Canine Body Language: Submissive

A dog will use everything from his eyes and ears to tail to communicate. A canine who is acknowledging a person or other dog to be of higher rank, will lower his tail, send his ears back, and close his eyes half-way. A dog can also show submissive body language by lying on his back with his belly exposed. One way to find out if a puppy has more dominant or submissive tendencies is to try and lay him on his back. If he fights back, he is very likely dominant. If he lies on his back willingly, then he is a submissive dog.