Pets and Their People Blog

I highly recommend that we all try to identify the signs and causes of stress in our lives, and our pets’ lives, so that we can begin to eliminate or reduce the stressors that may be adversely affecting our mental and physical well-being, and that of our pets.

Dogs show many signs when they are fearful, anxious, or stressed. Here are some of the canine body language signals indicating fear, anxiety, or stress that you could learn to recognize:

• One paw raised
• Half-moon eye: Also known as whale eye, this expression is when the whites of the dog’s eye are visible.
• Tail between the legs
• Tail low and only the end is wagging
• Tail between the legs and wagging
• Tail down or straight for curly-tailed dogs
• Ears sideways for an erect-eared dog
• Ears back
• Very rapid panting
• Yawning when not tired
• Licking lips without the presence of food
• Flicking the tongue
• Sudden scratching when not itchy
• Sudden biting at paws or other body part
• Sudden sniffing the ground or other object
• All over body shake when not wet or dirty
• Looking away
• Turning the head away
• Getting up and leaving an uncomfortable situation

Identifying the triggers – those stimuli such as smells, sounds, or sights that provoke feelings of fear, anxiety, or stress – means that we are better able to prevent trigger stacking and thus avoid the very negative impact of cumulative stress on both well-being and behavior.

Implementation of behavior modification methods using desensitization and counterconditioning may be necessary to change a dog’s emotional response. Please contact a certified force-free training professional or behavior consultant for more information.

About the Author

Louise Stapleton-Frappell – B.A. Hons. PCBC-A. PCT-A. CAP3. CTDI. CWRI. DN-FSG2. DN-CPCT2. FFCP, Professional Canine Behavior Consultant and Trainer – Accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board , Co-Partner and Faculty Member of DogNostics Career Center and Board Member of The Pet Professional Guild.

Louise’s experience, her background as a teacher and her impressive pet industry credentials means she is uniquely qualified to share her skills and knowledge with both the public and pet industry professionals. The creator of the DogNostics ’ Dog Trainer Certification Program, Louise has presented at conferences internationally and has gained a reputation for expertly teaching and training humans and canines at her own establishment, The DogSmith of Estepona , in Southern Spain. Louise has published numerous articles on dog training and dog behavior and is also the published co-author of the following titles, A Lexicon of Practical Terms for Pet Trainers and Behavior Consultants, Pet Training and Behavior Consulting: A Model for Raising the Bar to Protect Professionals, and is a Pets and Their People contributor.