How does my dog indicate his moods?

A dog is able to communicate its moods to other animals, and to humans, by the posture and movement of its body (in particular the position of its tail and ears), the directness of its gaze and the sounds that it makes. The visual signals, however, are the most important in determining how a dog is feeling and how it is likely to react.

When the interest of a dog is aroused by what it sees or hears it will appear alert; remaining still, with its muscles tense and its ears pricked (i.e. erect, or at least as erect as is possible for certain breeds). If it is listening intently it will move its ears slightly to change the direction of the opening and thereby collect the sound waves most efficiently. When the dog is watching something nearby, particularly the approach of another animal, it will stand with its tail raised and usually with one forefoot lifted, the typical ‘aroused position’. Unless it immediately shows hostility towards the newcomer the dog will usually move forward to investigate.

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