We spend a whole lot of time around dogs, which is enough time to know most things about them, right? Well, that may not be the case.

Despite how long they’ve been man’s best friend, you can’t know everything about dogs unless you take the initiative.

And that’s why we have veterinarians and ethologists. Thanks to a wealth of knowledge acquired over years of experience and study, they can tell us how to better understand our furry best friends.

Knowledge is power. It’s also safety, so learning a thing or two is always worth your time.

Kate’s Pawsitive Pups has more than “a thing or two” to share with us, though. She’s got four bits of advice, to be exact.

Turns out, people tend to overestimate how well they know canine body language.

Kate’s been the witness of countless such scenarios, and she had to clear things up.

“Working in veterinary medicine is where I single handedly see the most dog to dog mishaps with the general public due to simply lacking knowledge on dog behavior.”

And with that, she gave us four important notes on how to read a dog’s body language.

If your dog is stretching out the leash to plant its nose on another dog, that’s your cue to make your dog back up a bit.

This is very invasive of another pooch’s personal space. Worst case scenario, you end up with a nasty fight between the two canines.

Seems like most pet owners who visit the vet are pretty ignorant. That could spell trouble for their dogs, so Kate made sure to explain things well.

Oh, and tail-wagging? It might not always mean what you think.

“Based on tail position and speed will indicate how the dog is feeling. For example, A low, fast wag can generally indicate nervous energy, or insecurity, which has potential to cause a fear aggressive response. A high, stiff wag can mean over-arousal/over-stimulation or intent of ready to spring into action. “

This was a particularly vital point that Kate had to hammer home. I wonder how many people made this mistake at the vet when Kate was there.

Your dog being friendly isn’t a guarantee that the other dog is too.

“Not all dogs are dog friendly. This should be obvious knowledge. Just because your dog is friendly does not mean the other is, too.”

Being friendly takes time. It’s not something dogs can just pick up instantly. Alas, more than a few people seem to think otherwise. I can only imagine how many altercations broke out in the vet thanks to this.

And lastly, the vet isn’t as calm a place for your dog as it might be for you.

There’s a lot going through your dog’s head, and it’s for the best that you be considerate of all of them.

“Dogs often come into the vet office already stressed. It is generally not a place of pleasure as the dog is usually being shuffled into a tight room, being held by strangers only to be poked and prodded at.”

Next time you visit the vet, you’ll have a wealth of information to help you and your dog. After all, you’d never do anything to make your dog uncomfortable, right?

Read the full post from Kate’s Pawsitive Pups down below.

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Source: Kate’s Pawsitive Pups on Facebook, “How To Read Dog Body Language” on AKC