There are so many different circumstances when I have seen a dog roll over to expose his belly. At night time, my Dawson often jumps next to me on the sofa only to roll over in a total state of relaxation and will stay in that position for as long as I will continue to rub him. Lots of dogs will lay on the backs, legs splayed and head back to solicit body rubs or even play.
But there are also times when a dog will roll on his belly as a means of communicating, he would prefer distance. Often when I point that out to people, they are surprised, which is why I thought I’d write about it here.
How do you know the difference?
There are two big indicators: the dog’s body language and the environment.
In this photo, the dog has stiff muscles and a tense face. His ears are back. His mouth is closed. His eyes are pulled back and locked onto something (probably the person taking the photo). This is not a relaxed dog wanting to cuddle or play. If I was with this dog, I would give him space and encourage him to get up. I would also change something about the way I was interacting with him so that I could help him to have relaxed muscles instead. It could also be that there is something going on in the environment to cause him to feel stress so I would look around to see what contributing factors there are that can be changed.
These are a few examples of times when I have seen a dog roll over, indicating a need for space instead of scratching.
A dog was with me in a classroom to talk with kids. When the dog was brought close to the children, his tail went down and he began moving more slowly. He rolled over on his belly when one of the kids came up to practice petting him. I encouraged him to get up and had his owner walk him away. Then I taught the kids how to practice asking him to do hand targeting – a behavior he knows well. This time I had one child step away from the other kids and hold out her hand for him to touch with his nose. This time his tail was held neutral and wagging. His muscles were loose. He was walking on a loose leash to her. And, guess what? He even solicited a pet from the little girl who practiced that with him.
I have seen a dog roll over on his belly with stiff muscles when an owner tries to attach a harness or leash to him. Again, I’d encourage the dog to get up and work with the owner in teaching the dog to feel better about having the harness or leash attached. NOTE that if the reason for that reaction has to do with something the dog is frightened of outside, then that needs to be addressed too.
When a dog rolls over during training, I encourage the dog to get up and then think about what changes could be made to instead see the dog have loose muscles, give attention to the lesson, and even wag his tail.
Do you ever see your dog roll over when you are in the middle of an activity or when there is something going on in the environment that could cause your dog to feel stressed? It could be your dog’s way of indicating he needs space and/or a change.
