A dog trainer has taken to social media to share a physical demonstration to show the signs and actions that owners often mistake for their pets being happy but in fact the opposite is true
A dog trainer has warned pet owners of the subtle body language clues that could indicate their pooches are far from happy.
We Brits cherish our canine companions, often treating them just like another family member. It stands to reason that every owner hopes their dogs are happy and content, and shows their love in various ways.
Still, it’s not uncommon for people to read their pets’ cues all wrong, assuming pooches are okay with certain actions that might actually leave them feeling uneasy.
Taking to Instagram for a tell-all, The Tired Pooch, a dog training account, highlighted how our dogs might signal discomfort, even under circumstances that many misinterpret as acquiescence.
During a video breakdown, they illustrated their point alongside their German Shepherd named Ripley, showing typical interactions which may seem harmless. The trainer demonstrated, sitting by Ripley, wrapping them in a light embrace, followed by a peck on the side of their head, before cautioning: “Does your dog’s body language look like this during interactions? If so, stop.”
The first sign to notice is that when they leaned into the dog, Ripley looked at her owner and then immediately looked away. She went on: “After I kissed her on the muzzle she did a stress yawn, which is immediately followed by a lot of lip licking.”
Still trying to cuddle her, Ripley turns her attention to her owner and starts licking her face.
The trainer told viewers: “This is where most people think the dog is reciprocating the kiss but it is not.” She explained that the licks were slow, an appeasement, and Ripley was politely telling her to stop kissing her and being in her space.
Stressing to followers that she is being intentionally obnoxious for the purpose of the video, the trainer went back in for another cuddle and noted that Ripley had put her ears back and was giving her the ‘whale eye’ and physically gets up to move away from her owner.
She finished: “Her getting up and moving away is when most people would think that she’s not happy when in reality look at the huge lead up in all the different body language and signals she was giving me.”
Those watching loved the demonstration and rushed to share their thoughts. One person wrote: “Love this! More people should know this. Especially for puppies. Then they wonder why their dog constantly runs away from them.”
Another user shared their experience: “When I learned this I was initially sad then I realized how selfish that was. The more I backed off from trying to give my female dog attention the more she started to come seek it, I guess. Now she’ll come up to me and shove her snout in my armpit and hang out there while I give her pets. Then she decides she’s had enough and peace’s out and I love that for us more than any interaction we had while I was selfishly seeking emotional fulfillment from her.”
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