Understanding your dog's mood

Your dog understands her name and words like sit, fetch and, of course, treat. Now it's your turn to let your dog teach you new things.

Learning to understand dog body language can help you recognize when they feel happy, anxious, fearful, content or playful—and responding to their cues can help build a stronger bond and make you a better pet parent.

Common Dog Moods and Body Language

Your dog feels excited when it's time for a treat or a walk, experiences fear and anxiety during thunderstorms and acts shy when meeting new people. In fact, dogs can experience a wide range of emotions¹ and use a series of cues—some subtle and some more overt. These include body posture, facial expressions and noises (such as barking and whining) to communicate their feelings.²

There are a few common dog behaviors used to express mood:

Tail wagging

Dogs use their tails to communicate—but a wagging tail isn't always a sign of happiness. Dogs can moderate the speed of their tail, the direction it wags and even the tail position to express different moods.³ Watch for these dog tail signs:

• A slow wag swooshing back and forth in broad strokes is a sign of contentment.
• A rapid twitch is a sign of high arousal.
• Dogs that hold their tails high are more assertive, while dogs that tuck their tails are afraid or submissive.
• A tail held in a neutral position is a sign of a relaxed dog.³

Posture

The way your dog carries his body offers a good indication of how he feels. A dog that has his chest on the ground and his wiggling behind in the air is in a play bow, showing you (or another dog) that he's ready to have some fun.³

A dog that cowers or hunches toward the ground feels stressed or afraid; a dog that stands tall with his weight shifted forward and tail held high is showing interest or potential aggression. For instance, you might see this canine body language when a dog spots a squirrel he wants to chase.³

Facial expressions

Your dog might not be able to roll her eyes, but watching a dog's facial expressions can offer some cues to her mood:

• Lip licking and yawning are signs that your dog feels anxious and nervous.
• A dog who averts her gaze and looks out of the corner of the eye (called "whale eye") is another sign that your dog is nervous and fearful.
• Snarling with her lips raised and teeth bared is dominant dog body language best translated as “watch out."³
• A direct stare into the eyes is often a sign of aggression and dominance.
• Some dogs can smile; showing their front teeth (but not their canines) is a sign your dog is relaxed and happy.³

Recognizing changes in your dog's mood

Your dog uses body language to express emotion, and understanding her cues is important. You can grab the ball and start a game of fetch with a playful pup, offer reassurance to a nervous dog or give a dog that feels threatened space to be left alone.⁴ Understanding dog body language is key to detecting changes in mood and even possible health issues.

A dog that used to wag his tail and bark excitedly before walks but suddenly cowers when the leash comes out might be experiencing joint pain. Meanwhile, a dog that pants, yawns and paces while waiting for a nail trim might be anxious about a new groomer.

If you suspect your dog is in pain or experiencing emotional distress, try to figure out the cause. Dogs respond to changes in their environments, from new dogs at the dog park to different schedules. Stop or scale back activities that appear to be making them upset and see if their behavior changes.⁵

You might not be able to change some of the things in life that cause emotional distress, like moving to a new house or adding a new two-or four-legged family member. In these cases, talk to your vet about ways to help your dog adjust.

Understanding the relationship between mood and behavior

It's no surprise that a dog's mood can affect his behavior. A dog that feels anxious might tremble or pace, while a dog that feels scared could growl or bark. Ignoring these cues could lead to unwanted behavior like lunging, snapping or biting.⁶

With consistent training, positive reinforcement and patience, it's possible to help a dog that's acting out due to negative emotions like fear. Work with a trainer to develop positive associations that will help dogs that are shy or afraid work through those feelings and experience more positive emotions.⁶

Tips for improving your dog's mood

Focus on these strategies to help your dog improve their mood.

Go for a walk

Exploring the outdoors is a great way to provide physical exercise. Give your dog time to sniff the neighborhood, watch the squirrels and receive attention from the neighbors. Exercise helps reduce stress and burn energy and it can help your dog feel calm and relaxed.⁷

Play games

Fetch, tug-of-war and hide-and-seek are great ways to help your dog forget about the things that were triggering emotional distress. Games—and bonding time with his favorite humans—can help bring joy.⁷

Try brain games

Solving a food puzzle or navigating an obstacle course requires focus and attention. Plus, nothing makes your dog happier than hearing “Who's a good dog?" after figuring out the puzzle or running through a tunnel.⁷

Stick to a schedule

Dogs love routine. When your dog knows when to expect the essentials (like food, walks, playtime and naps), it makes her feel confident and calm.⁸

Communicating with Your Dog

Your dog might not understand your words, but they do understand the tone and volume of your voice. The next time you talk to your dog, consider the following:

• A high-volume, high-pitched voice tells your dog you're excited and cheerful. Use an upbeat voice to tell him, “Good dog!" whenever he goes potty outside, finishes his breakfast or masters a new command.⁹
• A low-volume, low-pitched voice—like a sharp “No!" when your dog lifts his leg on the sofa—communicates disapproval.⁹
• A low-volume, high-pitched voice helps reassure a nervous pup. It's also the tone used to express love and affection.⁹

Your dog will use body language to show you they understand the communication: wagging his tail after a cheerful “Good boy!" or hanging his head and tucking his tail after a sharp “No." The more you communicate, the stronger your bond can become.⁹

Last word

Dogs might not be able to speak in words, but they can use body language to tell you how they feel. In addition to showing positive emotion, dogs use body language to communicate pain and distress, which is equivalent to saying, “Hey, I need a little help."

The more you learn how to read your dog's body language and pay attention to his signals, the easier it will be to understand his moods and offer more of the experiences that make him happy and fewer situations that cause stress. Understanding body language can also help you know when it's time to call the vet for help with pain or distress.

A note from Pets Best

Learn more about dog insurance from Pets Best so you can take your dog to the vet when he isn't feeling well—without worrying about the bill.

Sources/Citations

1. Griffin, B. Emotional Rescue. The Humane Society of the United States. Published September/October 2015. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://humanepro.org/magazine/articles/emotional-rescue
2. Owners' Beliefs regarding the Emotional Capabilities of Their Dogs and Cats. Animals. Published February 24, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/820
3. Gibeault, S. How To Read Dog Body Language. American Kennel Club. Published January 27, 2020. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/how-to-read-dog-body-language
4. How to read dog body language. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/how-read-dog-body-language
5. Moyer, MW. What Your Dog Wants. The New York Times. Updated June 12, 2022. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/well/dog-behavior.html
6. Help your anxious or fearful dog gain confidence. Animal Humane Society. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/help-your-anxious-or-fearful-dog-gain-confidence
7. Gibeault, S. 7 Ways to Make Your Dog Happy. American Kennel Club. Published June 8, 2018. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/how-to-make-your-dog-happy
8. Lowrey, S. Why Your Dog Needs a Routine at Every Stage of Life. American Kennel Club. Published July 12, 2022. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/why-your-dog-needs-routine
9. Llera, R and Buzhardt, L. Human-Canine Communication: Tone vs. Volume. VCA Animal Hospitals. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/humancanine-communication-tone-vs-volume