Dogs talk with body language, says writer

Sometimes, it’s not what you say. It’s what you don’t say. Good dog trainers and owners know this.

Barks and growls may seem obvious, but they’re not the most common way for four-leggers to “talk.” Dogs are master communicators, which is the whole premise of the newly published “Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide” by Brenda Aloff (Dogwise.com, $39.95).

But in expressing themselves, dogs mostly use their bodies – something self-absorbed humans often miss.

“Dogs don’t have thousands of words, but they have their eyes, their ears, their nose, their body posture and their tail carriage,” says Aloff, a professional dog trainer from Midland, Mich. “If you just start watching your dogs, you’ll discover they talk as much as we do.”

Aloff’s book offers hundreds of photographs of dogs communicating, from paw lifts (indicating curiosity or uncertainty) to blinks (broadcasting friendliness and nonthreatening intentions) to yawns (a classic sign of stress, not fatigue).

Although Aloff estimates there are 15 or so different signals that she looks for to gauge how a dog is feeling, one of the first indicators are the eyes. “They are either pointed at what a dog is interested in – or away from it,” she says.

Averting their gaze “is how dogs enter another’s personal space and get by safely,” Aloff explains. “It’s the way you and I say, ‘Excuse me.’ “

Some dog signals get missed by humans simply because they seem like something else. A dog sniffing the floor at training class might be picking up the scent of a previous student’s Pupperoni, Aloff says, “but sniffing can also be used as a displacement behavior. The dog is saying, ‘I’m not sure what to do in this social situation, so I’ll do something familiar to me.’ “

Equally under the radar are body stretches, those slow, languid extensions that are really affectionate greetings and expressions of respect.

Once you get immersed in this doggie Berlitz, you can move to the next level: adjusting your own signals.

“Our body language is pretty inconsistent to a dog, particularly when we’re trying to communicate,” Aloff explains. “When primates get frustrated, they tend to make bigger gestures” – an upping of the physical ante that dogs just don’t get.

Seemingly little details matter, too.

“Dogs are really hip to breathing patterns,” says Aloff.

Deep, centered breaths communicate to a dog that everything is OK. By contrast, holding your breath because you’re worried that a dog fight might break out could be the very thing that triggers a scuffle.