The dog in conflict between dominance and fear will show a conflict of signals which can be less easy for us to interpret. Lips may retract horizontally and vertically. The dog may growl and avert his gaze at the same time, approach with ears back and tail wagging, or bark aggressively with the tail tucked. Such dogs should be handled with caution.

Awareness of what our dogs are trying to tell us about their comfort level in any given situation should never be ignored. An uncomfortable dog is unpredictable. Don't try and jolly him out of it, as he may decide to up the ante too, and the results can be unpleasant and painful. Some dogs have very expressive faces. Many of them smile, and this should not be confused with the snarl or fear expression. It does mean, 'I'm having a good time, hope you are too'. Eyes and eyebrows convey volumes, and so does the set of the ears.

The fearful dog draws back his ears against his head, which he lowers submissively, he crouches, making himself look smaller and less threatening, and tucks his tail between his legs. If he can he will run away, otherwise he may roll on his back, lift his leg and even urinate. Lips are retracted horizontally in that rather goofy look that means 'I'm incapable of hurting you, please don't hurt me'. The gaze is averted. (Dominant dogs tend to attack from the front, while fearful ones will often sneak up and bite from behind).

Finally, there are the dogs that have either never learned or have mislearned their own language. The company they keep is important. Dogs learn from other dogs, both the good and the bad. An isolated pup is like an isolated child, and the sad thing is he's not fluent in caninus. The puppy that gives all the calming signs in his repertoire and still has the stuffing knocked out of him by an unruly larger playmate may eventually resort to meeting newcomers with signs of aggression rather than calming ones.

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