Reading your dog’s body language is interesting and important to know him more. Read more about “Dogs and Their Unusual Habits”
Introduction
In the range of all habits dogs often turn their head back and scratch as well.
Have you ever noticed why they actually do that? If yes, but you don’t know the actual reasons behind this unusual activity of your dog; then don’t worry in this short article we will tell you all. But before moving ahead, we would suggest you check this guide on how to become a vet tech online as the demand for vet techs is quite rising so it can actually be a rewarding career.
Why do dogs turn their heads?
Reading your dog’s body language is interesting and important to know him more. People love to see the head tilting habit of their dogs but here are some fact full reasons behind it. Below are the reasons behind such cute poses of your gods.
For communication
We communicate with our dogs through facial expressions. He tries to pick our facial expressions and eye tone. To understand us, they turn their heads to improve their visual perspective.
In this way, they may help themselves out in understanding us more by looking at our faces more clearly. The clearer the facial expression, the more good communication is.
So whenever you see him tilting his head while you are talking, it means he is trying to pick every word of yours.
For hearing
We, humans, can hear sound from all directions but this is not with the dogs. They turn their heads to broaden the range of the sound for hearing.
The ear flaps of the dog work as a barrier to sound transmission. Luckily, the dog pinna is moveable so he can adjust to focus on the exact location of the sound.
Be careful! If your dog tilt head with consistency as it indicates a medical problem. The bacterial and fungal infection in the ear canal causes pain and itching resulting in frequent head tilt.
However, middle ear infections are more of concern followed by a more continuous head tilt.
What does it mean when dogs put their ears back?
With the position of ears, one can guess different mind conditions on their dog. The change in the position of your dog’s ears is directly related to their emotions.
By knowing the reason behind your ears’ positions you will come to know what he tries to tell you. As compare to other dogs Lhasa Apso and Pomeranian mix dogs are much familiar with this condition.
Below are mentioned the different ear positions related to their behavioral changes.
Stresses/fearful dog
When the dog tilts his ears back, he is meant to be in a stressed and fearful condition. Be cautious because he might become fear aggressive. In this case, it’s suitable to reward them with calming treats for dogs to alleviate their behavior and lessen the stress tension.
A fearful dog may be barking and lip licking. The stressed dogs have enlarged eyes and hold their tail down. They use to move away from the things which make them nervous.
Calm/friendly dog
Ears in an upper direction and relaxed conditions indicate the calm and friendly behavior of the dog. Other body languages include a calm face, a down tail, and not curled between legs.
Alert dog
If the ears move slightly forward but still look in the relaxed position it means the dog is still friendly. But it also indicates that he is alert to something in his surroundings.
Aggressive dog
The far forward ears are a sign of play arousal. On the other hand, it can be a sign of aggression especially when the teeth are visible and the body is stiff.
Warning dog
If a dog’s ears are held back and pinned down flat so , it means he is about to bite you. This state might coincide with fearful body language. Other body languages include snarling, growling and lip curling, and lunging. They also show aggression to protect themselves.
Why do small dogs shake?
We all see that our dogs shake sometimes and they do it due to many reasons. Let’s check out what are the reasons behind this shaking body of your dog.
Removal of excess water
If your dog just comes after a swim or bath, he shakes his body to take off excess water. This is normal and a good habit as it prevents hypothermia in your dog. Around 70% of water is removed by shaking behavior.
Excitement
They do it out of excitement too. You might notice his shaking body when he plays with you when you are home or go for a walk. He shows his happiness with his shaking body language.
This habit is usually seen in young dogs because they have weak impulse control so it’s best to avoid them for some time and later on reward them with something.
Stress or fear
Dog shaking can be usually seen when they are stressed or in a fearful condition. Dog in fear start whining, growling, panting and pin their ears back, and more often hide. If they fear a lot of something, take that trigger out of their life so they may be calm and cool.
Besides the above-mentioned conditions, there are several other reasons such as old age, cold, muscle weakness, seizures, terror syndrome, and many others.
Takeaway
Whatever causes your dog irritation; you have to be very much aware of the head-shaking problem. Head shaking can be normal as well as problematic.
If your dog is seen with a frequent moving head, take him immediately to the veterinarian. My mini mini chow Pomeranian mix had face this same situation and by putting my experienced in mind I have concluded this article. Hope you love reading about “Dogs and Their Unusual Habits”
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