A Guide to the Secret Language of Dogs

Jan. 20, 2006 — -- Watching your dog interact with other dogs can be confusing. Are they playing? Are they fighting? Are they trying to tell each other something?

Marc Bekoff, a biologist at the University of Colorado, has spent decades studying the behavior of dogs, coyotes and wolves. By analyzing videotapes frame-by-frame, the author of "Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues" has discovered that there is a rich, unknown language that dogs use to communicate.

Here are Beckoff's tips on how to read common dog signals. Often, what you first assume you are seeing turns out to be the wrong interpretation: