Dog body language

When my dog Barnum was about two years old, he started to become impossible to drive with. About twenty minutes into any car trip, he would pace, drool, and shriek continuously. It was horrible for both of us. He seemed like he was having a panic attack, and nothing I did could soothe him — not chews, not treats, not training, not comforting words. Soon, he started to freak out as soon as he was in the car — before I even turned on the engine.

One day, I mentioned the issue to the behavior consultant I was apprenticing with. She suggested that my dog was actually car sick. That turned out to be the magic answer. That idea had never occurred to me because Barnum didn’t vomit. He seemed to just suddenly “freak out.” Once I took steps to address my dog’s car sickness, it really turned the situation around.

A dog that is motion sick does not always vomit, so signs of motion sickness may be misinterpreted as a behavior issue. These can include

Panting
Pacing
Drooling
Whining, panting, or other vocalizations
Hunching, lips pulled back, tight facial skin, whites of eyes showing, etc.

Symptoms may start as soon as the car moves or may emerge only after a specific period of time or only on bumpy or windy roads, etc. Some dogs seem fine in the car but after arriving at their destination, refuse food, don’t follow cues, lick their lips, yawn, or act tired. I see this sometimes with dogs in class. If they are given anti-nausea remedies before class or get half an hour to recover from nausea before class starts, they are able to work.

Riding on his thick foam pad, veterinary medications, and in a relaxed down-stay, Barnum can ride comfortably for hours!

Additionally, once a dog has experienced feeling sick in the car (especially repeatedly), she may make an emotional association between feeling ill and being in the car. This can result in anxious-type behavior and refusal to get in the car, etc.

If you suspect your dog has motion sickness, your first step is to speak to your vet to diagnose or rule out a physical cause to a behavior issue. Trial and error is sometimes required. They may suggest Dramamine, Benadryl, ginger, or other remedies. Sometimes the only treatment that works is a prescription medication, such as Cerenia, which is specifically for nausea in dogs.

Adjusting the environment with regard to noise, air, vision, and vibration may also your dog ride more comfortably. In Barnum’s case, what worked the best was to prevent him from looking out the windows. I believe his motion sickness is the result of an inner ear/balance issue that was caused by a year of severe ear infections. For many dogs, putting them in a plastic crate or putting a towel over a metal crate works to block the nauseating visual stimuli. However, putting Barnum in a crate made the situation worse. What has worked the best is having him tethered to a zip line for safety while lying on a thick foam mat that absorbs sound and vibration. To prevent him from looking out the windows, I have him trained to lie down instead of sitting or standing. Different training and environmental options will work for different dogs, depending on their physical and behavioral needs.

Once your dog is physically comfortable, start building a positive association with the car. Start training by rewarding your dog for looking at the car, moving toward the car, jumping in the car, etc. First do this while the car is turned off and all the doors are open, then with all the doors shut (but engine off), then with the car idling in the driveway, before finally taking short trips around the block or to places your dog loves.

Note: Never coerce the dog into the car (tug the leash, scold, etc.), as this tends to make dogs more resistant and suspicious.

Once your dog is happily jumping into the car, it can help to give special treats in the car. Giving a dog a great chew, such as a bully stick or a stuffed Kong, while you read in the front seat is often helpful. Later, a chew can help to keep them from looking out the window, but if the dog is still experiencing an upset stomach or is too anxious to eat, this may backfire. With time, patience, and help from your veterinarian and trainer, your dog can enjoy riding with you again!

This post focuses on socialization for pet dogs. For information on socializing a future service dog puppy, please read this post through, and then read our additional post, Puppy Socialization for Future Service Dogs.

Golden retriever sniffing daffodils — Photo #1 courtesy of Patti Brehler

What Is Socialization?

Socialization is the process of teaching your puppy to be relaxed and happy in the presence of anything they might experience as adults, such as new people or dogs. You do this by making positive associations with new people, animals, sights, sounds, smells, textures, or experiences.

What Are Positive Associations?

Positive associations are those good feelings you get around people, places, or things you’ve had a good experience with. Have you ever felt yourself relax just by walking into your home or seeing a loved one? Have you ever felt yourself start to smile when you heard a certain song on the radio, smelled something cooking, or saw a scene from a movie or book — because these sensory experiences were connected to happy memories? When we are “training” dogs to have positive emotional associations, we are not training them to do anything. We are just setting them up to feel good around people, places, or things.

Face of white and brown dog with whites of eyes showing. — Photo #2

Dogs can form negative emotional associations as well. If your dog is sniffing a house plant just as you accidentally drop a metal pan and severely startle him, he may avoid plants or that area of the house for months. A client told me her dog fell into a trashcan during puppyhood. For years after, she was afraid of that trashcan. This is why it’s so important not to scold your puppy, jerk his leash, or do other unpleasant things when you’re socializing him.

[Practice your puppy body language skills with the pictures in this post. Which of these puppies look happy, like they are building positive associations, and which don’t? See discussion at bottom of post.]

Why Is Socialization Important?

Black and white puppy baring teeth at person's hand on its butt. — Photo #3

Good puppyhood socialization allows your adult dog to be relaxed and compliant at the vet or groomer (ensuringbetter health for them and less hassle for you). It will enable her to go for walks without reacting with fear or aggression to other dogs, people, or cars going past or other things that move, make noise, or look odd to dogs. It allows a future service dog to focus on work around lots of distractions.
Text box says: Did you know? For a puppy to learn to be comfortable and accepting of all different types of people, he or she must have lots of purely positive experiences with people before the age of 12 weeks? This is one reason why it’s important to start puppy training as soon as possible.

Why Prioritize Socialization during my Puppy’s First Weeks at Home?

Dogs are naturally suspicious of new things, but before 16 weeks of age — the “critical period” for socialization — puppies are in a developmental phase that makes them more able to learn that new things are okay. Having lots of positive experiences with new things during the first few months of life “inoculates” an adult dog to accept newness. However, this socialization window closes at five months (20 weeks). This means that if you got your puppy at 9 weeks old, you have less than three months to focus on socialization. Make the most of this time!

How to Socialize Your Puppy

Take your puppy where puppies are welcome (feed stores, pet stores, parking lots, dog-friendly local businesses and parks, etc.). Bring great treats. Act relaxed and happy.
Photo #4
Pay close attention to your puppy and her body language (see TIP below). If she’s relaxed and happy, do some training, such as “sit for a treat” to meet new people.
If your puppy looks worried or overaroused (see below), calmly and happily move her away from what’s worrying or over-stimulating her, give her a treat, play a game, train, or massage her until she’s relaxed. When she’s comfortable, allow her to approach the new thing at her own pace. Once she does, treat — and then quit!
Praise her and yourself for doing great and then go home. Keep socialization short & sweet!

TIP: What state is your puppy in?

Build your puppy’s confidence and resilience and support a trusting relationship by listening to what your puppy’s body language tells you about her emotional state…

Happy: Loose, open, wiggly body; relaxed ears; open mouth. Takes treats, plays, able to follow simple cues.

Worried: Rolls onto back; hides; ears back; tail tucked; paw lift; moves in slow motion. Takes treats slowly or not at all; can’t play.

Overaroused: High ears, head, and tail. Stops and stares. Or bounces, bows, or barks. Ignores you and treats or takes treats too hard (pinches fingers).

Very small fluffy white and brown puppy flattened against floor with a hand petting top of its head. — Photo #6

What types of things does my puppy need to be socialized to?

You want your puppy to be comfortable and happy around things he’ll be exposed to later in life. For all puppies, this means being comfortable with….

All kinds of people — all genders, ages, sizes, shapes, and colors. Dogs are naturally more likely to be afraid of men (especially men with facial hair), elderly people, and children, and anyone who looks different than the people in their family. Try to give your puppy positive experiences with a variety of people, especially people who look different from their family.
The things people wear and carry. Dogs often get freaked out by things like hoods, big puffy parkas, hats, sunglasses, umbrellas, canes/walkers/crutches, and things like that. If you have a summer puppy, take out the parkas and snow shovels to play with. If you have a winter puppy, bring out the sunglasses and umbrellas.
Dogs. Even if you don’t plan on taking your dog to daycare or dog shows, every dog has to be
Photo #5 via Creative Commons by Zoe Shuttleworth

around other dogs at the vet, the groomer, and out for walks. Your puppy does not have to play or be friends with other dogs. Good socialization can involve playing games or doing reward-based training in the presence of other dogs and puppies, too.
Anything else your dog is likely to see, hear, smell, or walk on: Cars (being in them and seeing them go past), cats, etc. In the country, horses, cows, tractors, chain saws, owls, gravel, mulch. In the city, flags and awnings flapping overhead, statues, police sirens, skateboards and bicycles, sewer grates, etc.

Parting Tips: Let your Puppy Set the Pace

Revved or scared signals often look cute — when your puppy bounces and barks or when she rolls over onto her back — but ignoring them is not good socialization and usually backfires in the long run. Puppies who learn that lower-key signals will not make scary things (including people) go away will often resort to aggression in adulthood to get their meaning across
If you have an adult or adolescent dog who is fearful or aggressive around people, dogs, or other new things, do not keep putting him in these situations in the hope that he’ll get socialized. A dog like this needs a behavior modification protocol designed by a trainer who uses positive methods based on science. Find a Certified Professional Dog Trainer or a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant.
Photo #7 via Creative commons by smerikal
Want to do more? Check out our Puppy Socialization for Future Service Dogs post or Dr. Sophia Yin’s Checklist for Socialization for ideas of new experiences to get your pup used to.

Quiz Answers — Interpretation of Photos

We cannot know for sure what each puppy is thinking or feeling or the complete context of each picture. These are my interpretations of the brief moments in time captured in the puppy pictures in this post, intended to help you think about your own puppy’s body language when introduced to new things.

Golden Retriever sniffing daffodils — Good body language for socialization: Relaxed curiosity. Exploring the flowers with relaxed body language — soft, squinty eyes, relaxed ears, body looks soft. This pup looks like she’s concentrating (wrinkles around the nose from sniffing) and engaged but not tense.
Brown and white pup with person’s face above (upper left corner) — Problematic body language for socialization: Fear. Pup’s mouth is closed, ears are pinned back, whites of the eyes are showing.
Black Bouvier (my own dog, Barnum) — Problematic body language for socialization: Hyperarousal. He is on his side, head whipped toward my hand, pupils dilated, teeth bared at me/my hand.
Beagle — Good body language for socialization: Happy. Sitting, mouth open, ears and eyes in neutral positions/shapes, minimal facial tension.
Running English Springer Spaniel — Good body language for socialization: play. Ears and tail are in neutral positions (level with body line), movements are large and open, body is very relaxed and loose.
Shih Tzu being petted — Problematic body language for socialization: shut down. Pressed against the floor, not looking at the person petting her, mouth closed. To approach/pet a puppy, the puppy should look like she’s inviting contact. This puppy looks like she’s trying to disappear. (More on how to tell if a dog is enjoying being petted.)
Yellow Lab on leash walk — Problematic body language for socialization: Hyperarousal. Everything about this pup says “forward motion.” Leash tight with front paws off the ground, ears forward, mouth closed, fixed gaze/eyebrow wrinkles.

NOTES: I am also not saying it is “bad” for a puppy to ever show signs of fear or hyperarousal. Every dog (and person!) has moments of fear or big excitement. But these are not the states we want a puppy to REMAIN in when we introduce them to new people, dogs, or things in the world.