Let's Keep Calm: Intro to Canine Calming Signals

by

Calming Signals

by

Before we get to calming signals, let’s talk communication

Our focus is canine communication that says something is unpleasant or stressful.

In the graphic below, the Canine Ladder of Communication, each step represents an escalation of communication.

We use a human analogy of whispering, speaking and screaming so we can better understand these canine escalations. Think of behaviors in the green section as whispers. If we listen to our dogs when they whisper, they don’t have a need to take a step up the ladder and “speak” more loudly. If we miss subtle signals, and our dog needs to turn up the volume, it’s on us to listen. They are doing their job in telling us exactly how they feel. Listening when our dogs speak, let’s them know they don’t need to scream (aka bite).

never punish

Never Punish Communication

communication Punishment, by definition, suppresses behavior. Let’s look at our Communication ladder again.

Let’s imagine a Fido’s guardian has punished her dog for these communication behaviors: The punished behaviors have been suppressed – i.e. greyed out of the ladder.

The next time Fido needs to communicate discomfort, we may find that he skips from being stiff to biting! We definitively don’t want this edit to Fido’s ladder.

The barking, growling, snarling, snapping, exist to tell us loudly to make a change.

Where are the calming signals?

This isn’t an all-inclusive list!

About Calming Signals Dogs communicate incredible amounts of information with their bodies, including a special set of signals called calming signals.

Calming signals are dog specific communications that help avoid conflict, prevent unwanted things from happening, calm down fear, nervousness, noise and other unpleasant things. These calming signals calm the dog him/herself and other dogs nearby. There are at least 30 known calming signals (Rugaas, 2006).

All dogs deliver and understand these communications.

The Purpose of Calming Signals  Communicate stress  Relieve stress  Indicate no threat  Resolve conflict From IBPSA.com

Calming Signals Are..

Body postures and gestures used to calm themselves, to calm other dogs, animals or humans, and to communicate stress.

-Turid Rugaas

Let’s look at some of the most common calming signals

This list is from IBPSA and can be found at www.fetchfind.com

This list is from IBPSA and can be found at www.fetchfind.com

Let’s take a closer look at two common calming signals Lip Licks & Yawns

Lip Licks

a common calming signal Lip licks can be one of the first indicators of discomfort, stress, anxiety or appeasement.

These images are from Bethany Rose Photography: bethanyrosephoto.com

Ever see your dog yawn when not tired?

This is likely a calming signal!

Yawns

Photos on this page are stock photos except top left which is from Bethany Rose Photography: bethanyrosephoto.com

We know some of the calming signals. Now what?

Take them context!

Look at all parts of your dog for clues to what is making her need to whisper for help.

Ears, Eyes, Tail, Muzzle…gather the clues to solve the puzzle. Family Paws calls this being a Doggie Detective™ We look at more than one signal to understand what our dog communicates.

Pay attention to the eyes, ears, tail, muzzle, body stance, level of stiffness, and more. The more you practice, the more perceptive, and accurate, you will become.

Photos on this page are stock photos. Doggie Detective is a trademark of Family Paws. WBA is a Licensed Family Paws Educator.

What do we do with this knowledge? THINK When you see one or more calming signals, think: What’s going on right now that may cause discomfort?

Who is present?

How close is my dog to the perceived stressor?

ACT Identify the potential stressor and give your dog some distance from it

This could be you! If you are the stressor – step back, give your dog some space.

PLAN How can we proactively avoid this in the future?

Practice

What do we see?

calming signals

Practice

This dog is displaying some common signs of protecting a resource like a bone. You wouldn’t need to know that these signs put together = potential resource guarding.

One or more calming signs means create distance now. Better yet, proactively prevent these situations before your dog gets uncomfortable.

Photo on this page are from Bethany Rose photography used by Family Paws. WBA is a Licensed Family Paws Educator.

Practice

What do we do?

The situation to the left wouldn’t happen if the family was practicing proactive prevention. If a dog and a baby are in the same area, a parent or other trusted adult must be between them. Other alternatives exist – dog and baby safety are one of our passions, so reach out to learn more!

A good place to start would be to release the hug and watch what happens. If the dog moves away, she wasn’t into it.

lip lick

In this image, the dog may be uncomfortable with any number of things: restraint, proximity, the man, something off in the distance, etc.

Practice

yawn

What do we do?

We see calming signals from both dogs. Let’s give them some space from each other to see if that relieves some discomfort!

Because this dog has an injured paw, he may be uncomfortable with something or someone approaching. An injured paw reduces his ability to move himself away from discomfort, so we want to give plenty of space.

lip lick

yawn

Rules of Thumb Be Proactive

Learn your dog, and proactively prevent discomfort when possible.

Create Space

If you see your dog’s discomfort, and you are not sure what to do, give space. Distance from the perceived stressor is a great place to start!

Be Safe

Err on being conservative. If your dog is yawning and lip licking, and you’re not sure if she’s tired or stressed – go ahead and give space.

If your dog wants to be nearby, she will reorient herself in that direction.

Credits Photos are stock photos downloaded from depositphotos.com Other original content, including cartoon dogs, was created by and is the property of Nicole Kohanski, CTC, CDBC, CSAT, CBCC-KA and Wiggle Butt Academy Nicole Kohanski is a Licensed Family Paws Parent Educator.

Thanks to Bethany Rose for included photos: www.bethanyrosephoto.com Calming Signals images can also be found at: Ibpsa.com

The original book on Calming Signals: Rugaas, T. (2006). On talking terms with dogs: Calming signals. Dogwise Pub.

Want to learn more? Reach out! wiggles@wigglebuttacademy.com general inquires 214-210-2695 (scheduling) 469-333-1304 (board & train) www.wigglebuttacademy.com