Let’s talk body language during play!
It can be hard to decipher what is happening while dogs are playing, especially between dogs who are vocal while they play.
Body language GREEN flags- dogs are both having fun, everyone is relaxed:
✅ sneezing
✅ “shaking off” (shaking their body as if they had water on them)
✅ pauses in play, aka breaks
✅ role reversal, which is when dogs take “turns” being on top/bottom
✅ self handicapping (in the event of a size difference, the bigger dog will lay down to make themselves “smaller”)
✅ loose, wiggly, bouncy body
Body language YELLOW flags- these might be signs to interrupt play and remind them to take a break:
⚠️ infrequent or non existent breaks
⚠️ one dog constantly on top or bottom
⚠️ increase in vocalization
⚠️ really rough play
⚠️ whale eye (aka moon eye, when the whites of the eye are visible and the dog may be glancing from the side)
⚠️ piloerection, aka hackles: I often see this understood to be tied to a dog being “aggressive” and a fight breaking out. However, a dog’s hackles raise while in a state of arousal and this does not always mean a fight will happen. If the dog shakes off and “re sets”, this is a good sign. However, f the arousal continues to increase without the dogs voluntarily disengaging or a human intervening then a fight MAY occur. It is important to look at the whole picture!!
Body language RED flags- time to break them up and stop play:
🚨 one dog is beginning to get uncomfortable and the other dog does not give them a break
🚨 tail tucking, snarling, snapping
🚨 posturing/towering: one dog is standing over the other, head “hooked” on the other dogs neck/back
🚨 mounting
🚨 pinning
Movement from the human is a wonderful tool to encourage fluidity and to encourage dogs to take breaks on their own!
Can you identify any of these signs in this video?