One of the most common canine postures is to lie on your back, with all four legs raised, exposing your belly to anyone who wants to see it or scratch it. To know the reasons for this behavior, it is essential to take into account the circumstances in which this posture occurs. Thus, a dog can roll over for these 4 main reasons:
To get attention and tenderness
When dogs get on their backs at your feet when you come home, they're going out of their way to let you know they appreciate you. Their whole body is relaxed and their gaze is clearly directed towards you in explicit expectation of petting.It's a sign of trust in you, a way of saying hello and welcome.
Because he feels safe in his environment
A helpful dog who feels perfectly relaxed and safe in his own home adopts a relaxed napping posture - usually on the sofa or in his basket - on his back and l-legged 'air. This posture means that the dog does not feel the need to be on the alert in its environment and that it can rest in peace. It is therefore a sign of well-being.
Because it's hot
When a dog lays on its back, it is also sometimes to expose its abdomen to the open air to evacuate excess body heat. The belly is indeed an area where the hair is less thick and where blood vessels pass which, in contact with the air, play the role of heat exchangers to cool the dog's entire body.Conversely, a dog who is cold will curl up on itself to conserve its body heat.
To show respect or calm a situation
To show respect or to avoid conflict with another dog or a human perceived as authoritarian by the animal, a dog can lie on its back or side, stand still and then spread its hindquarters to offer "grazing" the most vulnerable part of his body, that is to say his belly. In doing so, he also avoids any visual contact with his congener or the human being. By deliberately exposing its belly, the dog lets the other know that it comes in peace and has no intention of challenging the authority of others. Between dogs, this posture helps to avoid conflict and is a sign of good socialization.
This posture is more often adopted with humans by the less daring, even fearful dogs. If this is the case, then you must resist the urge to caress your belly, as this action can involuntarily trigger an aggressive reaction out of fear.