CALMING SIGNALS
USEFUL, NOT PROVEN

Where the idea comes from

The term calming signals was popularized by Norwegian trainer Turid Rugaas in the 1990s. Rugaas described about thirty behaviors that dogs use, in this view, to calm themselves and others and to avoid conflict. The list includes lip licking, yawning, turning the head, sniffing the ground, slow movement, and curved approaches.

This work helped a lot of people watch dogs more closely. It pushed trainers away from punishment and toward reading body language. That is a real contribution, and we value it.

But "calming signals" is a trainer's term, not a scientific one. It is worth looking at what is solid and what is not.

What is well supported

• The behaviors exist. Dogs lick lips, yawn, look away, sniff, and curve their path. Researchers have counted these behaviors in studies.
• Many of them rise in stressful or socially tense situations. For example, studies of dogs exposed to unpleasant events found more lip licking and yawning.
• Dogs have rich social communication. Dogs and their wild relatives use body language to manage encounters, and avoidance is common in canid social life.
• Dogs read each other and people. They are quite good at it.

So the claim that these are useful clues to how a dog feels is reasonably supported. See signs of stress in dogs.

What is not well supported

• The word "calming." The claim is that dogs do these things in order to calm another dog or a person. Proving intent is hard. Many of these behaviors may simply be signs of the dog's own stress, or displacement behaviors, with no message intended.
• That other dogs reliably respond by calming down. There is some evidence that dogs read one another's signals, but the idea that a yawn will soothe an angry dog is not shown.
• That each behavior has one fixed meaning. The same behavior can mean tired, hungry, nauseated, or stressed.
• That you can calm a dog by copying them, such as yawning or turning your head. Some people do this, and some dogs seem to respond. But there is no solid evidence that it works as a technique.
• That the list is complete and well sorted. It is a trainer's list, drawn from experience, not a tested catalog.

So we use "calming signals" cautiously. We treat the behaviors as information, not as proof of intention.

A look at the common ones

Here are the behaviors most often listed, with the honest weight each one carries.

• Lip licking and tongue flicks. Documented in stressful situations. A good clue, not proof. See lip licking.
• Yawning. Linked to stress in some studies, but also tiredness. Mixed. See yawning.
• Looking or turning away. Common in social tension. A fairly safe read as a request for less pressure.
• Sniffing the ground. Can be curiosity or a break from a tense moment. Context decides.
• Curved approach. Dogs often meet in an arc instead of head on. This is a regular feature of canine greetings and fits the idea of avoiding conflict.
• Slow movement or freezing. Freezing is well documented as a defensive response. See fight, flight, freeze.
• Play bow. A signal that what follows is play. This one is well studied as a play signal, though it is rarely listed as a calming signal.
• Shaking off. Often seen after tension, but the reset idea is a theory. See the shake off.
• Sitting or lying down in the middle of a tense moment. Seen in some dogs, but not proven to calm others.

The strongest items on this list are the ones tied to measured stress, and the avoidance behaviors we can see across dogs. The weakest are the ones that depend on a message reaching and calming another dog.

One more point. Dogs do not read us the way we read each other. A dog who looks away from a stranger who is staring is probably doing what dogs do. A person who looks away from a dog to calm them is being kind, but we do not know that the dog gets the same message. What we do know is that giving space works.

Using the idea well

You can get the benefits without overclaiming.

1. Watch for the behaviors. Notice lip licks, yawns, head turns, and slow movements.
2. Read them in clusters, with the context. One alone means little.
3. Respond to the dog, not the label. When your dog looks away from a stranger, give space. When they turn their head in training, ease up.
4. Honor the polite request. Dogs often use small signals first. If we respond, they often don't need to escalate. This is the practical heart of the idea, and it holds up well.
5. Keep an open mind about meaning. Ask your vet if something is frequent or new.

The most useful attitude is curiosity. Instead of "my dog is calming me," try "my dog is telling me something about how they feel." See lip licking, yawning, and whale eye.

Why the honest version still helps

Some people worry that questioning the term takes away from the practice. It does not.

You do not need to prove intent to act on the behavior. If a dog looks away, licks their lips, and sniffs the ground when a child approaches, the best response is the same under either explanation: give the dog space. The advice is safe whether or not the dog is "calming" anyone.

What we gain by being honest is accuracy. Instead of promising that a yawn will fix a fight, we ask you to look at the whole dog and make a plan. Instead of treating a list as a code, we treat it as a set of clues.

This is a good habit for any dog behavior claim you read online. Ask what was measured, what was observed, and what was guessed.

When signals are ignored

This is where the idea is most valuable. Dogs tend to start with quiet signals and move toward loud ones if the quiet ones fail. A dog may look away, then freeze, then growl, then snap.

If a dog's small signals are punished or ignored again and again, the dog may skip them. People then call it a bite "out of nowhere." In fact, the signals were there, and no one answered. Our post on why dogs freeze and the page on growling go into this.

At Scentsible K9, we teach clients to see small signals and answer them. It makes dogs feel safe and makes training smoother. A private lesson is a good place to practice reading your own dog. We also use force-free methods because they leave room for your dog to say no.