Dogs Can Read Human Body Language
Dogs have evolved to be attuned to human body language. What does that mean for us? It means that our pets can use these cues to understand changes in our mood, physical well-being, and environment without any verbal communication! This may pose as a problem for strangers or friends who do not know how to properly act around or approach dogs. Dogs can perceive someone as a friend or foe through postures, gestures, or small and unintentional movements. They can also understand human communicative gestures. For example, pointing at a certain object or glancing in a certain direction is a form of communication that dogs have learned to recognize through years of close contact with their human counterparts.
Dogs react tolerantly to friendly behaviors and show avoidance or aggression to threatening behaviors.
The study by Vas (2005) focuses on the responsiveness of adult pet dogs to an unfamiliar human observed as friendly or threatening. Dogs were tied to a tree with a leash. 15 dogs were exposed to a friendly approach in which the stranger approached the dog with an upright body position and a normal walking speed while speaking in a friendly manner to the dog (Figures A, B, C). The other 15 dogs were exposed to a threatening approach in which the stranger approached the dog with a slightly bent upper body while moving haltingly without any verbal communication. (Figure A, D).
All dogs in both groups were categorized as "passive", "friendly", "passive avoidant", "active avoidant", or "threatening". In the friendly episode, almost all dogs showed "friendly" or "passive" behaviors. During the threatening approach, more than half of them performed "passive/active avoidance" or "threatening" behavior. The study showed that dogs reacted tolerantly to friendly behaviors upon approach and tended to show signs of avoidance or aggressiveness when the stranger approached them threateningly.
All dogs in both groups were categorized as "passive", "friendly", "passive avoidant", "active avoidant", or "threatening". In the friendly episode, almost all dogs showed "friendly" or "passive" behaviors. During the threatening approach, more than half of them performed "passive/active avoidance" or "threatening" behavior. The study showed that dogs reacted tolerantly to friendly behaviors upon approach and tended to show signs of avoidance or aggressiveness when the stranger approached them threateningly.
Dogs respond to communicative signs such as pointing, head orientation, and glancing in a certain direction.
In another study by Soproni (2001), dogs were to examined in a 2-way choice food task in which four directional cues were given by the experimenter: pointing and gazing, head-nodding (at target), head turning above the correct container (above target), and glancing only.
Dogs were responsive to all gestures; however, they were less responsive when the experimenter looked above the bowl rather than at it. This suggests that the dogs may have felt a sense of inattentiveness to the experiment from the human. The study was also performed with 4-year old children and chimpanzees. Results show that the performance of dogs resembles that of children, in contrast to the performance of chimpanzees. The close relationship and interaction dogs have had with humans for thousands of years may explain why they are more experienced in recognizing human communicative signs than other primates.
Dogs were responsive to all gestures; however, they were less responsive when the experimenter looked above the bowl rather than at it. This suggests that the dogs may have felt a sense of inattentiveness to the experiment from the human. The study was also performed with 4-year old children and chimpanzees. Results show that the performance of dogs resembles that of children, in contrast to the performance of chimpanzees. The close relationship and interaction dogs have had with humans for thousands of years may explain why they are more experienced in recognizing human communicative signs than other primates.