I am an animal expert- here's what you don't know about your dog

People often misinterpret signs from dogs, reasoning a wagging process oregon lick of your look ever means your pooch is happy.

But these tin really represent signs of accent successful your canine companion. 

Veterinarian and canine adept Dr Joanne Fernandez-Lopez said her puerility friends described her arsenic 'the canine translator' agelong earlier she adjacent went to vet school.

Now, arsenic the manager of veterinary affairs astatine ABCs Puppy Zs, a Texas Goldendoodle breeder, and subordinate veterinarian astatine carnal attraction institution Dutch Pet, Inc., Dr Fernandez-Lopez has much than a decennary of acquisition working with dogs. 

She told DailyMail.com determination are 'hundreds' of behaviors a canine acts retired that owners regularly misinterpret.

The vet said: 'I could virtually constitute a publication of hundreds of signs! But present are conscionable a fewer of them.'

Wagging tail

Anyone who has ever travel location to their canine aft a agelong time has experienced the blessed process wag erstwhile they locomotion done the door, oregon seen their pup's caboose shingle erstwhile the dainty jar is opened. 

But a wagging process isn't ever a motion of happiness oregon excitement, Dr Fernandez-Lopez told DailyMail.com. 

The position, velocity and adjacent absorption of a dog's process is much analyzable than that. 

She said: 'It seems similar radical deliberation a wagging process means happiness but that dilatory stiff wag tin amusement uncertainty, astatine best, if not imaginable caution.

'Consider besides the discourse and vigor with which the process is wagging.'

The faster a process wags, the much 'aroused' the canine is, but that could mean successful a bully oregon atrocious way. A wag erstwhile the process is consecutive up signifies a canine connected precocious alert oregon perchance successful an assertive authorities of mind. 

A tucked process signifies fearfulness and stress. 

And a study on canine tail-wagging showed the animals thin to wag much to the close with affirmative arousal and much to the near with antagonistic arousal.  

Ignoring you

It is casual to misinterpret the infinitesimal erstwhile a canine turns its caput distant from you.

Dr Fernandez-Lopez said: 'A canine that turns its caput distant oregon avoids making oculus interaction isn't rude. 

'This is simply a calming signal, proving that they are not unsafe but privation you good arsenic opposed to breaking up the party.'

When you attack oregon scope for your canine and they crook their caput oregon thin distant from you, they are signaling they are stressed, and it whitethorn beryllium a bully thought to observe the surroundings to spot what acceptable them off. 

A canine whitethorn besides thin distant oregon disregard a idiosyncratic erstwhile they are fearful. 

What's important, experts say, is to not unit affection onto oregon interaction with a canine exhibiting these signs due to the fact that it could pb to assertive behavior.  

Yawning and licking lips

Dogs whitethorn yawn aft a agelong crippled of fetch oregon lick their chops aft dinner, but they could besides bash these things erstwhile they're stressed out.  

Dr Fernandez-Lopez said: 'Commonly confused for being sleepy oregon hungry, a sheepish yawn and lip-lick are decidedly imaginable starring indicators of accent oregon discomfort with their contiguous setting.

'The erstwhile being a mode that the canine comforts itself and the second having to bash with its discomfort.'

A accent yawn, according to VCA Animal Hospitals, is usually much prolonged and much aggravated than a sleepy yawn. Dogs whitethorn besides acquisition drooling. 

In summation to licking their lips, stressed retired dogs whitethorn besides excessively lick their paws oregon different assemblage portion due to the fact that licking is simply a self-soothing action.  

Stretching

If you find your favored successful downward dog, it could signify much than conscionable your mean stretch. It can really beryllium a informing motion of stress, Dr Fernandez-Lopez said.

She added: 'Though stretching whitethorn look to beryllium a common, comfy behavior, canines besides execute it arsenic a calming signal.

'Dogs who respond by stretching whitethorn beryllium trying to trim their anxiety.'

Just similar people, dogs whitethorn agelong to unbend hostility successful their assemblage brought connected by stress. 

Excessive stretching wherever their caput is down and butt is up successful the aerial could besides signify carnal pain, including life-threatening wellness complications. So it is important to sojourn your vet if you announcement your canine exhibiting this behaviour a lot.  

Lifting a paw

Maybe you taught your canine the bid 'paw' oregon 'high five,' truthful erstwhile they assistance their limb you deliberation your grooming was successful. 

But, a raised paw could really signify a canine is scared, stressed oregon uncomfortable with their existent surroundings. 

Dr Fernandez-Lopez told DailyMail.com: 'If a canine is lifting 1 of his paws, it volition often bespeak that he/she is uncertain of thing successful the environment.

'Particularly if the eyes amusement an look of curiosity oregon concentration.'

Some canine breeds are known for their paw rise erstwhile hunting, but extracurricular of this context, a lifted paw tin bespeak a canine is uncertain oregon feeling insecure astir a situation, the American Kennel Club (AKC) said.  

Whale eye

Dogs showing the whites of their eyes, what is known arsenic 'whale eye,' is simply a communal indicator of accent oregon agitation.

Dr Fernandez-Lopez said: 'When dogs amusement the whites of their eyes, it tin beryllium a motion of accent oregon that they consciousness uncomfortable. 

'It is simply a canine mentation of "I bash not consciousness good and I mightiness request immoderate distance."'

The AKC said radical whitethorn observe this behaviour if they interaction the caput of a shy canine oregon if idiosyncratic - oregon different animal- comes excessively adjacent to them erstwhile eating oregon chewing connected a toy. 

Giving the whale oculus whitethorn bespeak the canine is frightened oregon stressed that they whitethorn person their nutrient oregon artifact taken away.  

Lowered caput and ears

If your canine seems to beryllium cowering with its caput and ears low, they are apt stressed out. 

Dr Fernandez-Lopez told DailyMail.com: 'Though immoderate owners whitethorn cognize to construe alert ears perked up, ears that are held backmost oregon lowered tin bespeak fear, anxiety, and submission.'

Pulled backmost ears bespeak dogs are concerned, suspicious oregon defensive. 'Seal ears,' erstwhile the ears are pinned astir wholly backmost against the head, awesome utmost fear.

A lowered caput often means the canine is anxious and they whitethorn besides person a tucked process oregon furrowed brows. 

Lowering their caput oregon cowering makes the canine look smaller, which a tense carnal whitethorn bash truthful arsenic not to gully attraction to itself.

A lowered caput and cowering posture besides makes the canine look submissive to immoderate the carnal is threatened by.  

Sniffing the ground

A dog's consciousness of odor is up to 100,000 times much almighty than a human's and sniffing is however your favored interprets the satellite astir them. So it is earthy to deliberation anytime your dog's chemoreceptor is to crushed they're conscionable being curious. 

However, Dr Fernandez-Lopez said this isn't ever the case: 'Dogs whitethorn commencement to sniff the crushed erstwhile you inquire them a question excessively "intrusive" oregon successful different situations that makes dogs stressed oregon uncertain.

'It is simply a method to support struggle astatine bay and defuse tension.'

Sniffing tin sometimes beryllium an avoidance oregon displacement behavior, according to VCA Animal Hospitals, meaning the canine whitethorn sniff to 'escape' a stressful concern by redirecting their attraction onto thing else.

Other displacement behaviors see licking genitals, scratching, shaking oregon turning absorption onto thing different than the existent situation.