When it comes to communicating, canine “talk” is always clear and consistent whether they are communicating with people or other dogs. They “speak” by using postures, tail positions, tail movements, eyes and expressions.
One of the most common canine postures a dog displays is to flop on his back with all four legs hoisted up and swaying in the air. It is vital to consider the circumstances as well as to check the whole body first to really deduce the silent message being conveyed by a dog going belly up.
Here are the five main reasons dogs expose their bellies:
1) To garner love and attention from you. Happy dogs who go belly up at your feet when you return home may be doing their best to let you know that they adore you. The entire body is relaxed.
2) To seek assistance to scratch a hard-to-reach itch. Dogs are very flexible, but they lack opposable thumbs and may count on you to scratch an itch for them. This is a sign of trust in you.
3.) To convey a sense of feeling secure in his surroundings. Confident adult dogs in their own homes roll on their backs and get into a relaxed posture when taking naps – usually on the sofa or your bed.
4.) To catch a cool breeze on hot days. Although dogs attempt to regulate their body temperature by panting, some may park themselves next to circulating fans or air conditioner vents on hot days to catch the cool breeze on their bellies where there tends to be less hair in an attempt to cool down.
Related Article: 3 Reasons Dog Eyes Water
5.) To show respect to a higher-ranking dog or a person. Hierarchy is important in the canine world. A lesser-ranking dog may drop, plop upside down and avoid making any eye contact with a dog who is deemed to rank higher. By purposely exposing his vulnerable underbelly, this dog is communicating to the dominant dog that he comes in peace and has no intention of challenging his authority. Resist petting the bellies of a fearful dog as this action may unintentionally trigger a fear-bite response. Instead, speak to the fearful dog in an upbeat tone and reward him with a healthy treat or praise when he pops into the safer “sit” position.
One caution: Beware of dogs who make direct, hard stares and display tense bodies when exposing their bellies. Some cunning canines use this belly-up posture to lure a person or another dog closer to demonstrate dominance by growling or snapping or worse, biting. These are not relaxed dogs waiting for TLC. They are setting a trap. These dogs need to be reschooled in the basic cues of “sit,” “stay,” “watch me” and “down” to demote their status below that of you. Consider enrolling in an obedience class taught by a professional dog trainer certified in positive reinforcement training techniques.
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Watching a dog roll on their back and exposing their tummy to the air is a relatively common (and funny!) sight to many dog owners.
It’s traditionally always been seen as a submissive gesture, but there’s actually much more to it than that.
So, why do dogs roll on their backs? Let’s do some digging…
They’re Disguising Their Scent
Despite the fact that dogs have been domesticated now to close to 10,000 years, our canine friends still have some behavioral throwbacks to their wolf ancestors.
One of these throwbacks is the primal instinct to survive in the wild.
By rolling on their backs – particularly in something smelly outside – they’re able to coat themselves in a new scent and disguise their own.
This is a behavior that will help them defend themselves against the real and imagined predators they might encounter in the wild. Bears, for instance.
Unfortunately, Fido doesn’t realize that he’s unlikely to encounter any bears at the park on your morning walk.
When he spots a big, steaming pile of mud (and goodness knows what else), he dives straight in, rolling on his back to effectively cover as much body area as possible, thus diverting the bear’s attention away from his noticeable doggy scent.
Of course, when he emerges from the mud pile, he sees that there’s no bear, just you wearing a pained look on your face as you realize that Fido needs yet another bath.
It’s very hard to stop your dog rolling in smelly spots as it’s a natural behavior, but training your dog to ‘leave it’ when they come across something temptingly smelly and come back to you instead is the best way to manage it.
They Need a Good Scratch
If you consider the canine skeleton for a moment, it’s clear that it would be pretty hard for dogs to scratch themselves if they had an itch on their back.
As such, the only effective way to relieve that itch is to roll on their backs and rub the itchy spot on whatever surface they find themselves on, whether that’s in the grass, on your sofa or in your bed.
Of course, while the occasional itch is completely normal, it’s worth investigating further if your dog seems to be rolling over to itch themselves more than usual.
They could have fleas or ticks, or perhaps even be suffering from dry skin and allergies.
Make sure that they’re on a flea and tick program, and consult your vet if you’re concerned about allergies.
They will be able to advise if your pup needs any medication or supplementation to relieve their discomfort and restore them to normal.
Rolling Over can be a Defensive Tactic
When it comes to play fighting with other dogs, rolling onto their backs is often seen as a submissive behavior, but new studies actually indicate that this could be a calculated move to engineer themselves into a defensive position instead.
If your dog enjoys play fighting with other dogs, it’s likely you’ve seen this rolling movement often during their skirmishes.
This new study, from the University of Lethbridge and University of South Africa, has found that rolling onto their backs actually allows dogs to better evade bites during play, and even to launch their own bites on their play opponent.
So, instead of being a sign that they’re raising a white flag and asking for peace, your pup rolling onto their back could actually be them tactically assuming a position to best defend themselves and to regain the upper hand.
But it Could Also be Submissive
While rolling onto their backs during dog-dog play is a defensive tactic, the movement in a different context is often submissive.
Again, dogs have inherited this behavior from their wolf ancestors, who used to roll on their backs to show due respect to the Alpha of their pack.
The move also used to be deployed to persuade any approaching predators of their helplessness and to encourage them to retreat.
So, if your dog rolls on their back in front of you, it could be them showing you respect as a the Alpha of your household pack.
By displaying themselves at their most vulnerable – exposing their usually hidden side and effectively disabling themselves from running away quickly, they’re showing you that they trust you as their leader.
Some owners take this behavior further and choose to train their dog to roll over on their backs at their command.
This is really more of a trick rather than typical behavior training, but is nonetheless a great crowd-pleaser and a great way to train and supplement the communication between you and your dog.
Here’s a video outlining some training pointers for the roll over trick:
They’re Happy and They Want You to Know it
Rolling onto their backs can also be a joyful movement for dogs.
We all know that the one thing your dog cherishes above all else is time spent with you, their owner.
If you’re petting them or giving them a tummy tickle, the sheer ecstasy they feel at being lavished with attention from you is enough to bring out their submissive side, like we discussed above, and make themselves vulnerable to you as their owner.
Some dogs actually sleep on their backs with their legs sticking in the air, and this shows that they are totally at ease in their environment and at their most comfortable.
Again, this is a sign of trust and confidence in you as their Alpha, as they’re willing to sleep in their most vulnerable position, with their muscles completely relaxed.
You’re unlikely to ever see a wolf sleep that comfortably in the wild!
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Why Do Dogs Roll On Their Backs? Fun? Or Something Else? was last modified: October 12th, 2019 by LTHQ