Dogs definitely can become overwhelmed with new people or situations. If you ever notice a canine companion doing this behavior, take a look around to see what has changed in your environment. This most likely will happen more often in new places and when your dog is overwhelmed with someone or something new. Using their body language is their main form of communication with the world.
When submissive dogs stay low to the ground, they are showing other dogs they are not intimidating. Dogs often approach other dogs keeping their body low and nuzzling or licking the other dog. This is a leftover behavior from before dogs were domesticated and lived in packs in the wild. Wolves greet the alpha or head wolf this way if you watch closely. Dogs that are more submissive in nature stay low showing they do not display dominant characteristics and are not threats.
There are a lot of signals dogs use to tell you they are not enjoying a situation. If a dog feels threatened or stressed it will often yawn or lick its lips so as to diffuse a situation. It shows a submissive behavior toward the other dogs or people around them. Dogs also yawn because they are tired, just like people. Look at all of the dog’s body language to determine what the yawn could mean.
This is often seen as a “cute” behavior. Your canine companion is telling you they are overwhelmed with something. Sometimes humans may feel threatened that this is a sign of dog aggression. This is not the case. A dog giving this smile is not a threat as they are submitting. Remember if your dog is smiling or grinning at you, consider changing your tone of voice and posture. You may want to lower your head and look away a little to get them to feel less threatened.
This is one of the most common dog behaviors that people notice. People will comment, “I think that dog is scared or shy.” This definitely can appear like that and is probably true in most cases. It shows a major sign that the dog doesn’t want conflict. Dogs will tuck their tail and run to avoid unwelcome visitors as one of the 9 unsure submissive dog behaviors. If you are new to a dog, such as maybe fostering one that has been in some unpleasant situations, it’s important to read all of the signs of the dog’s behavior.
If your dog is overly submissive, there are several things you can do to get him to open up and show a little more dominance. First of all, you should socialize your dogs as much as possible. Let him meet other dogs at dog parks or within your neighborhood. You may have to take this a little slow if he is overly fearsome. Never push your dog into meeting other dogs. In your home, create a space that is your dogs personal space. This could be a bed in the corner, a cage with a bed, or whatever area he can retreat to when he is overstimulated or needs space. Let this be a place that feels safe to your dog. Let your dog slowly adjust to any new areas, new people, or new dogs. Over time your dog will show a bit more dominance and less fear of things. Always positively praise your dog and reward him for overcoming things. If you feel your dog was abused before you owned him, you may want to consult a professional to help him overcome some of that fear that was instilled in him. Talk to your vet and see if they have any recommendations for you.
Dogs show submissive behaviors in a lot of ways such as lowering their head, showing their belly, putting their tail between the legs or avoiding eye contact. Some dogs even pee on greeting you as an act of submission. But why is there this hierarchy of dominant and submissive dogs? Why do so many dogs show submissive behaviors? It’s weird to say this but dogs get a sense of security knowing their rank. This behavior may just be from instincts and ancestral traits. To better understand why your dog has these submissive traits we must first look at the root cause of these behaviors.
Hierarchy systems have been going on in the wild for as long as there have been wild animals. Your dog’s submissiveness is most likely due to his respect for you. Follow the training advice above in order to let your dog assert himself a little bit more. Don’t worry, he will still know you are the pack leader.
Submissiveness is an instinctual behavior that goes back to how dogs are pack animals and their wolf ancestry. There is always an alpha dog or the leader of the pack. There is also the lowest ranking dog and everything in between. When a dog is submitting to you, it is a sign of respect and also means that he trusts you and respects you. This does not mean that he will not defend you and be a good watchdog. It just means that your dog knows you are the leader and he trusts that you will take care of him and offer him protection as well. Some dogs also show submissive behavior when they feel threatened or are scared. This can be triggered by many things such as other aggressive dogs, lightning storms, or even being abused.
You can tell if your dog is a submissive dog if he is calm and not aggressive. He will show you signs like lying down, lowering his gaze, making his body look smaller, hiding, licking another dogs chin, or moving his ears back. Most of the time this behavior is perfectly normal. However, if your dog is overly submissive and fearful, you might want him to be able to exert his dominance a little better. Keep in mind if you have more than one dog, one will take the role as the alpha dog and the other will be the beta dog. They won’t see themselves as equals. One will always be more submissive than the other. Submissive behavior in a dog is a natural response and you should not feel as if they fear you. There are ways to help your dog be more dominant if you feel that they are overly submissive. If your dog has anxiety issues that also might make him seem timid, scared, or overly submissive, you can bring up these concerns with your vet.
Lowered Body Posture
When a dog lowers his body, he may be trying to make himself appear small and non-threatening. Although this posture is often a reaction to a fearful situation, it may have nothing to do with fear. The dog may simply be trying to show submission to the other person or animal.
Learn how to fix the submissive back flip behavior while being touched.
Q: I’m worried my dog is overly submissive. She shows her belly to everyone and sometimes even piddles submissively. How can I boost her confidence? —Wet Toes in Walla-Walla
A:Some dogs are more submissive than others. rest assured, it may have nothing to do with you. Cally’s parents could have been submissive dogs and she is taking after mom or dad. Something could have happened before she joined your family. We may never know, but we can address it now and help boost Cally’s confidence.
When a dog piddles upon greeting people, this is a canine sign of respect. Cally is acknowledging that your guests outrank her, and she is showing deference to them. Of course, human interpretation is completely different! So the more agitated you or your guests get, or if you scold her, she will think she hasn’t done a very good job of paying respect. She’ll think she has to try harder, and therefore pee more.
Instead, ask guests to completely ignore Cally for the first 15 minutes of their visits. They should not talk to her or make eye contact. When the initial excitement of their arrival has passed, they should seat themselves on the floor and let her approach them. Without making eye contact, they can gently scratch her chest. They should not pet her on top of the head. In canine language, that is a very assertive gesture and will likely get her waterworks going again. your guests should talk sweetly to her, but they should not make a big fuss. Make greetings very laid back and casual. Cally may still roll over and show her belly, but that’s okay. She’ll get a belly rub!
Everyone may be tempted to shower her with attention, but that is too much for Cally to bear. Giving her a chance to get accustomed to low-key greetings will help boost her confidence around your guests.
I also recommend you enroll her in a local reward-based training class. learning new skills will give her confidence. Once she gets the basics down, consider enrolling her in agility training. Shy dogs can really blossom as they learn they can tackle obstacles and have fun doing it.
It can be embarrassing when your dog practically crumbles at the sight of someone new, but dogs like these are usually very sweet and loving. They just need help building a foundation of security so they can accept attention with confidence!