Feline and Canine Body Language

The process of grooming a dog is so much more involved than many people realize. Not only are we bathing, drying, cutting hair, and trimming nails to make pets sparkle, groomers are constantly watching for subtle body language signals from pets.

Every cat and dog give signals to how they are feeling about certain things. While we all know that a hissing cat is an unhappy or scared cat, did you know that a cat who is blinking their eyes slowly is a cat who trusts you? They feel safe in your presence. A cat who falls asleep on the couch beside you trusts you. A cat who falls asleep in your lap really trusts you. A cat who falls asleep in your lap and begins to dream trusts you with their very life! Head boops are a sign of deep affection. When a cat rubs their cheeks against you, they are claiming you as theirs.

While groomers will generally only see the alert, upset, and sometimes downright angry side of a cat, dogs show a much wider range of emotion during their visits. Groomers are constantly on watch for signs that a dog is becoming stressed. Things like turning their heads away, sideways glances, big yawns, and lip licking are all signs that a dog might be feeling a little too stressed out by their grooming. A stressed dog might try to sniff the table while turning away in an attempt to tell the groomer that they want to retreat in peace. Unfortunately, we can’t always allow the groom to end at that moment so it is up to the groomer to recognize these signals and change the dog’s mind! Something as simple as a scratch behind the ears and some kind words can make all the difference!

Groomers want to see a happy, relaxed dog. This is a dog who has

an overall “soft” appearance. They don’t appear tense or nervous. Their movements are wiggly. They might flop a little when moved around. Their tails might wag at a steady rate. If they are panting, their lips are loose and not tight against their teeth. They might suddenly burst into a wiggly play bow as the groomer walks around the table. The ultimate goal of any groomer is to convince every dog they see that this is how grooming should be!

Many dogs are not so sure though. They might show signs of being stressed or simply just nervous. They might be tense, shifting their weight from paw to paw. They might keep one paw slightly raised. Their ears might either be constantly moving or pinned back against their heads. A groomer needs to know the dogs they work so they remember if this is normal for the dog or not. During times of high stress such as around the holiday seasons, even the most mellow, relaxed dog might become more tense for their grooming sessions simply due to all the changes around them.

At times, groomers might use their own body language to “talk” to the dogs in a way the dogs are more likely to understand. They might half blink or do a small yawn to show they are relaxed. They might drop their shoulders and turn slightly to the side to be non-threatening. Or, if a dog is starting to act up, a groomer might stand taller and more square to show they are not going to put up with foolishness. A particularly rambunctious dog might even receive a hard, direct stare to show the groomer means business. As soon as the dog settles and looks away, the groomer will then relax, yawn a little, and continue on. Quite often “talking” to the dogs in their own language produces better results than trying to coo and calm them with human language!

“Talking” to dogs with their own body language goes beyond the grooming salon as well! If your dog is nervous around certain things such as blowing plastic bags while on a walk, putting on an aura of calm by being relaxed and yawning a little, can help to put your dog at ease! If it doesn’t bother you, maybe it isn’t so scary after all! You can even “talk” to your cat by slowly blinking at them or rubbing your cheek against theirs when they come to you for attention!

High Energy Dogs and the Importance of Mental Stimulation

Some dogs enjoy being couch potatoes. They are happy to lounge around all day long and require no more than a session of fetch or a short walk around the neighborhood to be happy and healthy. While these dogs might gladly join you on a hike in the wilderness or a run in the park, if they don’t get extra exercise, it isn’t a big deal.

Then there are high energy dogs, the super intelligent dogs, and the dogs who have been bred to work all day long. Quite often, you find all three characteristics in one single breed! These can include hounds, huskies, herders, bird dogs, and terriers to name a few. The innate desire to go go go means these dogs needs a lot of mental and physical stimulation each day.

Physical stimulation is loosely defined as anything that gets the dog moving. Going for a walk around the block, hiking in the woods, playing fetch in the back yard, play dates with doggy friends, and running at the beach are a few examples. Physical stimulation expends a dogs energy, making them tired. Just like with exercise in humans, physical stimulation is a double edged sword. Not only does it drain energy but it also increases a dog’s endurance and strength over time, making it harder to keep them properly exercised as time goes by. A puppy who was once ready for a nap after a 15 minute session of fetch will eventually grow into a dog who will be able to fetch for hours on end without wearing down. They no longer seem to calm down after their usual walk. Instead, sometimes they seem much more hyper. Often, a dog who can no longer expend all of their energy through physical means will become destructive or obnoxious. They might chew on doors, walls, and windowsills. They might begin to pace the house or dig holes in the back yard. They might even develop the habit of barking constantly and for seemingly no reason. Many owners become frustrated at this point. No matter how much time they spend walking their dog or playing fetch, the dog never calms down. This is where mental stimulation comes into play!

Mental stimulation works a dog’s mind. While every dog needs mental stimulation, it is vitally important with dogs bred to work in some capacity or another all day long. These dogs were specifically bred to work tirelessly for hours on end. They literally can never get enough physical exercise to wear them out to the point where they are “proper” house pets. By providing mental stimulation, you lessen the chances of destructive or obnoxious behaviors. In fact, just 15 minutes of mental activity drains just as much energy from a dog as 30 minutes of physical exercise!

Providing daily mental stimulation is actually surprisingly easy! You may be providing quite a bit without even thinking about it yourself. Obedience training is the most common source of mental stimulation people provide for their pets. By teaching commands, you are making the dog use their brain to remember what each word means. Practicing simple commands like sit, stay, and down keeps your dog on their toes, making them think and work for rewards. Combined mental and physical activity by practicing heel work and focus on a walk does double duty, draining both physical and mental energy. Teaching tricks and then using them in various combinations makes a dog think quickly. There are also many, many puzzle toys on the market today. These toys are designed to make a dog figure out how to get food out of the toy. They can be as simple as a ball that dispenses treats as it rolls or as complicated as puzzles where the dogs have to move pegs in order to lift tabs to find the toys underneath.

Puzzle toys can be a life saver during bad weather. Being in Missouri, we are definitely no strangers to weeks of rain, ice, or heat on end! Sometimes, we get all three in the same week! Simple puzzle toys that hold a higher volume of kibble can be used in place of a dog’s food bowl. One toy might hold a cup or two of food. If you have only smaller toys, they can be spread across the house. Most dogs have a blast finding the toys and then getting the treats out! As your dog gets better and better at emptying the toys, new ones can be added to the rotation. Some toys can even be frozen, adding an additional layer of challenge to the puzzle!

For many dogs with behavioral problems, adding additional mental stimulation to their day will help them release enough energy for other training methods to be effective. A dog who has spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get a few carrots out of a Kong will be much more capable of learning other commands afterwards. A dog who will not be deterred from digging in the back yard might find that need met and satisfied by being fed from a snuffle mat. They would likely excel at the sport of Barn Hunt too! A dog who runs endless laps around the fence line will likely benefit from energetic organized games such as Rally Obedience or Agility. Nearly all huskies will be overjoyed at the chance to participate in mushing or -joring activities!

If you are considering purchasing or adopting a dog who is or has high energy breeds in their mix, be sure to research ways to provide plenty of mental stimulation. For the extremely intelligent breeds, be prepared to provide a variety of different types of mental stimulation. While some dogs might be challenged by a puzzle toy every time they use it, many will figure out the fastest way to empty it every time. These canine Einsteins will need a wide rotation of toys or toys with a gradually increasing level of difficulty. (Ask Jess about Shaak Ti’s toy cupboard at her house if you want to hear about one of those types of dogs!)

Don’t be afraid to experiment! Providing mental stimulation can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. Whether you are stuffing your dog’s dinner into a few toilet paper tubes for them to shred or signing up for an agility class, your dog will thank you for providing them with a source of fun and enrichment!