09/13/2019
I'm sharing this not because I think it's dead on. I dont. But I do I think it's a great example of why dog body language is complicated and hard to teach. The commenters on the post in the group I found it either strongly agreed or disagreed, usually with some personal dog in reference.
But truth is any single signal or behavior can "mean" more than one thing. A wagging tail can mean happiness, arousal, threat, etc. Hackles can be a warning signal for aggression, but they can also just be a sign of arousal. truth is you have to look at all the pieces.
I think her way of explaining when it is or isnt a fear/stress signal doesnt truly work. It still simplifies it too much, and causes resistance from people.
Rather all you can say is learn to read the whole dog. Dog who shows you their stomach and is stiff, avoiding eye contact or making whale eye probably is probably seeing you as a threat, asking for space. a dog who is loose and wiggly, tail out and loosely wagging, has Soft eyes and rolls over is probably looking for attention, belly rub or otherwise.
You have to get the whole sentence from the dog, not just one word.
“Oh how cute she’s rolling over for a belly rub!”
How many times do you hear someone say this? Or how many times have you said it yourself? Rolling over onto the back and exposing the belly is actually a distance increasing signal - a stop sign.
In this photo, Blondie with Everglades Angels Dog Rescue is showing us a perfect example. During her training session where she was working on acclimating to a muzzle, she stopped and did this. She is NOT asking for a belly rub. She’s asking the volunteer to stop the interaction (muzzle training). When a dog gives this clear signal, we listen. We stop what we are doing, walk away (or in this case stand up and move away), and give the dog the space they are politely asking for. When the dog is ready to re-engage, then we continue on. If we didn’t listen, closed in on her space, pursued her, and forced her to continue, she would have to try a different way to tell us that she needed a break. And for some of those other ways, you definitely would not want to be on the receiving end of them.
The belly up is INSTINCTUALLY a stop signal. Little puppies come out of the womb ready to roll over in submission and deference to say “please stop being threatening because I’m not a threat to you.” Then, us humans with our hands, can not resist rubbing puppy bellies whenever we see them. They’re cute, soft, squishy, warm, and down right adorable - despite the fact that the puppy didn’t come out of the womb ready to ask for belly rubs. Over time, these puppies can grow up and absolutely learn that belly rubs are enjoyable and they can also very well learn to ask for them. Which is totally ok! However, that doesn’t take away the fact that this behavior is hard wired as a stop cue during interactions. (Dogs and puppies on their backs while sleeping or resting don’t involve interactions. Also, it’s not the same in play, as with most signals during play)
Therefore, take note of this if you frequently encounter dogs you don’t know - whether that be in your neighborhood or in your career or in your volunteer work. If you begin to interact with a strange dog with an unknown history, or if you are interacting with a dog who has a history of aggression (especially a bite history!) then you need to respect the fact that this behavior was not hard wired for us to enjoy, it was hard wired for dogs to communicate when they want to disengage from an interaction. Otherwise.... it’s very likely you could get bit.
If you live with a dog who has anxiety, fear, and aggression directed towards their owner like myself and many of my clients, then yes I am in fact telling you not to pet your dog’s belly. These dogs either a) never learned that belly rubs are a good thing or b) maybe they have but they still use this instinctive way of communication when needed and since you can’t read your dog’s mind you can’t tell the difference. So when in doubt, stop.
And if you live with a well rounded dog who doesn’t have any serious behavior problems and really does love belly rubs, by all means, keep rubbing those bellies! But please, educate the next person who asks to do the same: that this is not the norm for dogs. You may end up one day preventing a bite and saving a dog’s life because just one person listened.
Dogs are always talking. But we are not always listening. It’s time to change that!
P.S. Blondie in this photo is in need of an experienced foster or adopter, or, someone willing to commit to further time, training, and learning. She is currently in boarding but it is not ideal for her training. She likes some dogs but is not trusting of new people (hence the muzzle training). Located in the south Florida area, if you have any questions let me know and I will put you in touch with her Rescue.
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