Watercubs & Kivisilmän

working show-quality newfoundlands

Capri has always been very expressive and she has always exhibited a very strong understanding of dog communication. In this picture she is clearly uncomfortable (because of the cameraman's staring) and is trying to calm the situation.

In the picture you can see:
-the body is slightly turned sideways and is not in direct line of the camera. The head is also turned.
-open mouth (yawning) and the corners of the mouth are pulled back
-ears are pulled as back as possible
-eyes are as small as possible, to make her expression 'softer'
-the whole body is relaxed
-the tail is slowly swinging from side-to-side

More information about calming signals:

Rugaas, Turid: Rauhoittavat signaalit (in finnish)

McConnell, Patricia: Reading between the lines (DVD)

(c) Salmelin