Communication Limitations - Part One
Your dogs' ancestor, The Wolf, is perfectly equipped to communicate with each other. Wolves are designed to get the message across to their peers quickly and efficiently. An evenly spread skull, pricked ears, and uniformly shaped fore faces. They all look alike so there is little room for misinterpretation or confusion.
As you guide your dog through the important stage of meeting other dogs, it is a good idea to equip yourself with the knowledge of their limitations in communicating. Ears - Dropping ears is a sign of respect, pricked ears is a state of alert. Dogs that are unable to drop their ears like Springer Spaniels could easily be misinterpreted by others as showing a lack of respect, which could potentially cause conflict. Boston Terriers for example have cropped ears, so they appear to signal a constant state of alert. Eyes - proportional to the face allow for a whole range of expressions. Sharpeis, for instance, have many layers of folds making it difficult for other dogs to spot subtleties is their expression. Pugs, Boxers, Chihuahuas, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and bull breeds have very wide and bulbous eyes which may give the impression that they are stressed or aggressive, which may mean the other dog won't play in a social situation. Part two in next months' issue. | 
A typical reaction from owners is to tell the dog to be quiet or in frustration shout. This is the worst thing to do because if the dog believes they are leader, you are affirming to them that whatever your dog is barking at is indeed a problem to you, making the situation worse next time.