Verbal species that we are, we sometimes forget that our dogs are more attuned to our body language and tone than to our words. This definitely comes into play during training because little things that you may not even notice yourself doing can be confusing and even seem threatening to your dog.
For example, in our culture we generally approach each other head on, make eye contact and then often reach out to shake hands, but if you watch two dogs approach each other they approach in an arc, avoid coming in head on, generally avoid making eye contact, sniff cheeks and then tails in kind of a circular greeting "dance." Intense physical touch is generally avoided in a polite greeting where both dogs are comfortable with each other, at least until they know each other well enough to decide to continue the relationship, although the dogs may touch noses or brush up against one another.
While, through many, many years of living with people, our dogs have become excellent at reading and understanding us, our almost completely opposite greeting rituals can still prove problematic. How many times have you approached a dog, or seen someone else approach a dog, head on and then lean over the dog and pat him on the head? How often have you noticed that dog attempt to move away or just look away, stand up, lower their head, lick their lips, or yawn? Perhaps not many, as most of us our not particularly attuned to our dogs body language, but that's a subject for another day. The next time you're in a similar situation, watch for it.
So what should you do to be the most successful in interacting with your own, or other dogs? Well, first consider the description of two dogs greeting each other above, while you're obviously not (I hope) going to go around sniffing dogs, it is pretty easy to modify your body language to match that of another dog to achieve a successful, non-confrontational interaction.
First, avoid approaching head on or making direct eye contact, keep your body turned slightly sideways.
Second, if your body is tense and rigid the dog is likely to pick up on your nervousness and begin to wonder what there is to be nervous about, keep your body loose.
Third, when you reach the dog if you plan to interact with him (if it's not your dog ALWAYS get the owner's permission first) avoid leaning or towering over him. If you think of the postures of two dogs in conflict, the ritualized body postures they use to try to avoid physical confrontation frequently involve one dog being very low to the ground offering appeasement, and the other standing tall over him in an application of social pressure (generally meaning that the other dog has infringed on something that they feel is theirs, be it space, food, an object, whatever). If you mistakenly apply such social pressure and then attempt to initiate physical contact, which is not a part of this ritualized behavior for a dog, they may feel increasingly threatened and attempt to either flee or fight, putting you at risk for a bite particularly if the dog is on leash and fleeing is not an option. Instead, keep your body turned sideways, with your body weight focused away from the dog and come down to their level in a more neutral position.
Finally if you choose to pet the dog, do so under his chin or on his chest or shoulders, many dogs do not like to be pet on the head and reaching over them is another potentially threatening gesture.
All of the instructions listed above for greeting a dog apply in training situations as well. If you feel that your dog isn't listening or he just won't look at you the LAST thing you want to do is get in his face. Think about what your body language is saying, or if some part of the situation may be particularly stressful for your dog, he's probably not willfully ignoring you, just trying to avoid some potential social conflict.
The next time you start a training session, be aware of what your body language is saying to your dog, as this will come into play as you're teaching him. Does he really know what "sit" means, or is he just responding to you leaning forward and over him (social pressure)? Modify your expectations and your training accordingly.
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