Calming signals 101

A Must-Read for All Dog Owners.

About two years, I was first introduced to the term “calming signals” for the first time. That got me really curious. I have always been interested in dog training, and yet, my numerous attempts in the past have been not very successful. I have not been fully satisfied with the outcomes. I have tried different methods of training, including positive reinforcement training, and training based on alpha-dog theory. Yes, I am guilty of using prong collars in the past to train my dog because I didn’t know any better. As a result, things did not turn out the way I expected. I was not very happy with how the training went. Sure, the dogs that I trained followed my commands, but I don’t seem to have a more in-depth and thorough understanding of dogs. Always I felt something was missing I could not feel that special bond that some other dog owners were experiencing. Simply, I didn’t fully understand what I was doing. I was always seeking special knowledge about dog training, and in the quest of the holy grail, I found this. YES!!! I always wanted to know and learn more about dogs and dog training, and the new approach “calming signals” popped up.

What are calming signals?

Calming Signals is a name or idea introduced by well-respected Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas. She discovered something very interesting and exciting about dogs on how they communicate. As a professional dog trainer, she was able to observe that dogs use their body language to display their discomforts and stress. Basically, dogs use their body language and gestures to communicate with other dogs. They are speaking out their state of mind and emotions through their body language.

Interestingly, these signals are universal for dogs, and all dogs understand these signals. (This is very interesting) It is like a native-universal language for all dogs. The interesting thing is that not all dogs use calming signals, but they all understand the language. According to Turid Rugaas, there are at least 30 calming signals that dogs use. Therefore, understanding and studying these calming signals will build a firm foundation to decode and interpret dogs’ behavior. If you incorporate the knowledge of calming signals into your training method, your training results will dramatically improve by being able to read what your dog is speaking to you. 

What are dogs? Dogs are amazing animals. By nature, they are hunters–they hunt for prey. We see all the time that they chase things, not only prey but also like bicycles, running kids, anything that moves. And they grab and hold objects and whatever they can hold. Chasing and grabbing are a part of the dog’s basic instinct.

And dogs are pack animals. They live and hunt together to survive and maintain their offsprings safely in wild nature. They also need to maintain harmony with each other by learning to avoid confrontations. Dogs may have needed to develop a communication system to preserve peace and order. This communication system was not only for protection from other dangerous elements but also for avoiding conflicts among themselves. 

Therefore, Dogs have both threatening signals to warn others and calming signals to avoid getting into conflicts. Dogs also regularly use the calming signals to gain and seek trust, security, and comfort from the companions.

The goal here is to learn and understand the language of dogs so that we can communicate better and have a good life together. 

Lip & nose licking

Lip and nose licking are just what they sound like. If you see a dog licking his lips, he is sending a message to you. I have to say this is the most common signal you will see from a dog in a stressful situation. This is one of the first reactions to stress. The dog is saying, “I am uncomfortable.” While lip licking is a calming signal to prevent any further aggression, it is a still sign of stress and discomfort. You will see this sign often while training or a visit to a veterinarian. While lip and nose licking is not threatening signals, it is super important to note the behavior because this is a stress signal telling the human owner that he can’t handle the situation himself. He is asking for your help, and he wants things changed, but he doesn’t know how to escape out of that problem. 

Paw lift

Paw lift is another stress signal. This signal could be both stress and anxiety signals. You will observe paw life when your dog is agitated and nervous about something. And nervousness could also mean anxiety in both good and bad sense. You could see this when your puppy is ready to play ball with you. How you interpret the paw lift is dependant on the context. But in either case, your dog is not in a calm relaxed state. 

Yawning

Yawning is a stress signal, but it is a positive body language from dogs. While the situation may be discomforting and stressful, he is saying everything will be okay. The dog is telling you that he is managing the situation. I would always tell my friends that they need to teach their dogs this calming gesture. When you yawn around your dog, you are telling him that everything is okay. When your dog mimics that yawning, he is acknowledging the message you are giving him. Try this next time. When your dog gets nervous for whatever reason may be, extend your hand and show your palm to your dog. And when he sees your palm, you want to do exaggerated yawning and make a relaxing “Aaah” sound. Then, check out his reaction. If he yawns back, you are on the right page. Bingo.

Avoidance (Head-Turning)

Dogs don’t like confrontations. Staring to dogs is threatening and challenging. While we as human beings look at each other to engage in friendly conversations, dogs don’t interpret looking at directly each other as friends. When you stare directly at a dog, he won’t like it, and he gets stressed and uncomfortable. In order to manage this discomfort, dogs usually do a head turn. It is a part of avoidance-body-signals. Dogs will try to escape stressful situations by giving avoidance body gestures. Avoidance includes head-turning, walking away, changing directions, and sniffing the ground. Time for another experiment. Try staring at your dog directly, observe what he does. If he licks his lips then does a head turn, he is communicating with you clearly, and he knows how to deal with the stress that is coming to him. 

Play Bow

Just as often, you will see a dog go down with his front legs as if he was bowing to the other dog he is meeting. It is called a play bow. The play bow is telling the other dog that I am not threatening you or intend to harm you. The dog is saying, “I want to break the ice with you, and we can play together.” This suggestive gesture is to make any potentially stressful and dangerous situation less tense and to take it to a safer interaction. You will often see this gesture when two dogs come to each other too quickly. Play bow could be a very resourceful technique when you approach a shy dog. While you don’t want to scare the dog, you want to give him an assurance that you are not there to harm him.

Freezing

“Freezing” is when the dog doesn’t move. There are many situations for this behavior, and you need to have a context to interpret this behavior. Some believe this has to do with hunting — when the prey stops, the dog will stop until the prey starts moving. But I often see dogs freeze when they are incredibly stressed and uncomfortable. I often see freezing when a dog panics. Is it a panic signal? But according to Turid Rugaas, freezing could happen in several different situations. When you are angry at your dog and yell at him, he will move slowly and freeze until everything is sort of settled down.

Curving

Approaching and walking directly to a dog is as threatening as looking at them directly. Dogs frequently use curving a making-peace gesture when they approach each other. Imagine the times you walked to a dog abruptly and pet his head. For dogs, this kind of behavior is insulting and unacceptable. When you approach any dog, that dog might get defensive and uncomfortable. That is why when dogs approach each other, they will walk in a curve and avoid a direct confrontation. So, let’s put this into practice. Next time you meet and say hello to a dog, you don’t want to be rude by going directly to him. You want to form a nice big curve when you go to him. Apply the concept of curve walking when you first bring your puppy home for the first time. We are so excited when we bring our newborn puppy home for the first time. We are over-excited to say hello and introduce him to everyone in the family. And everyone will come to the puppy and say hello. These kinds of abrupt introductions and greetings will stress your puppy. Direct approach and confrontation are against the dog’s natural instinct, but we humans many times ignore the dog’s natural preference to avoid confrontations. By failing to understand the simple fundamentals, you will open yourself up for damaging the relationship between you and your dog.      

The same goes for shy dogs, and you want the curve to be wider to make the dog less anxious.         

Whales Eyes

You will see the whales-eyes when your dog is guarding his food or toys. Your dog is telling you, “this is mine and get off of me.” You will see a bit of stress in your dog by seeing some white parts in your dog’s eye. This is a bit more intense than lip lick. From a dog who is a bit possessive and territorial, you will see the signals a lot more often. Sure, you don’t want to reward the resource guarding, but you want to be aware of your dog’s mental state when you handle your dog.

WHEN DO DOGS DISPLAY CALMING SIGNALS?

Calming signals can pop up in a variety of situations where the dog feels stressed. He is saying that “I am not comfortable and get away.” These signals can be both dog-dog and dog-human. As the owner of the dog, you don’t want to ignore or miss these signs. Your dog is asking for help in these situations. If the owner keeps missing these signals, the dog will choose to act to resolve the problem himself, and the results may not be desirable.  

All the dog trainers and dog owners need to understand or at least some knowledge of the calming signals. Without understanding the dog’s communication system, all the training methods will not be valid. If you as the owner of the dog does not respond to the language, your dog will get frustrated, and this will cut off most of the communication channel with you. Your dog will start having a trust issue with you. I will give you some examples of when you are able to see the calming signals from your dog. 

CALMING SIGNALS TOWARDS HUMANS

• When you stare at your dog directly. 

• After someone makes a direct approach. (Wrong-way to approach any dog.) 

• After being hugged, touched, or petted by a stranger. (Dogs don’t like hugging!).

• When the owner is upset or frustrated. 

• When you scold your dog, you see that familiar guilty face. But, surprise. That is not a guilty look. We have always thought that was a guilty face, right? But your dog was only displaying a calming signal telling us he is uncomfortable and stressed.  

• Dogs display these calming signals while interacting with humans and other dogs. 

CALMING SIGNALS TOWARDS OTHER DOGS

• When a dog approaches too quickly or directly. This is the same with dogs and humans. 

• When a bigger dog sniffs a smaller dog, you may see lip-lick or paw-lift. 

• To encourage friendliness in a shy dog.

• To prevent two dogs from possibly fighting (splitting up).

• To demonstrate that all behaviors at this point are not to be taken seriously (play bow).

• To prevent conflicts and demonstrate peaceful intentions.

HOW CAN I STUDY AND APPLY CALMING SIGNALS?

1. Understand the basic knowledge

2. Watch some examples

3. Observe very carefully for details. Dog’s behaviors are very subtle and easy to miss from a human perspective. We need to train our eyes to catch the details.     

WHY ARE CALMING SIGNALS ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR DOG OWNERS?

When we live with our dogs, dogs will feel secure when they can rely on the person who knows how to handle stress and discomfort. Your dog is continuously giving clues that he is feeling stressed and uneasy in a particular situation. But most of the time, the human counterpart does not recognize the signals. And, as a result, your dog will get confused and lost because he now has to handle the situation himself. Usually, in these situations, stress will escalate into fear or other negative-mind states, which will not bring a favorable result. That’s why you want to learn and study the calming signals. Even before you bring your puppy home, you want to educate yourself on the topic and get familiar with all the different signals. You want to acknowledge the signals and address the problem because this creates a special bond and trust between you. Not only trust, but your dog will respect you, and life with your dog will be a breeze. 

Below is a video from a Canadian Dog Trainer who posted on YouTube. This is a must-watch. She also has actual examples of calming signals that are happening in real-time. This is one of the excellent tools to study calming signals.