dominance.

Learning to read your dog is VERY important - for you and for other people and animals that your dog will encounter. I suggest reading "Bones would rain from the sky" an excellent book by Susan Clothier. It's a great book to read if you want to learn about communication between humans and animals.

My puppy has a docked tail (which I did not choose), and I was worried about being able to understand what he was feeling (floppy ears are harder to read than standing ones too) and as he is growing his tail a getting longer, so I'm enjoying watching him wiggle it. Boxers also wiggle their butts, so that is also good. - Just info I wanted to share

Have a nice day everyone!

[melanie]

luba great tests, tried on charlie, she just keeps looking at me as if to say would you just leave me alone you strange lady!! very cute reactions, boy does she trust me (well i would be worried if she didnt), not a single reaction just didnt care, sat there looking at me as if i had flipped out, lol. but that is what i would expect at her age, would have been interesting to do as a pup though. and for being so damed cute, cooperative and my experimental dog she is now snacking like a queen . but i have doubts that her reaction would be the same for anyone else.

[heidiho]

That is a great ws Luba,will try that out tonight,yeah when he growls his ears are down,doesnt show teeth and sometimes pees when i scold him,trainer will be over tonight will try it out..

[Luba]

I liked the site as well. There is a lot of helpful information there with regards to reading your dogs body language/behaviour.

[heidiho]

I am just in awe of how much i need to learn..I could not imagine having children,no way.