Why do dogs show their teeth?

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dog showing teeth

Dogs at all levels are very intelligent animals, because we do not know how to interpret their signals does not mean that they do not know how to communicate. Precisely that your dog shows his teeth, it is one more form of communication to transmit a message.

Some people think that showing teeth is synonymous with wanting to attack us, it is a totally wrong belief. A dog can show its teeth as notice, but also as it shows joy as we will explain next.

Index of contents

  • 1 My dog shows my teeth and growls
  • 2 My dog shows my teeth but doesn’t growl
      • 2.0.1 How do I know if my dog is smiling at me or if he is angry?
  • 3 My dog shows his teeth and growls at other dogs

My dog shows my teeth and growls

Dogs, like people, are animals with limited capacities to withstand stress, fear, or pressure. If our dog is very angry or has just panicked, it is possible that it will show its teeth and growl at us. It is a very natural way of expressing himself, which indicates that we should not approach him.

The dog is not bad, it is simply showing us a message “this is not the time”. It could be that he is very scared and has panicked or simply that he is very angry and does not want anyone. Be that as it may, we must respect his decision and not approach him or we could get a bite.

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However we can not stand idly by and let him get angry whenever he wants … so when our dog shows his teeth and growls at us, we should scold him with a “NO !!” very emphatic. Then, we will turn our backs (we can turn our backs on him) and ignore him completely.

We will not look at you, we will not call you and we will not speak to you either. We will pretend that it does not exist, simply being in our air. We must let it be he who comes out of that state of anger and comes looking for us, looking for some pampering or some affection. When this happens, we will very calmly reward you for coming out of the angry state.

dog showing his teeth

We should never get angry or physically punish our dog for showing us his teeth, because unknowingly we will be feeding his anger and causing him to miss more often than we would like.

Neither should we get too close because it could bite us, if we observe that its tail is stiff and raised, it is because it is very angry. However, if we see that its tail is tucked between its legs, brushing against its stomach, it is because our dog is very scared. It’s important to know how to calm our dog For this reason, we must avoid approaching and provoking it.

My dog shows my teeth but doesn’t growl

This is where many people are pleasantly surprised, as dogs can smile, thus showing their teeth. It is actually a way to imitate humans, many dogs learn from their humans to teach teeth to other humans.

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They see us smile, showing our teeth. Instinctively, they try to imitate us by also showing their teeth at certain moments of happiness. This is why many dogs, when they show their teeth, are not giving a “don’t come close or I bite you” warning, but are smiling.

How do I know if my dog is smiling at me or if he is angry?

Mainly by the movement of its tail. The dogs wag their tails in a very characteristic way when they are happy, they shake it from one side to the other. It is a very simple way to convey a message of happiness, in your own way.

If our dog, which we know perfectly well, shows his teeth while wagging his tail very happily, he is obviously smiling at us. Even if our dog approaches another person he already knows and shows his teeth by wagging his tail with the same message of happiness, he is also smiling at him.

However, we should not confuse ourselves with a dog that we do not know anything about. A dog that we do not know, if he shows us his teeth and his tail wags a lot … it could be that he is too excited, it is a clear sign of attack.

angry dog

My dog shows his teeth and growls at other dogs

When we are walking with our dog we must always be calm, since our dog can detect our nervousness and consequently, get nervous and distrust other dogs or people.

With this in mind, we should not allow our dog to face other dogs, because if we allow it, this bad habit will increase. If our dog shows his teeth and / or growls at another dog, we should give it a touch of attention and scold him, with a “No!” resounding.

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It is very important to socialize and correctly educate our dog from puppy, so that when he is an adult he does not quarrel with other dogs. If we cannot control his anger, we must get out of the way and make him sit or lie down. We will be there awhile until the other dog walks away and our dog relaxes, never congratulate him on growling.

Our dog may show his teeth and growls out of fear or hatred for the other dog, or because he just thinks he should protect us, that we are his property. Hierarchy problems can end in situations similar to this, where the dog growls at not just other dogs, but other people trying to get close to you. If that’s the case, you should learn to dominate your dog.

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