We all know that humans communicate using speech and dogs don't. But dogs do communicate. They use their bodies to communicate happiness, excitement, uncertainty, fear, anxiety, curiosity and so much more. Sometimes the body language cues are very subtle, while others are obvious. We often misinterpret the cues they give us though, much like someone just starting out learning a new language. How many times have you heard stories of someone asking where to find a restaurant only to find out later that they were unintentionally asking where the restroom was? It's no different with dogs.

​When beginning formal training with our canine companions, it is important that we learn how to spot when they might be nervous, tired or are having fun and want to keep going. Training will have an element of stress to it, but no more than what naturally comes with learning something new!

Dogs are great at communicating what they are feeling, what other dogs and even humans are feeling. The challenge is that we don’t always pick up on the subtle body language cues they are giving us, or the combination of cues is difficult to interpret. Just like us, some dogs just don’t know what they want or what they don’t want. Below are links to some videos that help explain dog body language. Please view all three videos before your first session as we will be watching during the training process for any signs that your dog may need to take a break, do something different.

Our job as pet parents or fosters is to be very clear with how we communicate with the dogs in our care and work to learn what they are communicating to us. There are links below to videos you can watch that give various examples of dog body language, and you will receive handouts with additional information to help translate some of the more common cues. I will call out the body language cues during classes and encourage you to as well to help with looking for those cues, recognizing them, and bringing value to what our dogs and others are trying to communicate with us about how they are feeling in response to the world around them.