Let’s practice looking at some of these stress signals and identifying them. Depicted in the images below are examples of dogs being held and dogs being hugged. First of all…do the dogs look happy? Take some time to carefully examine each image to identify any stress signals.
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In the image on the left, you can see the dog has a closed mouth and is also looking away. That look away is a stress signal. In the image on the right, that dog also has a closed mouth and dilated pupils. Again, you can tell the dilated pupils because you see the light reflecting off the dog’s eyes.
As we’ve discussed previously, good intentions do not matter to dogs. Both of these children obviously have good intentions. They really love their dogs and they want to hug them, but that doesn’t make it any easier for the dog to handle a hug. Also, remember that stress does not mean the dog is about to bite. Stress does mean the dog’s tolerance level is going down and the possibility of a bite is getting stronger. But it doesn’t necessarily mean in that instant the dog is about to be aggressive.
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In the image on the left, the dog is licking his lips probably because a person is laying on top of him. That’s a clear stress signal. In the image on the right, the dog has a closed mouth and half-moon eyes where you can see the wider, outer edge of the dog’s eyes.
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The images of the dog with the baby is often viewed as a really cute image. But look closely…the dog’s mouth is closed and he is actually doing a look-away. He isn’t really thrilled to be there. In the opposite image, you can see the dog’s tongue as he does a lip lick. Another behavior that you see and this dog is stretching. Stretching is a displacement behavior and a sign of stress.
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The dog on the left has a closed mouth and dilated pupils. You can see the reflection off his pupils. The dog on the right is scratching. Constant scratching could indicate a health problem or flea or tick issue. However, scratching is a displacement or stress behavior when the dog is nervous. You often see this when you ask your dog to sit or come and he suddenly needs to stop and scratch. He’s not sure exactly what you’re asking and therefore, he’s under a mild amount of stress as he thinks through the process.