Article
Dog Stress Signals: Sniffing, Turning Away and Shaking Off
The companion video highlights sniffing the ground, turning away and shaking off. Learn why these behaviors need context, whole-body observation and follow-up.
Featured topic
Context
Context connects behavior to setting, sequence, social pressure, environment, and the individual dog's normal baseline.
Topic overview
Reviewed: July 17, 2026
This topic gathers related DogMind Journal material around one observation lens. Use it to compare patterns across articles, glossary entries, videos, and resources without treating any single signal as a fixed answer.
Articles
Article
Three Dog Behaviors to Read in Context
Yawning, lip licking and freezing can be worth noticing. Learn how to describe the surrounding situation before assigning any one meaning.
Article
Why Your Dog Listens at Home but Struggles Outside
A familiar cue can become harder when the setting changes. Learn how to build outdoor practice gradually, reward small successes, and notice when your dog needs more...
Article
Do Dogs Lie? What a Food-Box Study Really Shows
A household routine can look dishonest when people infer more than a dog's action reveals. Separate the visible behavior, its consequences and the assumed intention...
Article
What Your Dog's Guilty Look Can and Can't Tell You
The familiar guilty face can be compelling, especially beside a damaged object. Experiments show why that expression is unreliable evidence of what happened earlier.
Article
When Your Dog Reacts to Another Dog Getting Attention
Interrupting your attention to another dog can look like jealousy. Experiments offer some support for jealousy-like responses, but the evidence needs careful...
Glossary entries
No glossary entries available yet
This section will update when glossary entries are available.
Videos
Video
Why Your Dog Isn't Obeying You Outside: It’s Not What You Think
An educational video about why a familiar cue may be harder outside, where distractions and generalisation affect a dog's response.
Duration: 3:46
Video
Inside the Mind of Your Dog What Are They Really Thinking
An educational video about how dogs respond to reliable and unreliable human information, without assuming they understand deception like people.
Duration: 3:44
Video
The Real Reason Your Dog 'Pretends' It’s Not What You Think!
An educational video about learning, reinforcement and context when a dog appears to feign discomfort; sudden, persistent or recurring signs need veterinary attention.
Duration: 3:53
Video
The SHOCKING Truth About Dog Hugs You're Doing It Wrong!
Reading dog body language is essential when hugging your pet. While we see a perfect photo, your dog might be signaling distress. We often see photos of people hugging...
Duration: 3:39
Video
Why Some Dogs Can’t Stop Playing Fetch
Does your dog have a fetch obsession — or do they simply love playing with the ball? Some dogs show extremely intense toy motivation and may struggle to disengage from...
Duration: 4:48
Video
The Truth About Dog Lying: Are They Smarter Than We Think?
Can dogs really lie to their owners — or are we simply interpreting clever behavior as deception? In this DogMind Journal episode, we explore what research suggests about...
Duration: 4:17
Resources
Email-delivered resource
The Dog Behavior Context Checklist
A fillable checklist for recording what happened before, during, and after a dog behavior so the situation can be reviewed with more context.
Type: checklist
Delivered through the newsletter sign-up flow after email confirmation.
Get the checklist