

CBD has shown a lot of promise in its ability to naturally help with issues like anxiety and aggression. They might suggest using training in combination with either prescription medications or natural supplements like CBD. If you believe their ears are hinting at a behavioral issue, the best course of action may be to get in touch with a dog trainer or dog behaviorist. If your dogs ears are hinting at a sign of illness, the best thing to do is to get in touch with your veterinarian, as they can diagnose the issue and advise on treatment. Pinned Back with Teeth, Barking, Growling, Facial Expressions, and StiffnessĬombined with other signals/fearful and nervous (Ready to attack and or defend) Potential for anger, aggression, and or arousalįear, illness, injury, stress (danger of fear aggression) Push Forward and Showing Teeth (Aggressive) Still friendly, becoming edgy about something around them Slightly Forward, Still Relaxed (Attentive) But – caution here – a dog holding its ears back could also become fear aggressive. Dog owners need to learn what their dog’s ears look like in a neutral position to acknowledge any hinted changes in emotional or physical well-being Titled BackĮars tilted back is often a sign of stress or fear and possibly a submissive state. When a dog’s ears are up and relaxed, it shows that the dog is calm, friendly, and approachable. Be weary of an animal showing this posture, giving a person a clear signal not to approach. Pushed Forward w/ TeethĮars angled far forward can be a sign of play arousal, but they can also indicate aggression arousal, especially if the body is stiff and the mouth is openly showing the teeth. Slightly Forward Still RelaxedĮars that move somewhat forward but remain in a relaxed position may signal that the dog, while still friendly, is becoming edgier and alert to something in its immediate environment. Pinned backĮars that are pinned in conjunction with barking, growling, stiffness, and teeth are a sign of a dog who is ready to attack or defend. Pinned-backed ears on a dog is a sign that something is off in your pet's world and needs immediate attention. On the other hand, ears pinned back can also show the dog is ill, injured, or stressed. Most importantly, if the dog is showing additional body language cues like barking, showing teeth, posturing, stiffness, or whisker twitching the dog is most likely in an aggressive mindset. When a dog's ears are held back it can convey a number of different emotions. WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN A DOG’S EARS ARE HELD BACK? Learning a dog’s communications and positions through the ears can improve the health and relationships owners and dogs share. Generally, a dog’s ears can measure its level of engagement during times of anger, arousal, fear, happiness, and of course, aggression. Usually, the ears are read in conjunction with other visual signals, such as tail wagging, laying chest down and butt up, rolling on their backs, and many more. Most of the time the dog takes the brunt of the retaliation even though the human misinterprets their signaling. Often, people unfamiliar with a dog will wrongly interpret dog body language and approach them with negative consequences.



WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR DOGS EAR POSITION MEANSĭog body language is important to understand for a pet’s mental and physical health and its owners. This blog explores what it means when dogs’ ears are held back and other forms of canine ear communication. WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN A DOG’S EARS ARE HELD BACK?Ī dog has few ways to communicate with its owner, and the ears can tell an entire story if a person interprets it correctly.WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR DOGS EAR POSITION MEANS.
