Whether you are a newbie

dog trainer or an owner who wants to learn how to speak Fido’s language, it is imperative that you learn how to read your dog. Now, it is easier to speak canine thanks to dog trainer Jill Breitner’s smartphone app The Dog Decoder, which is available for purchase via Google Play and the App Store for Android and iPhones.

Let’s face it, canine body language is very subtle and can be very hard to read, especially for the average dog owner who might not know that much about dog training or dog behavior. Breitner created the app in the hopes of educating dog owners everywhere in the hopes of keeping more dogs out of the shelters and lessening bites.

For example, we’ve all heard the horror stories of a child getting bit because of something as simple as the parents letting their little one chase the dog around the house, and they didn’t understand that the dog was practically screaming at them that they were uncomfortable with what the young child was doing to them. Of course, since the owners were unable to interpret their pet’s body language and unknowingly let their child pester their dog, their beloved pet got fed up with the child’s antics and felt that they needed to bite the little one in order to get some space.

Sadly, if a dog bites a human, they are often dumped at a shelter and euthanized. The aforementioned scenario would likely not have occurred if pet owners knew how to read their dog, understood that their beloved Fido needed some space, and took appropriate measures to keep their child from pestering their dog.

With a little help

from the talented artist Lili Chin of Doggie Drawings , the app has sixty different poses labeled as “anxious” or “playful” for customers to browse through. The pose also comes with a helpful description of the context, which is a great way for users to learn about either common misconceptions such as a wagging tail means that the dog is happy, or what kind of situations would cause your dog to assume the aforementioned posture.

For example, the pose “happy” shows a calm, relaxed dog that is named Diamond and he is clearly eager to perform a training session with his beloved owner. Clicking the “info” button gives two short paragraphs with a few tips about how to tell if a dog is happy, and notes that it is important to look at your pet’s overall body language in order to determine how they feel.

If pet owners click on “details,” the app uses arrows to train customers how to read the subtle cues their dogs are giving off, such as ears that are moved forward or a wide, open mouth with a lolling tongue.

Average dog owners

will also appreciate how Breitner takes the time out to note the more subtle aspects of each pose, and how The Dog Decoder makes learning how to speak canine effortless by using easy-to-understand descriptions instead of more technical training jargon.

Aside from providing dog owners with an easy encyclopedia on canine body language, The Dog Decoder app also allows customers to put their new knowledge to the test with a short quiz.

The quiz is comprised of five questions featuring different poses, and forces customers to take a good, hard look at the dog’s body language in the illustration before making a judgment call. This is a brilliant move by Breitner, as it is a great way to teach owners how to scan their dog’s body and quickly notice any subtle clues as to what they are thinking about in that moment.

Whether you’re a dog trainer who wants to find a good way to help teach your clients how to pay more attention to their pet’s body language, or an owner who wants to get better at learning how to read their pooch, The Dog Decoder app is a great tool that will teach you to be more aware of what Fido is trying to tell you.