Why does my dog bow to me? (Is this a good thing?)

Have you ever noticed your dog doing a weird little bow to you? It's almost like they are stretching, with their butts in the air and that little wiggle at their tail. Have you ever wondered what it meant?

This is an action we have seen our dog do countless times and we wanted to get a better idea of what it meant, especially since our staff pup is not the only dog we have seen do this. So we reached out to some experts to get some answers.

Luckily for us, we ended up with three different experts sharing their expertise and what it means when your dog does their version of a bow. Ashley Reely (a professional dog trainer from Meraki Dogs), Dr. Kathryn Dench (the Chief Scientific Advisor for Paw Origins), and Colby Julien (a dog trainer and owner of Geo-Sniffing), all had the answers we were hoping for.

Why does my dog bow with their butt up in the air?

So what exactly did we learn from our three experts? What were their explanations for why our pups do that adorable bow?

"The play bow is one of the calming behaviors identified by renowned Norwegian dog trainer and behaviorist Turid Rugaas, who is known for her groundbreaking work on canine body language. This behavior is a way for dogs to communicate peaceful intent and help diffuse any potential tension with other dogs or people. By performing the play bow, a dog may also offer reassurance to those around them, signaling that their actions are friendly and non-threatening."

- Colby Julien

Not only do we appreciate how thorough that answer was, but we love that it also included a bit of history in terms of who initially identified this behavior.

"This posture is known as the 'play bow' and is a dog's way of inviting play and interaction. It serves as a signal to other dogs or people that any forthcoming actions are meant in good fun. In my professional practice, this is a common sight in young dogs and those that are particularly active and engaged in their social environments."

- Dr. Kathryn Dench

It's good to know that this is something commonly seen in younger dogs, especially as our pups get older and their behaviors seem to shift and change with age.

"A bow is actually your dog's playful invitation to have some fun together. When they bow with their butt up in the air, it's their way of communicating, "Come on, let's play!""

- Ashley Reely

Honestly, knowing that this is their invitation to us to play makes a lot of sense. And at the same time, it makes us feel like we need to be doing more with our pups so that they know that we are all about giving them the engagement they need and want.