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Read the BEET – Body Tension, Position, Arousal – Recap Clip
Even from a distance ???? you can read dog body language by looking at the outline of the dog’s body. ????
Pay attention to the way the dog’s body is aligned towards or away from a social partner. If a dog is directly facing someone with their head, shoulders, and hips all pointed in the same direction, they may be coming forward in a friendly or unfriendly manner. You should look for other accompanying signals to get a better idea of their intentions.
Take note of the dog’s posture and whether they are standing as tall as possible or on their tippy-toes. If a dog is standing tall, they may be requesting more space or that they expect deference in that moment. If the other dog is also standing tall, there may be a fight.
The overall tension in a dog’s muscles can also provide clues to their emotional state. If a dog appears tense, they may need space and time to relax before engaging socially.
Another thing to look for is piloerection, or raised hackles, which can be seen from a distance on many breeds. Contrary to popular belief, raised hackles do not necessarily indicate aggression. Rather, they are a sign of arousal, and a highly excited dog may be more likely to react impulsively rather than thinking through their actions. If a dog’s hackles are raised along their entire body, this is a sign of significant arousal and caution should be taken.
Do you have any full-body dog photos to share? Let’s get in some more practice on reading the B for Body!
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5 Replies
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Love it! ???? Here is a picture of Wai this morning. We were walking and a beagle just came out of his house and bayed at us.
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Short hair spikey-spikes? Can you show us a normal rear view of his coat for comparison please @Keala_Wai
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Sure. ????
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Thank you! I can see the piloerection in the first photo vs the smooth coat in the other two. I hope this helps everyone see it. Thanks for all your great photos, @Keala_Wai
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