behavior
Calming signals
Signals to watch for
- Lip lick when nothing has been eaten
- Head turn away from a person, dog, or camera
- Slow blink or partial eye closure
- Yawning outside of tired context
- Ground sniffing during a greeting
- Curving on approach instead of walking straight up
- Shaking off when nothing is wet
Why they matter for owners
A dog that lip-licks when a stranger reaches for its head is asking for space. Owners who miss the early signals often see the escalation — growl, snap, bite — and describe it as coming 'out of nowhere.' Learning the vocabulary is the single highest-leverage bite-prevention move.
Why it matters
Nearly every serious dog bite in the literature was preceded by minutes to hours of calming signals the humans didn't recognize. Learning them is free and prevents most household-dog bites, especially to children.
Frequently asked questions
- Are cat calming signals real too?
- Cats have their own vocabulary — slow blink, half-closed eyes, tucked paws — but the term 'calming signals' as used by trainers refers specifically to dogs.