Norwegian trainer Turid Rugaas spent years documenting a set of subtle signals she called "calming signals" — the ways dogs communicate "I mean no threat" both to other dogs and to us. Understanding these turns everyday walks from noise into a conversation.
The main calming signals
1. Lip licking
A quick flick of the tongue over the nose, no food around. Mild stress; dog is trying to ease tension.
2. Yawning
Not the tired kind. Big, full-jaw, drawn-out. Often seen during tense greetings or when being hugged.
3. Looking away
Eye contact can feel like a challenge. A deliberate head-turn is a polite "let's keep this calm."
4. Sniffing the ground
On cue, in social situations, sniffing is a calming signal — a way to disengage. Not all sniffing is this; dogs also just enjoy sniffing.
5. Turning the body sideways
Presenting the side rather than the front. Non-threatening orientation.
6. Slow movement
Slowing your approach as you get closer to another dog. Often mutual.
7. Play bow (as appeasement)
Not always playful — sometimes used to say "I'm harmless, please chill."
8. Freezing
Going completely still. Often a last-stage signal: "please stop the thing you're doing."
9. Shaking off (when not wet)
A whole-body shake is a reset. Dogs often do this right after a stressful interaction ends.
10. Sitting or lying down
Lowering the body. A de-escalation move.
Why this matters
Most escalations in dog-human or dog-dog interactions happen because someone missed the early signals. If you can read calming signals, you can respond to the stress before it turns into a snap, a bite, or a reactive outburst.
How to respond when you see them
- Give space. Step back if you can.
- Stop the thing you're doing. Hugging, leaning over, close eye contact.
- Match. Yawn back, look away. Dogs appreciate the reciprocation.
- Let her choose her pace.
Reading signals in photos
Calming signals are easy to miss in motion but unmistakable when frozen. Upload a photo from a tense moment — a vet visit, an awkward greeting, a thunderstorm — to Paworld. It flags the specific signals visible and interprets them in plain language.
