check out the interesting body-language...

[leashedForLife]

I thought this was a really interesting photo -



this [decidedly pudgy, maybe frankly-fat] Fox Terrier mix is in his own driveway - & look at the lick-granulomas developing on the upper forelegs!  

What's the impression U get, overall, from his posture? -- I don't want to slant opinions, so i'll let others speak first.
- terry

 

[arealhuman]

Guarding perhaps? Always difficult to tell anything from a single photo.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Lick granulomas often indicate stress.

 

[Peegee]

I think a child is playing a recorder and he's howling!

 

[leashedForLife]

i like that one, @Peegee -  :lol:  - but i don't think it's too likely.     Extra points for originality!   :cheers:

Here's a clue to my impression - Where's his body weight? ... Which legs are carrying most of his weight, & which legs is it shifting to?
hmmm.  :huh:

 

[eingana]

I see anxiety in the posture, that dog is not a happy dog howling along with something for fun, he looks alarmed and on the defensive to me (for contrast check out my friend's Dobe Ailsa, sadly no longer with us, and her happy Pink Floyd rendition):

 

[leashedForLife]

yes, Elisa is quite happy singing along - loved the clip!  

The yawn she threw in around 1:29, just after getting on the sofa & stepping onto the arm, was interesting - she's being stared at [by the camera, & the gaze of the person behind it is obviously directed at her], & she's mildly stressed by the nonstop attn. But she's much-more engaged in listening for her 'cue'.
Very cool.

 

[eingana]

She was a true show dog, was Ailsa.  She lived in a house with 7 cats, including her best buddy and partner in crime, a lovely Bengal called Alfie.  They invented several new sports, including doberskiing (dog picks up one end of the hall runner and runs the length of the house with it, cat sits on the other end and gets towed around the house), as well as working as a team to get to the treats.  She may have felt the stress of being filmed, but she really did love singing to Pink Floyd (it was only ever that one track, her muse never inspired her during any other music).

But anyway, this was just to show positive and relaxed body language as a contrast to the anxiety that is apparent in your photo.

 

[leashedForLife]

LOL, loving the image conjured by doberskiing - what a pair!   :lol:

Any stress Alisa felt was very mild, a passing thing, & it didn't affect her obvious desire to sing along - U can see her ears perk & her obvious waiting for that perfect cue, whatever note it was that unstopped her voice & sent it soaring.   Her taste in music might not jive with mine, but she certainly had a favorite, & more power to her.

my Akita got hooked on my elder sis' parody of 'Louis, Louis...' [looey, looey, whoa-oh...]. // Peg sang it with the dog's name, "Moon", & it never failed to get Moon wagging madly, in strong contrast to her usual sober-sided restrained self.

 

[leashedForLife]

my take? -
I think this dog is very defensive, highly alarmed, & if cornered, he just might bite.

His wt is on 2 legs, Rt fore & L rear, & more weight is on his REAR than his front. // This is significant, as dogs anatomically have more wt on their forehand than their rears; the head, neck, & bigger torso are all loading the shoulders. The butt is the dog's engine - the front is the supporting frame for vital organs [heart, lungs...] & sensory equipment [eyes, ears, nose, whiskers...].

He's backing AWAY - shifting from L fore to Rt rear.
His forelegs actually slant back, leaning away from the threat - this puts him off-balance, & he wouldn't do that if he were confident enuf of his ability to scare off or chase off this threat. He'd be standing four-square & balanced, barking an alert. // The only way he could exhibit more-frightened body language would be to lie down & freeze like a rabbit in panic, or turn tail & run like H***.           If his hackles were visible, they may be lifted.

Poor fella.  Whatever it is, IMO he's at least a 6 on a scale of fear from 0 to 10, if 10 is either hysterical attempts to flee, or complete immobility & racing heart.

 

[Shrimp]

Frightened & dangerous!

 

[arealhuman]

Crikey, this brings back memories!

 

[Flobo]

I often wonder what happened to @leashedForLife...

 

[arealhuman]

Me too, hope she's OK.