By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT
Most dog owners know about the physical language of dogs; a raised tail and ears mean dominance, while a lowered tail and ears mean submission. However, few know about the emotional language dogs exhibit. Physical language presented as appeasement and avoidance signals comprise the ethogram, aka canine dictionary. This dictionary must be understood to develop a secure relationship with the dog, which will reduce the risks of bites.
Appeasement and avoidance signals are intended for those purposes. Appeasement signals serve to minimize conflict, while avoidance signals are intended to avoid conflict in the first place. Appeasement signals like stretching, yawning, tongue flicking, pawing, and such, are displayed to the opponent (human, dog or other) in order to avoid stop conflicts before they escalate. Avoidance signals are displayed at an opponent when a dog tries to avoid a conflict. He signals his intentions, turning his eyes, turning his head, curving, sitting, pretending to sniff, hoping to avoid the escalating conflict.
Aggression in dogs is normal; after all, they are predators. It is the lack of understanding that puts people in jeopardy. Owners punish the puppy for showing his teeth at his grandmother; they tell him “No” when he growls. These are normal signs of distress for the dog, and people punish them, leaving the dog with no other option but to bite. Remember, freeze, fight or fight! Given the right circumstances, the dog will bite, no questions asked.
Pausing (freeze) behaviour shows the dog is uncomfortable, stress is building up, and he must make a decision: “Should I stay or run away? ” In most cases, the dog will run away (flight); however, when the environment prevents him from escaping, biting (fight) becomes an option, actually, the only option left!
Here is an example. A dog is playing on the balcony with his favourite toy. The neighbour walks into the yard. The dog pauses, tongue flicks, stands, circles and lies down again. The Neighbour interprets this as the dog being ok (he laid down again). He walks up the stairs, and the dog bites his leg as he passes by. The dog gave all the right signals, unfortunately, the person failed to recognize them, and got bitten. Look at the situation from the dog’s point of view. When the person entered the yard, the dog paused (decision-making), tongue flicked (calming signal), circled (curving = 1st avoidance signal) and laid back down (down = 2nd avoidance signal). After reading this information, one can see the situation was preventable.
Through artificial selection, humans have changed the dogs' fixed action patterns (chain of behaviours working towards a specific goal), breeding down certain traits their wild ancestors still exhibit. Such behavioural faults are kill, dismember and eat. One must understand that these genetic traits are not removed; they are simply dormant. Dogs retain their predatory behaviours, and genetics will always override training under the right conditions.
Physically speaking, the consequences of dog bites are different, the size of the dog being the main factor. However, emotionally speaking, the result is the same. Dogs are euthanized, and victims are scarred for life. Prevention through education remains the best option to avoid dog bites.