What Are Appeasement Behaviors in Dogs?
There has been much discussion on social media recently about the importance of understanding your dog’s body language and recognizing a problem situation before it happens. For example, acknowledging when a dog is becoming frustrated and upset, leading to a potential bite.
But what you may not know is that your dog uses many far more subtle behaviors to communicate that they are feeling anxious or uncomfortable.
Understanding these cues is crucial for protecting your dog’s safety and well-being and building a solid bond. After all, we all want our dogs to know we are here to protect them from any dangers they face!
Let’s examine these subtle behaviors, known as dog appeasement behaviors, in-depth. We will discuss the signals to watch out for, what your dog is trying to communicate, and the best response in these situations.
What Are Dog Appeasement Behaviors?
As mentioned, dog appeasement behaviors are subtle actions your dog takes to signal that they are feeling stressed, anxious, or uncomfortable. Many of these behaviors serve two purposes: communicating their feelings to those around them and acting as a self-soothing activity to try to calm themselves.
Appeasement behaviors are an attempt to acknowledge a threat that they are encountering and signal that they have no desire for confrontation.
Picture yourself out for a walk in your favorite local park with your dog when you come across another dog. If that dog demonstrates a dominant or aggressive posture, they may be non-verbally questioning your dog’s intentions in that space. To avoid conflict, your dog may use appeasement signals to tell this dog that they are just passing through and aren’t trying to start any trouble.
From here, the situation can go one of two ways – either both dogs go their separate ways with a clear understanding that no conflict is needed, or (if the problem isn’t addressed) it continues to escalate into something potentially dangerous for all involved.
As dog parents, we are responsible for learning what to look out for, understanding our dog’s attempt to communicate with us, and responding quickly to keep our best friends safe.
Common Dog Appeasement Signals and Behaviors
The first step in keeping our dogs safe is to learn how to understand their non-verbal communication.
While it would be FAR easier if our dogs could speak with us in clear English (I'm not denying this), they use many different methods to “talk to” us. They rely on body language to tell us what they are thinking and feeling—using their ears, tails, body posture, eye contact, and other physical signals.
Here are some of the more common appeasement signals to watch out for:
Avoiding Eye Contact
One of the more widely recognized ways of communicating that you are challenging someone is to look them directly in the eyes. Therefore, it makes sense that a dog trying to avoid conflict would avoid eye contact entirely. Your dog may avert their gaze to the ground or appear to be looking around, their eyes moving to everything but the perceived risk.
Lip Licking
The act of licking has been recognized as an effective form of self-soothing. This is why lick mats are often used to calm stressed or anxious dogs. However, when your dog is out and about, they don’t have a lick mat available to them. Instead, they may start licking their lips or their nose.
Alternatively, some dogs lick other surfaces, seeking the same calming effect. You may notice your dog starts to lick your hand obsessively or even a wall or piece of furniture. While this may appear cute or even like a loving gesture at first, those “kisses” could also be an appeasement signal.
Yawning or Sneezing
Often overlooked, a yawn or sneeze may be more than a regular bodily activity. Pay attention to the situation leading up to and surrounding your dog’s behaviors. Are they sneezing after some dust was kicked up by a bicycle zooming past? If so, it’s probably just a sneeze. But if your dog is sneezing while standing just a few feet away from a strange dog who is sizing them up, there is a good chance that it’s more than that.
Scratching
Another behavior that is often seen as self-soothing is scratching. This is another signal that will require you to pay attention to the contextual cues. Is your dog scratching because they have an itch before carrying on with their day, or are they fixated on obsessively scratching? This includes both scratching with their feet as well as biting at themselves.
Lowering Their Head
Like averting their eyes, when your dog lowers their head, they are trying to show they are not trying to be confrontational. When dogs try to appear intimidating, they make themselves appear bigger. Lowering their head redirects their eyes and makes them appear smaller and less threatening.
Sniffing the Ground
A regular dog behavior, sniffing is a great way to calm stress and anxiety because it releases neurotransmitters in the body that have a calming and relaxing effect. It’s also used to communicate to others that a dog doesn’t want to escalate or be confrontational.
Sniffing the ground or another object may also be used as an attempt to escape a dangerous situation by distracting the perceived threat. When the dog sniffs, they try to divert the other dog’s attention (or person’s) off themselves and to whatever scent they have discovered. Of course, there is a good chance there isn’t a scent there at all – but the other dog won’t know until they check it out, giving your dog time to get to safety.
Rolling Onto Their Back
If your dog rolls onto their back, it doesn’t always mean they are asking for belly rubs. This is a well-known submissive behavior where a dog makes themselves smaller and more vulnerable to show that they are not a threat and acknowledge the position of power or rank held by the other dog.
This is the most obvious of the dog appeasement behaviors on this list, yet it is often overlooked. Why? Dog parents and lovers fail to look at the bigger picture, assuming their dog is simply asking for attention or inviting them to play.
What Are the Dangers of Appeasement Behaviors?
The biggest danger associated with appeasement behaviors is our inability to recognize them and respond appropriately.
Non-verbal communication signals like the ones listed above are often overlooked because they appear innocent and inconsequential. After all, your dog isn’t growling or snapping at anyone. However, this could be a red flag that a situation just as dangerous is about to unfold.
When a dog feels stressed, anxious, or fearful, they may find themselves in a situation where they believe they need to defend themselves. In seconds, that innocent lip-licking or lowering of their head could turn into a person being bitten or a dog fight.
Plus, high stress and anxiety have been associated with several long-term health problems!
Your dog is doing their best to communicate to the perceived threat and to you that they are not feeling safe or comfortable in this situation. They are doing their part – we need to ensure that we are stepping up and protecting them by either addressing the problem or getting them out of a potentially dangerous situation.
How to Respond to Appeasement Behaviors
If you notice your dog communicating that they are uncomfortable, begin by assessing the situation. What is triggering your dog’s feelings of fear or stress? Can it be addressed easily (like asking a child to leave them alone)? Can you easily step away from the situation with your dog, putting an end to the risk?
Don’t wait or hope the situation will resolve itself. Instead, be proactive.
Move away from the perceived and allow your dog to calm down when possible. If you can’t put a reasonable distance between your dog and the threat, be prepared to advocate for them. Often, strangers will take it upon themselves to approach or try to touch a dog that isn’t comfortable without first asking. We need to be ready to be their voice.
Often, there are other steps we can and should take to prevent future stress and anxiety, like training and counterconditioning a reactive or fearful dog. However, at that exact moment, you only have one goal—get your dog out of the situation as quickly and safely as possible.
How to Prevent Future Stressful Situations
By the time your dog is showing signs of stress and anxiety, the situation has already gone further than most dog parents would like. I know I would rather my dog never experience these negative emotions if I could prevent it.
While there is no guaranteed way to ensure your best friend will live a stress-free life, you can take steps to improve their quality of life and reduce their anxiety from day to day.
Know Their Triggers
Some dogs are stressed out or anxious due to specific fears or triggers. For example, my dog Lucifer is fear-reactive when approached by men he doesn’t know. By recognizing this, I can take steps to reduce the chances of him getting into a situation that makes him feel uncomfortable. It also helps me better assess and respond to situations, checking first for his known triggers.
If you have a dog that seems to get stressed or anxious frequently when out and about, start a journal tracking what you were doing and what was around when it happened. Check for patterns or trends that could offer insight.
Keep Your Own Emotions in Check
First and foremost, pay attention to your emotions and how you respond to the world around you. Our dogs are highly in tune with us. When we’re stressed, they pick up on it and often mirror those emotions by also becoming stressed. If you are starting to experience fear or anxiety in a situation, take a deep breath and try to approach it as calmly as possible.
Stick to Annual Vet Checks
Seeing your vet once a year for a routine checkup is about more than just getting vaccinations and checking for disease. There are also physical ailments that can increase your dog’s stress levels. For example, if your dog is experiencing pain for any reason, they may fear their safety much quicker when approached by a strange dog.
Prioritize Helping Your Dog Calm Down
If you notice your dog is starting to get stressed or anxious about something, that will increase the likelihood that triggers they may otherwise have ignored will upset them. It’s the “snowball effect,” with each additional trigger adding to the existing problem.
Consider anxiety treatment options for ongoing or frequent problems. For example, if your dog is stressed during car rides, leading to high stress and anxiety when you arrive at your destination, you can try giving them calming treats and supplements or using a pheromone product to help them feel more relaxed.
Other options include calming music, the Thundershirt anti-anxiety vest, or calming toys like the Calmeroos Puppy Heartbeat Toy.
Final Thoughts: Understanding Appeasement Behaviors in Dogs
Recognizing and responding quickly to your dog’s appeasement signals and signs of stress is a critical responsibility as a dog parent. By understanding these subtle cues, you can prevent a potentially dangerous situation from escalating and create a safe environment for everyone involved.
Remember, your dog relies on you to interpret their silent pleas for help. You're building a foundation of trust and security by being aware of their body language, “listening” for non-verbal communication, and taking proactive steps to protect them.
Let’s work together to ensure our dogs feel loved, safe, and understood.
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Britt Kascjak is a proud pet mom, sharing her heart (and her home) with her “pack” which includes her husband John, their 2 dogs – Lucifer and Willow – and their 2 cats – Pippen and Jinx. She has been active in the animal rescue community for over 15 years, volunteering, fostering and advocating for organizations across Canada and the US. In her free time, she enjoys traveling around the country camping, hiking, and canoeing with her pets.
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