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Ladder of Stress in Canines

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By Jen Thornburg Behavior Dog Body Language Dog Training Rescue Resources August 11, 2020

“Listen to your dog’s whisper so he doesn’t have to shout.”
— Chirag Patel, Domesticated Manners

Bites rarely happen “out of the blue.” Dogs actually have a highly developed social communication system. This graphic (based on the BSAVA’s Ladder of Aggression) is a summary of the expressions your dog may use when feeling stressed or threatened.
It’s also important to keep in mind that if any of these expressions are punished, the dog might just go directly to biting the next time.

Now you know, do you feel you’ve been missing important converstaions with your dog? We got you. It’s kind of what we do. Contact a professional dog trainer today!

Jen Thornburg / About Author

Jennifer Thornburg has nearly two decades in the dog industry, from running a successful pet sitting and dog walking business, volunteering at her local municipal shelter, where she ran the playgroups and evaluated dogs for adoption, to training dogs for service work. Her heart has always been in training dogs and those who love them.

Jennifer is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the CCPDT, a graduate of both CATCH Academy for Dog Trainers and the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program, a rigorous certification program that requires continuing education and a pledge to train using force-free methods and techniques.

She uses clicker training and positive reinforcement to solve problems and train dogs to a high level of reliability. And she is great at finding analogies to which human learners can understand and relate.

When she's not training, Jennifer tries to raise a good human who loves and respects dogs. Jen enjoys time with her family and training her own dog to pick up things around the house and bring them to her.

Ladder of Stress in Canines

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