Why Does My Dog Look Away From Me?
This body signal is versatile and can be used in a number of different situations/scenarios. In order to decode the meaning of it, we need to look at the situation as a whole.
Let’s start with a few important observational questions:
Is your dog holding any tension in her face?
Is her mouth open & relaxed, or tightly closed?
Are her eyes looking in the same direction that her nose is pointing at?
What is the position of her ears? Are they pointing forward and looking relaxed, or pulled back and down?
Is her body looking relaxed or can you notice some tension?
What is the position of her tail — held up and over the dog’s body, half-mast and relaxed, or is it down or tucked between her legs?
Observing your dog’s body in this manner will give you an idea of the dog’s overall emotional state.
Signaling Friendly Intentions
Face: relaxed
Mouth: open, no tension in her jaw
Eyes: soft gaze; eyes pointing in the same direction as her nose
Ears: floppy and held with no tension; or slightly back
Tail: relaxed; held at body height or a bit higher
Body: no tension
Conclusion: If your dog is approached by another dog and they both look away in a relaxed manner, they mean “I am no threat” and the look away signal can be used as an invitation to come into their personal space to play.
Signaling Stress/Avoidance
Face: some tension
Mouth: closed; could be panting; could be combined with another signal, such as a lip lick or a tongue flick
Eyes: still pointing in the same direction as the nose; could show the whites of the eyes (Whale Eye); possibly furrowed eyebrow
Ears: held with some tension; down; held back
Tail: held with some tension; could be lower than body height, or between legs
Body: some tension
Conclusion: If your dog is stressed, she will often look in the opposite direction of the stressor. This can be read as “Avoidance”. If someone invades your dog’s personal space, and it makes your dog uneasy, she will use a “Look Away” to communicate that.
Signaling Warning/Guarding
Face: some tension; head could be lowered
Mouth: closed; tension in the jaw
Eyes: eyes hard/staring directed at the threatening/approaching party + nose is oriented away from the eye direction
Ears: ears held up, flattened or drawn back
Tail: held with some tension; could be higher/lower than body height, or between legs
Body: some tension
Conclusion: Your dog may have an object that she’s guarding, or she could be expressing a warning that the human/animal is invading her personal space. It is important to assess the amount of tension your dog is holding in her body, as well as look out for moments of stillness. Sudden stillness almost always ends up in some sort of sudden release - an explosion of activity. In such situations, you can expect an emotional reaction, rather than a thoughtful response.
It is important to carefully observe your dog in order to determine her intentions. Is she friendly? Is she trying to avoid someone? Is she expressing concern in regards to her space? Or is she guarding something?
Becoming aware of how your dog communicates through her body language is the key to a healthy, happy & respectful relationship with your dog.
Some of the information was taken from Brenda Aloff’s wonderful book “Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide”. It’s a must read for any dog owner and pet professional striving to “speak dog”. You can get your copy here.
For more information about and solutions to the most commonly requested dog training and behavioral issues we get, check out our PODCAST page HERE.
