Читать книгу Dogtography - Kaylee Greer - Страница 25

If we pop back into what we learned before, about anthropomorphization, we might see a dog yawn and say, “Aw, he’s so tired, he’s ready for his nap.” However, if your dog is doing this in the context of a lively photo shoot and not when just waking up in the morning, it is very safe to say that his yawn is a signal that he’s feeling anxious. We call my dog Joshua “The Rusty Hinge” because he loves to do a loud, crispy, delicious yawn each and every time we put his collar on him by the front door for his daily walk. His rusty-hinge yawn is quite endearing and adorable, but I know that the real reason behind it is less so. In those moments as we are suiting Joshua up for his walk, he’s feeling anxious. It’s an excited anxious, like can’t-hardly-wait anticipation of adventure, but it’s still anxiety. When a situation gets too overwhelming, good or bad, Joshua will do a nice, loud rusty-hinge sort of yawn, and that’s when I know to pay attention to his energy and take it easy. This same concept goes for dogs at your photo shoots. If they appear to be over stimulated and begin to yawn repeatedly, they are giving you a clear sign. If you see this body language cue, step back and give that dog time to just be a dog. Once you feel he has had ample time to cool off, you can then get back in the game and try again.

1.11

FIGURE 1.11 Here is the furry light of my life, Joshua, pictured in one of his favorite places on earth: The Car. As you can see, Joshua loves the car almost to a fault. He gets so overwhelmed by uncontrollable excitement that his energy peaks right into the red zone. He yawns loudly and often as a calming signal. It is a clear body language sign that he is a feeling stress and anxiety and his body is working hard to manage it.