Wagging Good Dog Training

Wagging Good Dog Training Positive-reinforcement dog training group classes and private in-home training conducted by Ellen.

We have courses specifically for big and small breeds in addition to ones for all sizes.

We've spent the last six months (yes, it's been that long; Ear Talk 1 was posted on February 26th, 2025) breaking dog bo...
09/03/2025

We've spent the last six months (yes, it's been that long; Ear Talk 1 was posted on February 26th, 2025) breaking dog body language down into discreet signals, looking at one at a time. But the common thread through all of this has been the fact that a dog is not changing the position of just one body part. All of the body parts are working together to form a more cohesive and nuanced message. How do you know what your dog is trying to say? Take their T.E.M.P. (Tail, Ears, Mouth, Posture), the four signals that are easiest for us humans to see quickly. The following questions are a guideline and, if you're only going to remember some things from the past six months of body language posts, these are the questions you should prioritize remembering (and the answers are admittedly simplified).

09/02/2025

Always, always with great intentions.
That's how this all starts.
We should let them meet all other dogs and puppies, shouldn't we?
They're excited to see them, meet them and interact, so why should we stop them?
Leash reactivity is a very real concern that we do need to take seriously, just ask someone who has a reactive dog.

"We let her meet every dog she came across, to socialise. Now she screeches at a dog from 100 metres away"

"He was just so excited and happy when he saw another dog, so we always made a beeline for them to keep him happy, now he drags us there"

It can start that easily.
We think we are doing the right thing, letting them have fun and satisfying that need to meet that dog they have just seen across the road.

What we can create is a dog that goes to another stratosphere when they see another.
The leash or lead is now a barrier too.
Letting them pull towards their "new friend" was "fine" when they were younger but now it's impossible to even hold them still and they can drag you down the road with them.

Pulling worked when they were younger.
They were rewarded by every "dig in" , it got them closer.
They met the dog, they got there eventually.

Why do we expect they won't do the same when they are older if we haven't shown them differently?

We're just now starting to understand what it means that dogs are social animals. They aren't pack animals, though stray...
08/30/2025

We're just now starting to understand what it means that dogs are social animals. They aren't pack animals, though stray dogs will form social groups.
And when it comes to living with an animal, I would rather live with a social animal instead of a pack animal.

Week 7 of Body PosturesDogs always fascinate me with the number of ways they have to de-escalate situations. Problems e...
08/27/2025

Week 7 of Body Postures

Dogs always fascinate me with the number of ways they have to de-escalate situations. Problems emerge when dogs don't know how to properly communicate their needs. When dogs don't know how to properly communicate their needs, they often jump straight into biting. Ask anyone who has a dog who they punished for growling and you'll hear at least one story of a dog who stopped growling and started biting.

Dogs are better at avoiding fights than we sometimes give them credit for. That doesn't mean we should always let them sort it out themselves because not all dogs have all the skills necessary to know when to back down from the fight (or when not to pick a fight in the first place), but I'm a big advocate for seeing how well all the dogs involved communicate before stepping in and reinforcing the communication that is happening. If none of the dogs communicate well, don't interact. If all the dogs communicate well, I observe and make sure good communication continues (and step in when communicate stops being two-way).

Week 6 of Body PosturesThe "play" bow is probably one of the most nuanced signals a dog can offer - especially since mos...
08/20/2025

Week 6 of Body Postures

The "play" bow is probably one of the most nuanced signals a dog can offer - especially since most of the different bows look the same to us. Maybe the tail is held a little lower, the legs a little closer together or further apart, or the position a little longer.

A typical play bow is bouncy, loose, and not sustained. This is the invitation to play.

But this isn't the only bow.

The most interesting thing about all the different bows?

Sometimes the context is more telling than the body posture.

A dog can bow as an invitation to play, to ask for a break in play, to ask for more space, as a placeholder position while the dog looks for an exit, to show that they're friendly, to make sure the other dog is "listening," to stretch, as part of stalking, or even to help with pain or discomfort (especially in the abdomen or hips).

As none of these pictures contain the EXTREMELY important context, we're all guessing the exact meanings of the four bows pictured here.

For more information on the different types of bows, especially the pain bow, visit https://thedogalliance.org/why-does-my-dog-bow/

08/19/2025

😕"You don't want my puppy to play with my mates dog...but hang on, how can they get confident without those play sessions".
Confidence first.....Playdates second.✅
Play is play.
It really isn't true socialisation.

If we force interactions on an anxious puppy or a puppy that is struggling with confidence.... we can cause issues which can take a very long time to resolve.

Quality interactions over quantity.
I can't stress that enough.

If there is one thing I could wish for, it would be the following.

Please....
Be choosy with who you expose your puppy to.
Be particular.
.....and please stop letting your puppy meet every random person or dog they come across.

Week 5 of Body PosturesThis week on dog body postures, we're exploring ways that one dog can politely and calmly end int...
08/13/2025

Week 5 of Body Postures

This week on dog body postures, we're exploring ways that one dog can politely and calmly end interactions between two dogs (other than just walking away).

Previously, we discussed how dogs can lie down to decline an interaction. It is also a way to end interactions. This version of ending interactions is usually most often seen between a mature dog and a puppy. When the puppy is overly playful and the adult is done playing, the dog may choose to lie down and ignore the puppy, ending the interaction without risking inviting a game of chase. Eventually, the puppy walks away.

This dynamic primarily occurs between puppies and *mature* adults. Puppies don't always fully understand boundaries or subtle signals to end play. *Mature* adults understand how to check in to make sure that everyone involved is still playing. Lying down is a “louder” way to say that they’re done. Mature dogs understand how to listen to more subtle signals, meaning they never escalate to this point.

Another method for ending interactions is splitting up. This happens when one dog notices that two others are starting to escalate towards a fight, with one or both of the dogs showing two or more of the “battle” signals, especially the battle flag tail. The third dog may either make their presence known or physically step between the two escalating dogs. Because of the increased potential for a dog fight, it is never advised for a human to step in between the two dogs and referee the same way that another dog would. Instead, call the instigator away or, if there are multiple humans not standing near each other, call both dogs away.

For both scenarios, humans can reinforce the communication by calling the other dog away, as it can help the puppy learn the correct response to another dog lying down and ensures the human's safety in the case of splitting up, especially since humans are not fluent in Dog.

If you don't want your dog to act like a dog, ask yourself why you got a dog. While there are inappropriate outlets for ...
08/13/2025

If you don't want your dog to act like a dog, ask yourself why you got a dog. While there are inappropriate outlets for natural dog behaviors for a dog living with humans, if you try hard enough, you can find an appropriate outlet for that same behavior

Week 4 of Body PosturesHave you ever noticed your dog suddenly stopping and scratching himself? Or maybe you give a cue...
07/30/2025

Week 4 of Body Postures

Have you ever noticed your dog suddenly stopping and scratching himself? Or maybe you give a cue in a stern voice and she drops her head and starts digging at the grass. Or maybe another dog starts walking politely towards your dog and he starts sniffing as if all the secrets of the world are contained in that one patch of grass.

No, your dog isn't ignoring anything. All of the above are examples of displacement signals.

Displacement signals are a dog's way of using obvious (to another dog) signals that they aren't comfortable, need an exit, or wish to avoid an interaction. They get their name from the fact that these signals are occurring outside of the expected situations (and are thus "displaced"). Most displacement signals serve double duty, both communicating with others and offering comfort to the dog displaying the signal.

If you see a displacement signal, look at the whole situation and see if you're the problem or, if not, what you can do to make the scenario easier for your dog. And sometimes, what you can do to make it easier is to leave the scenario and prepare your dog for the scenario before you find yourself in that scenario again.

Week 3 of Body PosturesDogs are very good at using their entire body to communicate fear, nervousness, or just uncertain...
07/23/2025

Week 3 of Body Postures

Dogs are very good at using their entire body to communicate fear, nervousness, or just uncertainty. The more signals a dog displays, the greater the fear. This builds on the tail, ear, eye, and mouth signals. A nervous dog might show tail and ear signals before pulling the rest of the body into play - unless they need to communicate at a distance.

Another difference between the signals from tails, ears, eyes, and mouths and the signals from the body is that a non-fearful dog will mirror a nervous dog's tail, ears, eyes, and potentially mouth, but the non-fearful dog will not mirror a nervous dog's overall body posture.

These pictures are (roughly) in order of increasing fear. When dogs reach the point of freezing, they tend to either continue to communicate that they're nervous or switch to defending themselves.

Today focuses on the communication that occurs before two dogs greet each other. Some signals may appear opposite to hum...
07/16/2025

Today focuses on the communication that occurs before two dogs greet each other. Some signals may appear opposite to human behavior, making it vital for us to recognize them.

First is curving. In dog interactions, only rude dogs approach head-on, unlike humans who typically do. Curving involves a dog arcing around another to either pass without greeting or meet shoulder-to-shoulder or nose-to-cheek. A wider arc indicates uncertainty regarding a positive greeting, often due to the other dog’s nervous signals. A shallow curve suggests the curving dog feels good about the upcoming interaction. While not all dog-initiated greetings start with curving, it signifies that one dog is attuned to the other’s communication.

The second signal is turning away. This resembles the “look away” but involves the whole body. Typically, one dog, uncertain about greeting, will turn away while the other dog shows awareness by facing the same direction. At this point, the initiating dog may choose to greet or disengage. Human intervention is needed if the second dog ignores the turning away and presses attention on the disinterested dog, requiring the human to separate them.

A dog may also sit or lie down if uncertain about a potential interaction, with lying down serving as a stronger signal. If the approaching dog acknowledges this uncertainty, no harm results. The approaching dog may mirror this behavior or display a displacement behavior. Again, a human might need to separate them if the second dog doesn’t recognize the first dog's feelings.

Lastly, a slowing dog signifies uncertainty while approaching. When a dog slows down, it communicates nervousness or asks the other to calm down. This can happen when calling a dog who slows down instead of hurrying over. The appropriate responses to a slowing dog involve turning away, sitting, lying down, or offering a displacement behavior.

Week 1 of Body Postures.We're kicking off the final part of the "Decode Your Pup" mega series with body postures. This ...
07/09/2025

Week 1 of Body Postures.

We're kicking off the final part of the "Decode Your Pup" mega series with body postures. This one is a doozy, with six different groupings of signals.

"But we've already looked at the tail, ears, eyes, and mouth of the dog!"

But those signals can be missed or ignored. They also contain a lot more nuance than most of the body postures, which tend to mean one thing and one thing only.

Body posture is more than just adding context. It is adding punctuation marks to what a dog is already saying with specific body parts.

Join us next week for communication seen during healthy greetings (especially between dogs).

Address

Ypsilanti, MI

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 7:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 7:30pm
Thursday 9am - 7:30pm
Friday 9am - 7:30pm
Saturday 10am - 7:30pm

Telephone

+17348028054

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wagging Good Dog Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Wagging Good Dog Training:

Shortcuts

Share

Category