the times Saturday April 9 2022Body + Soul 11
health rules
unless they actively look away. Their
eyes are so different from ours that it
feels particularly intense when they look
at us. And they do not turn on the puppy
dog eyes when they have done
something we perceive as wrong. They
are trying to gauge your reaction. Their
posture will be determined by what your
response is. When your tone of voice
changes they will show a fear response,
such as tucking their tail underneath
their back legs, backing away, or hiding..Ears pinned right back
are a sign of joy
You’ve probably been greeted
by your dog with its ears
pulled so far back on its head
that they look as though
they’ve fallen off (I call it
“seal face”) — and it’s
probably not a surprise that
this is a sign that your dog is
very delighted to see you.Yawning means:
‘Leave me alone’
Don’t blame yawning on
tiredness. Yawning works in a
similar way to stretching — it
releases tension, allows an
intake of breath and can often
lead to a dog doing a very
gentle head turn — to let us
know it feels unsure, uncertain
or that it doesn’t want to move
forward or participate in what
is happening around it. It is
very common during
interactions between children
and dogs and should not be
ignored because it is a very
early sign that a dog would like
some space.Licking lips is a sign of
uncertainty
Sometimes your dog will lick its lips,
and it’s not the same way in which it
might lick its lips after eating a delicious
meal. Watch closely and you will see that
the tongue darts up to the nose and
back, in a kind of flicking motion. This
is being used to show a very calm,
gentle sign of uncertainty.Rolling over shows fear
Meeting other dogs in the park, your dog
might roll over on its back. You often
hear people explain this by saying that
their dog is a flirt, or just wants its belly
rubbed all the time. In fact, it isn’t either
of these at all. This posture is usually one
of fear and anxiety and it feels
intimidated by dogs coming into
its space.The ‘play bow’ means
your dog is very happy
When your dog puts the front half of its
body down on the floor and sticks its
rear end to the sky (yogis call this
downward dog, of course) with tail
wagging, it is trying to engage you in
play, or wants to interact with you.
You might also see your dog doing this
to another dog if it wants to play.
And you’ll know that if you don’t take
the hint, your dog will present you
with a toy.
Louise Glazebrook is the author of
The Book Your Dog Wishes You Would
Read (Orion Spring, £14.99)T
hose “puppy dog eyes”
that every dog owner
is familiar with when
they try to leave the
house or tell their pet
off are in fact a
product of evolution,
according to a recent study. The
researchers, from Duquesne
University in Pittsburgh, examined
the difference between the facial
muscles of dogs and wolves and
suggest that dogs have evolved to
be more appealing to their owners.
But as well as tugging on our heart
strings with a glance, what else are
our pooches trying to tell us?A waggy tail doesn’t
always mean your dog
is happy
There are many different types of
tail wagging. For example, the
helicopter tail — when a dog sees
its human and is so happy it
cannot control itself — is very
different from the slow, tick-tock
wagging tail that signifies a dog
may not be confident about the
situation it’s in. One of the main
purposes of the tail wag is, in fact,
to waft scent from the dog’s back end to
provide information to other dogs. It’s a
good idea to become familiar with the
tail wags of your dog as it’s down to the
breed. For example, some sighthounds
will tuck their tails under when worried,
whereas a labrador’s tail may still keep
moving when it’s anxious.Panting can be a sign
of stress
Dogs pant when they are hot, because
they do not sweat, and it is a way of
releasing heat from the body. But that is
not the only reason why they do so.
Panting can be a stress response. I’ve
seen dogs at a grooming salon panting so
hard their tongues are nearly coming out
of their heads. Increased stress raises the
heartbeat and increases cortisol and
sometimes adrenaline in the dog’s
system. Panting can be a way for your
dog to regulate itself.‘Puppy dog’ eyes don’t
signify that a dog feels
guilty
It’s not just evolution that makes us fall
for “puppy dog eyes”. Most of the time
they are simply looking at us because of
the way we have bred certain dogs; we
find them captivating. French bulldogs,
for example, have been bred to have
those appealing, wrinkly eyebrows.
Many companion breeds, such as
Cavalier King Charles spaniels, have
been bred to make a great deal of eye
contact. Many dogs have full black eye
pupils so you cannot see the whitesOne of the
purposes of the
tail wag is, in
fact, to waft
scent from the
dog’s back end
Otago in New Zealand showed how
breaking up the working day with regular
two-minute walks while also completing
one half-hour walk each day can
significantly lower blood lipid or fat
levels.Try to eat berries daily
for your heart
Blueberries are packed with heart-healthy
fibre and with anthocyanin flavonoids,
which give the fruit their purple hue
and also have potent heart health proper-
ties. Research recently reported in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
showed how eating a large bowl of 150g
blueberries every day for six months
improved cholesterol levels in people with
metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symp-
toms that includes high blood pressure
and high cholesterol.Do weight training at
least once a week
Emerging evidence, including a review
published in the Journal of Physical Activity
and Health, suggests that lifting weights
and doing resistance exercise using your
own body weight with exercises such as
squats, planks and lunges helps to de-
crease cholesterol. Just an hour-long
session once a week might be enough to
make a difference.
A group of 65-year-olds had lower
cholesterol when they did one strength
session a week for nine months, research-
ers at the University of Jyvaskyla in
Finland discovered. In each session they
performed 2-5 sets and 4-12 repetitions of
whole-body strength exercises with about
7-9 exercises a session. But more weekly
sessions led to no greater improvement in
cholesterol lowering.Have two tablespoons of
sesame seeds on porridge
for breakfastSesame seeds contain iron, zinc and
calcium as well as magnesium and vitamin
E, which are important for preventing
furring of the arteries.
But they also contain a source of soluble
fibre and alpha-linoleic acid, both known
to lower total cholesterol, and of com-
pounds called sesamin and sesamolin
that have been associated with reducing
blood lipid and cholesterol levels.
In one study, published in the Inter-
national Journal of Food Science and
Nutrition, people with raised cholesterol
who consumed 25-50g (2-3 tablespoons)
of sesame seeds daily for up to two
months effectively reduced their total
cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
“Since oats are rich in a fibre called
beta-glucan that has been shown to have a
favourable effect on cholesterol, topping
porridge with sesame seeds could be the
ideal breakfast,” says Ian Marber, a nutri-
tion therapist.Here’s how much you
need to walk every day
Neely says aerobic activity has a
significant impact on cholesterol levels.
“It helps to raise HDL, the good choles-
terol that removes fat from the arteries,
and to lower LDL, the bad stuff,” he says.
We should each aim to meet at least the
government’s recommendations of 150
minutes of moderate cardiovascular
activity, such as swimming or cycling,
or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each
week, such as running, but if you can’t
manage that, then breaking up periods
of sitting with regular micro-walks will
help. Researchers from the University ofGETTY IMAGESTail wagging, panting, yawning?
What your dog is trying to tell you
Dog trainer Louise
Glazebrook explains
how to tell whether
your dog is happy
or stressed out
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