It is a little known fact that I am a retired dog trainer. (See me teach Casper to play scrabble!) When training, the thrust of class #1 was always body language and calming signals. The homework assignment was to watch your dog closely for one week in his/her normal, stress free (we hope), home environment and report your observations at the next session.
It is our responsibility to protect our furry and feathered friends from harm, not just harm to them, but possible harm they might inflict on others. To do this we must know how to understand what our pet is telling us; Know what frightens him/her; Know how he/she reacts when stressed; Know how to recognize, alleviate and remove the stressor. It is extremely important that we be able to read body language, for that is the language of animals. But, like any language, it can be easily misunderstood when taken out of context. For example, my sister had a pit bull mix who frequently barred his teeth. Considering the bad rap this breed has taken in recent years, someone observing this behavior could leap to the conclusion that those teeth were a warning sign. They could fear that Leo was about to pounce. In reality, this was the way Leo showed pleasure and happiness. He learned to show those teeth when my sister performed his nightly tooth brushing which was always followed by a treat.
We have removed animals from, and changed, their natural environment. By leashing and confining them we have taken away some of their natural coping methods. (I'll write more on this later.) Therefore, it is our responsibility, our duty, to know them and protect them. This is the least we can do for those we love.
Good articles on Calming Signals and Body Language:
'Cat Body Language -''Talk To The Tail" '
www.a-house-full-of-cats.com/catbodylanguage.html
'Calming Signals - The Art Of Survival' ~Turid Rugaas~
www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1
'Body Language' ~Ian Dunbar~
www.dogstardaily.com/training/body-language
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