Dog ear: meaning of each movement

Content

• dog ears
• relaxed dog ears
• dog ears on alert
• excited dog ears
• Scared, scared or submissive dog ears
• Aggressive or domineering dog ears
• Problems in the anatomy of dogs' ears

Dogs often have body postures that are difficult to understand, but they contain a lot of information about the pet. Did you know that certain positions and attitudes convey an animal's feeling, sensation or desire?

The ears of dogs and cats are very mobile due to their muscles and, in certain situations, acquire different positions. These positions, along with the rest of the body, are called body language and it is through this that we can perceive what the animal is experiencing.

With this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain what mean the movements of the dog's ears and what feelings might be associated with them. If you want to know more about the meaning of dog positions and dog ears, keep reading this article.

dog ears

A certain position of the ears, gaze, head, body and tail can help to understand the pets, as if they were talking and communicating with the tutors. Although they don't speak our language, their body language is so distinct and unique for a given situation that it's possible for you to understand what's going on.

Fear, aggression, the desire to play, euphoria, sadness or pain are some of the examples that we can try to understand simply by the position of the dog's ears and the rest of the body. Although sounds are often associated (such as barking or growling), it's the body language that will indicate what's on pets' heads. For example, a barking or growling dog may be wanting to play or, conversely, may be trying to make a point to warn of pre-attack. That's where you ask yourself how to distinguish between one situation and another.

To answer your questions, be sure to read the next topics. Let's make a list of feelings and their signs. The ears are an important basis for this interpretation, however we cannot overlook the other signals that the dog is giving. For this reason, let's explain the entire body position in each situation.

Of course, this characteristic is easier to see in a dog with an erect ear than a dog with a long lop ear, however, the more you know your dog and after reading this article you will start to notice that even with a lop ear they have different positions.

And how important is the movement of the ears to the hearing of dogs? Ears are important and essential for our pets' hearing, with about 18 muscles responsible for their movement and strong hearing ability, they can hear sound from miles away and reposition their ears to better capture the sound.

relaxed dog ears

A relaxed dog that doesn't feel threatened presents:

• ears up (not forward), relaxed, dog with ear upright;
• Head up;
• tail down, relaxed;
• Weight equally distributed by the four members (not leaning forward or backward).

Heads up! Even if the dog has these signs and appears calm, very sudden movement or approaches can suddenly change this condition. If you get close to the animal, remember to do it frontally and gradually.

dog ears on alert

An alert animal is aware of what is happening around it and is interested in environmental stimuli. In this case we have:

• Ears pointed forward;
• attentive look, directed to the stimulus;
• flexible tail;
• forward leaning body, supported on the previous ones.

At this point, we must mention that it is important to know the anatomy of each dog, as a Shiba Inu breed dog always has its ears facing forward and does not mean that it is always alert. Therefore, it is very important to reconcile all other factors and postures to understand the animal.

excited dog ears

This is usually the easiest sign to notice, as a euphoric or happy animal is in a non-conflictual position.

• Ears upright or backwards;
• Foreleg standing up to start the game;
• ask to play, even taking the toys to you.
• Tail waving vigorously horizontally.

Puppies, very imitate the dogs that surround them, simulate fights, biting the ears, rolling, etc. Adults, on the other hand, adopt a characteristic position known to all of us:

• Hind legs stretched out and hind leg raised while fore leg is close to the ground and the dog is asking to play. Alternating between playing and standing and jumping. Fast and exaggerated movements that demonstrate the excitement and enthusiasm for playing.

Scared, scared or submissive dog ears

A frightened or stressed animal may have a body position:

• have the recessed ears next to the head/neck or to behind;
• Avoid eye contact (looks aside to avoid conflict);
• lowered position (shrinks);
• folded tail, between the hind limbs;
• consecutive yawns;
• lick your lips;
• shakes;
• submissive urination (the animal urinates);
• excessive salivation (by increasing cortisol, stress hormone);
• try to run away, if you feel trapped, you can lift one of the forelegs (defensive sign of withdrawal) and suddenly switch to attack position and attack without warning.

Submissive animals to other animals or people:

• bow your head;
• shrink neck;
• lie down and expose the abdomen;
• roll on the floor;
• can lick the most dominant animal as the person's greeting or hand.

Some submissive dogs have the call mimic grin, a kind of smile, similar to ours. This sign can be confused with a hint of aggressiveness, but again we stress the importance of analyzing this and all other signs of the animal. This signal is seen in dog-human interactions, but not between dogs.

Aggressive or domineering dog ears

An aggressive dog shows signs such as:

• look directly and fixedly for the person or animal;
• rigid tail, vertical;
• forward leaning body;
• piloerection (bristled hair) to increase volume and create the illusion that it is bigger. Fearful dogs tend to have bristly hair over the shoulders and rump, while non-afraid dogs tend to have bristly hair all over the body, down the spine;
• limbs stretched, to increase size.

Let's look at aggression as a pyramid, the base of which are subtle messages and signals (such as sideways glance, salivation, stare) and the top is attack. The transition between simple signals to the attack itself can slowly increase, in which the animal adds stronger and stronger warning signals (like growling) or, conversely, go straight to the top of the scale and attack. An animal that makes this type of attack is a more unpredictable and dangerous animal than one that slowly escalates warnings to attack.

Problems in the anatomy of dogs' ears

Puppies, such as the German Shepherd breed, are born with their folded ears drooping and, as they grow, the ears rise and become slanted. When they reach puberty their ears become erect and stand up straight. However, some animals have cartilage breaks and reach puberty without one or two ears standing up. If one of the ears sticks out and the other doesn't, you'll have a dog with an upright ear and a fallen ear. Depending on what caused the cartilage weakness, this problem may have a solution. However, if it is not reversible, it is just an aesthetic problem that does not affect the animal's life.

If you ask "why does my dog ​​have a drooping ear?", this may be one of the causes, if it is an adult dog:

• Having suffered a trauma and having caused the cartilage break the ear pavilion;
• Have one otohematoma (accumulation of blood between the cartilage and the skin due to trauma), which causes the ear to increase in weight and descent.

To understand the cause and the most suitable treatment, you should consult your doctor vet reliable for him to make a correct diagnosis.

If you want to read more articles similar to Dog ear: meaning of each movement, we recommend that you enter our Basic Education section.