A short and excellent book that is a good companion to Patricia McConnel's books. Everyone who interacts with dogs (which is, potentially, everybody) should read this book. Understanding dog language will allow you a better rapport with our canine friends, and will very probably save you from a few bites as well.
If you're trying to figure out the name, she's Norwegian.
Quotes:
I have seen dog people (and some wolf people as well) caught up in the idea of always maintaining high rank by aggressive means, believing their only choices are between forcibly dominating the animal or submitting to it. The problem with this approach is two-fold. Firstly, aggression may well escalate, and secondly, an either-or choice between forcible dominance or submission is not the only choice available to wolves, to dogs or to humans.
Wolves and dogs try to avoid conflicts. They are conflict-solving animals.
When you jump and wave and scream a lot to make the dog run faster, it will often have the opposite effect. The dog gets slower in order to calm you down.
When you approach a dog that you want to put on leash, the slower you move, the better chance you have of making him stand still.
Bowing can be an invitation to play, particularly if the dog is jumping from side to side in a playful manner. If he stands still in a bow the possibility of it being a calming signal is high.
[...]
You can use a similar signal yourself by stretching your arms, rather like when you yawn, but stretching down towards the ground.
For a dog, lying down on his back, belly up, is submission. Lying down with his belly to the ground is an act of calming.
Sniffing is one of those signals that are difficult for people to use. I find it hard to practice sniffing. But something similar can be used: you might try sitting down, pretending to scratch the grass or to examine something on the floor.
Mature dogs do not usually go straight toward each other. They might, if they use other clear signals, but it is impolite to do so and most of them try to avoid it.
A wagging tail is not always a sign of happiness. In order to interpret it properly you need to look at the whole dog.
Dogs are experts at this. Conflict solving is a part of their heritage from their ancestors the wolves, and they read each other like we read books. It is a part of their survival instincts and pack behavior. We will never be as good at it as the dogs are, but we can understand more about what they are telling us. We can observe, understand, and let the dog know we understand. We can give signals back to reassure them we understand. We can communicate better during training and daily life together with our dog.
There is no, absolutely no, reason or excuse to punish, be violent, threatening, or forceful towards a dog or to demand too much of him.
Do not stoop towards the dog coming to you. If you do, in most cases he won't come all the way up to you at all, but will run past you, looking away from you. Stand upright, maybe with your side to the dog and then it is much more likely that he will come right up to you.
Do not hold a dog tight.
always let your dog have an "emergency exit" and let him use it if he feels like it
For many years it has been a myth that you have to take a leadership position to prevent a puppy from trying to take over and to be the boss. Many sad dog destinies and many problems have come out of that myth, and it is not the way it works. Stop using the word leadership, and use instead the word parenthood, as this is exactly what it should be.
Remember that every time you are close to a dog, you have a choice how to behave. You can act in a threatening or a friendly way. There is no, absolutely NO, excuse for scaring a dog.
If you want your dog to respect you, you must also respect your dog.
I feel privileged to be able to do what I have always wanted to do. I will go on doing it until the end of my days, using all my skills, my energy, and knowledge to help as many dogs as I can - doing something for dogs, because they have done so much for me.
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