The Most Common Misread Dog Behaviours! – Puppy School in Enmore

Do you think you know what a wagging tail or humping means? Think again!

In my Eazy Dog Training puppy school in Enmore, we focus on understanding dog’s body language. Here are the most common mistakes people make!

Tail wagging

It’s surprising, and a bit sad, how many people think that a clearly unhappy dog is fine because of his tail is wagging. That’s not to say a wagging tail can’t mean that a dog is happy. This is actually the case most of the time. But a wagging tails doesn’t always indicate happiness: the dog may be feeling nervous, anxious or be showing submission. And a tail that is held high, while wagging, may even indicate dominance or aggression.

“Aggressive” body language

This might surprise you but dog aggression is quite rare. Many times, a dog showing aggressive behaviours, such as lunging and barking, is simply fearful. Their threat display is meant to make the scary thing go away. I’m not saying that every dog who appears aggressive really isn’t, some certainly are, but that what seems like aggression may well be a display of fear-based reactivity.

Growling during play

It is perfectly normal for dogs to growl as they play. Not every dog does it, but many do. Of course, there are some growls that are threatening and should be taken seriously. But each growl must be interpreted in the context of the circumstances at the time.

Humping

Humping sure is embarrassing. And it can become a real issue if that’s all your dog is focused on around other dogs. It will certainly lead up to a fight one day! But while humping can be sexual, especially for young, intact dogs, there are often other reasons behind it. In most cases, the contributing factor is over-arousal. To put it in other words: over-excitement. But humping can also be a reaction to stress, and can even become an attention-seeking behaviour or a way for a dog to cope in an uncomfortable situation.

As you can see, understanding our canine friends isn’t always easy.

That’s why my puppy pre-school in Enmore is a great way to learn everything about dogs!