Mouth
Pull lips back
licking lips, frenchies and bully breeds you are more likely to hear the lick flick than see it
Relaxed, slightly upturned
open mouth
wrinkle top of muzzle - warning
Drooling - stress
Panting -stress, pain, shock
Pulling lips up to show front teeth - offensive pucker
Corner of mouth forms C-shape
Growl: play, warning, mouth closed from deep, mouth and open growl, uncomfortable, expressive, demanding
Don’t tell your dog off for growling.
The higher the growl can be play. The lower can be more a warning or before an attack.
Fergie
Some dogs display a "submissive grin" or "smile". This is also a gesture where a dog shows his front teeth, but a smiling dog is doing just that. He usually shows a lowered head, wagging tail, flattened ears, a soft body posture, and soft, squinty eyes along with those teeth. Teeth don't always mean aggression—it is important to consider the whole body and the context to understand what a dog is saying.
Yawning and lip licking may be an early sign of stress, particularly when accompanied by a tight mouth and often a whining sound.
Yawning: large, wide, whine
Smile
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Once you’e completed all 4 modules on the different parts of the FACE (found at the top of the FACE main page) . Return to the The Face main page to learn more and take the tests…