BC Stares – Diffusing Signals (aka Calming Signals)

(This post was written for dog owners who is interested in dog-dog communication)

If you have a Border Collie, you are probably familiar with the BC stares. The stare that is intense enough to control a herd of sheep can also be observed between dogs, and sometimes create tension between them. My poor lab grew up around Border Collies (the high drive ones) and I’d say he’s pretty BC savvy. He is excellent at avoiding conflict and redirecting tension, including the current foster who is very much into staring. I’m used to quirky BCs but this foster occasionally creeps me out! I sometimes catch two locked eyes staring and he would continue to stare until I interrupt him. He does not stare to create conflict or to control, it’s usually an precursor to playing in his quirky way. If the other dog is not used to this kind of stare, it can be taken the wrong way.

Even thought three dogs never had a fight or a scuffle, his stare can make my dogs a little uncomfortable…and vise versa. I don’t intervene because they are all capable of diffusing the tension on their own. The two BCs usually take turns starring and locking eye on each other. Whoever is being stared at exhibits a number of diffusing signals; often described as “calming signals“. (I prefer to use the term “diffusing signals” or “displacement behavior”, because I don’t think all signals were meant to “calm others” as it is described in this book. However it is a must-have book if you deal with shelter or rescue dogs.) I think a lot of the signals, lip licking/turning head/sniffing etc, are to diffuse the situation, break the tension or get out of an uncomfortable situation. I captured a few clips where all three dogs exhibited various diffusing signals when being stared at. For some, the video might be boring because there aren’t a lot going on to untrained eyes. However, if you pay attention to the details and subtle body language, you will see a lot more… Sorry about the nasty yard. We had some bad rain and windy weather this month.

Some of the signals seen in the video:

Squinting eyes, turning head unnaturally, sniffing, looking up, lip licking, freezing, flagging tail,shifting body…what else did you see?

Also notice when one BC approaches the lab when she caught a “break” from the stare for a split second. (@1:05) Did she really need to sniff the lab or was it her way of getting out of an intense situation? I’ve seen dogs doing things that are out of place or unnecessary when they are uncomfortable.

I remember working with a client and her dog that had a pretty reliable “Sit” and offered it beautifully for me. But as soon as the owner asked him to “sit”, he always turned around and started scratching. The cue from the owner was somehow poisoned and had a negative association to the dog. He continued to offer the diffusing signals by scratching and sniffing, which made the owner more upset. We ended up dropping the verbal cue until he had built more positive association to the behavior using a hand signal.

All these behaviors can mean different things in different contexts. It is our job to pay attention to the subtle body cues and recognize them when working with dogs so that we can prevent conflict and unnecessary stress.

Happy training and happy new year!