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Body language question- source cause of body language
Hi everyone! Happy Saturday! I had a question to pose to the DD multi-verse/universe heh heh. 🙂
This may be a complex topic but I thought it would be fascinating to post it here. The catalyst for this was something my dog, Tuff, just did. 🙂
Here’s my question. When a dog is displaying body language that indicates stress/anxiety/discomfort, how would you think to identify the source/cause of that? I realize that’s probably a very complex and dynamic question. For me, at least based on today’s event, I would say what caused Tuff to display that BL was the person he was oriented to (facing directly) who entered his “air space.”
Thoughts?
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9 Replies
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Hi @ZaneB !
I guess I would probably look to the thing that’s suddenly different in the environment that could be the cause of the discomfort. For example, if the dog is acting fine and then a new person comes in to the environment and suddenly the dog looks uncomfortable, I would probably look to that first as a possible source of the discomfort. Or, if the person was there all along and suddenly they’ve performed an action that the dog didn’t like, maybe that action is the source of the discomfort. Or, maybe it’s not even the person themselves, but something they could be wearing or an object they could be holding? I’m sure it’s probably not always cut and dry, but that’s where I would probably start anyways. What’s the new variable in this particular situation?
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What’s the new variable in this particular situation? – Amy B.
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Another great response, Amy @Marcybel and thanks for the excellent question @ZaneB
I love how you are not jumping to a conclusion Zane. There’s nothing like the good ol’ scientific method. You need to take your best guess at what the cause (trigger) for the stress may be and then test it to see if you get similar response to that same thing again. Of course, you would only test if the stress on the dog is mild or if the situation is going to happen naturally again. If it’s an option, taking a video can be very helpful in these situations because even the best observers can’t see everything at once. A chance to watch something repeatedly can make a big difference.
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If it’s an option, taking a video can be very helpful in these situations because even the best observers can’t see everything at once. A chance to watch something repeatedly can make a big difference. – David M.
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I agree with @david using video to review body language cues you might normally miss, when “in the moment”. I love to video clients, or myself, training the dog during our training sessions. It would be an awesome tool, for sure. You can also see how far your dog has come!
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I love to video clients, or myself, training the dog during our training sessions. It would be an awesome tool, for sure. You can also see how far your dog has come! – Paula M.
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You’re very welcome! Thanks for the reply David! Sorry again about my delay. I’m trying to play catch up and I wanted to deliver a thoughtful answer.
I am 99.9% confident I know what the cause of the stress/fear was. In my current living situation, I am especially trying to be aware of any bias that may impede my observational skills. One of my “roommates,” is not especially patient/is very “old school” with dogs in their approach. But in the case I mentioned in my initial question, we were inside, up stairs and that was the only factor that was introduced into the environment/present in the environment when Tuff displayed stress/fear.
Again, trying to avoid any emotional bias here, but I’m confident that was it, especially because this is not a new occurrence. I don’t feel the need to introduce Tuff to the stressful stimulus or test him on it because that would be counter productive I feel. 🙂 But this was a fun and enlightening discussion! Thanks everyone!
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Being observant of the environment is one thing, but to be honest we really can’t figure out the exact trigger all at once. The source of stress/discomfort can be anything if you are in an outdoorsy environment with lots going on, starting with something the dog looked, heard, smelled, and perceive differently. And if we are trying to get to the precise specific trigger we may have to go back and forth and that is where capturing via video as Trainers mentioned above helps.
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The source of stress/discomfort can be anything if you are in an outdoorsy environment with lots going on, starting with something the dog looked, heard, smelled, and perceive differently. – Radhika V.
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