Field Guide · Glossary
Calming signals
Body languageA set of behaviors, described by Turid Rugaas, that dogs are said to use to defuse tension, including head turns, curving rather than approaching directly, slow blinks and lip licks.
How it works
The behaviors themselves are real and easy to observe: dogs do turn away, curve and lick their lips around social pressure. What is less settled is the interpretation. Rugaas presented them as deliberate signals sent to calm another party, and that reading is widely taught but not well established experimentally. A more cautious description is that these are things dogs do when uncomfortable, which may or may not be aimed at anyone. Either way they are worth noticing, because they mark a dog who is finding the situation difficult.
What it looks like
Two dogs approach on a path. Rather than walking straight at each other, both drift into a wide arc, and one turns their head away as they pass. Neither dog stops or stiffens, and nothing escalates.
Commonly confused with
- Stress signals
- The two lists overlap almost completely. Stress signals describes these behaviors as indicators of how the dog feels. Calming signals describes them as communication aimed at someone else, which is the part that is contested.
Related terms
In the reading list