Body Language: First Hike Together (Patreon)

Because you’ve asked for more video on body language, I wanted to show you some really lovely displays of dog body language on a hike I did last week.

Here you can see a great example of how subtle the communication is between dogs, and how they can avoid conflict.

Whip does not like dogs in her personal space. This is due to a variety of things, including continued issues with injuries. When a dog she doesn’t know well tries to pounce on her or get too close, she gets scared and feels the need to protect herself.

Chip is a very bouncy, happy German shepherd dog who is just about two years old. A year or so ago, it was hard for Chip to control herself around other dogs and read body language. She thought all the dogs wanted to play with her all the time. Since then she has matured and gotten more exposure to other breeds of dogs. This has allowed us to attempt hiking together.

One thing to notice is that hiking is one of the best ways to get two dogs that may have not gotten along previously, together. This is because there is a lot going on besides just focusing on the other dog. The dogs are moving together (parallel walking) as well as having lots of sensory stimulus to occupy them outside the other dog. This allows for less conflict and a productive introduction between dogs. We kept Chip on leash for a little bit before deciding it was safe for them to interact off lead. 

Please listen to the voice over of what is going on and feel free to ask questions!

Note: Whip is wearing a GPS collar. You can learn more about that here: https://youtu.be/d8VWWaPhYyo