Mark Berkowitz says he’s been in the business of dogs forever.
The acting training director at Holiday House Pet Resort has spent more than 30 years instructing dogs at advanced levels, including AKC obedience, Schutzhund protection sports, tracking, and service applications. His competitive dogs have earned national rankings, and he has trained under renowned experts like Jack Volhard.
“I’m not really committed to any one method or approach, because every dog is different,” Mark says. “Every owner is different. Every owner’s environment is different. Every circumstance is different. You can’t really approach every dog the same.”
But being present is key, he says.
Mark, who grew up working at his father’s pharmacy in a rough North Philly neighborhood, recalls one piece of advice that has served him well in all walks of life, but particularly in dog training.
“My dad would always say, ‘Heads up. Head on a swivel, kid.’ And I tell my clients that.”
“You have to be aware,” he continues. “When I’m walking my dog—and I’m in no way infallible—but chances are I’m going to see that squirrel or that other animal before my dog does, and I’m going to start interacting with her… so I will be able to redirect her fear or anxiety into some other kind of behavior.”
Our pets cannot speak to us, per se, but they are constantly communicating, Mark says. Misunderstanding their signals can lead to confusion, stress, or even reactivity.
How Dogs Communicate: The Basics
Dogs communicate primarily through body language, posture, vocal tone, and context—not words.
“Dogs don’t speak English, but they do pick up on our emotional state,” Mark says. “They do pick up on our body language. They do pick up on things that are situationally positioned or charged—whether it’s a protective instinct or a fear thing.”
Much of what our pets “say” is translated in the way they hold their tail, ears, and body, he explains. Vocalizations also play a role—so it’s important to interpret the whole picture.
According to Mark, “You can tell a lot about a dog by the way they bark. And just because a dog is barking doesn’t mean it’s going to bite you.”
High-pitched barking or whining, he says, often comes from excitement or prey drive.
“A dog may be barking to say, ‘I want that, I want that’—whether it’s a ball, a toy, or something it wants to chase.”
A low, serious bark, on the other hand, sends a different message altogether.
“If there’s a serious, low bark… that could mean the dog is alerting. It could also be telling you to stop in your tracks.”
These vocal cues often pair with physical signals that give even more insight into a dog’s emotional state. According to Mark, the combination of stiffened posture, a tail held rigid or straight out, and ears pinned back can indicate that a dog is uncomfortable and thinking about reacting.
“If the dog stiffens its tail and the ears go back, and the dog gives a low growl—that means, ‘Hey, this dog is about to come at me,’” he explains.
Raised hackles offer another clue. While they don’t always signal aggression, hackles paired with tension, stillness, or an intense stare can suggest that a dog is unsure or on alert. These cues—vocal tone, tail position, ear expression, posture, and overall body tension—provide important information long before a dog snaps or lunges.
Dogs also respond to the way we handle them.
“Humans can manipulate a dog’s drive state by how they act and how they handle the dog,” he explains. Along with verbal cues, Mark uses nonverbal methods, like leash pressure and spatial pressure, during training. “I also use my body language to influence the dog’s body language.”
Together, these elements—vocal tone, posture, emotional awareness, and human influence—form the foundation of how dogs communicate with us and with the world around them.
How Environment Affects Behavior
Your dog’s body language and vocal cues don’t exist in isolation, Mark explains. They shift depending on what’s happening around them.
Pet parents, trainers, and handlers can manipulate a dog’s drive state by how they act and how they work with a dog. A calm environment and a confident handler can help a dog stay grounded, while overstimulation or uncertainty can heighten sensitivity and reactivity.
Even subtle changes in a dog’s surroundings can influence behavior. For example, when teaching protection work, a trainer can gradually build intensity simply through tone and touch.
“I may be softly talking to the dog—‘What’s he doing, boy?’—and patting the dog on the ribs, which brings up the drive level,” Mark says. Here, the dog’s response is tied not just to instinct, but also to human interaction and environmental cues.
Stressful or surprising events can have an equally strong impact. Mark notes that dogs working around loud noises, such as the starter pistol used in protection training, may react initially—but what matters most is how they recover. “It’s natural and OK for a dog to react,” he explains. “But what you’re looking at is how the dog recovers from that.”
A dog’s person plays a key role in shaping the emotional response in any given situation.
“If you think the dog is nervous or fearful, and you act nervous or fearful, that’s going to feed into things,” Mark says. Redirecting a dog’s attention, offering a clear cue, and/or removing the dog from the stressor can shift their state of mind before the behavior escalates.
A dog’s signals may appear different across different environments—home, daycare, training fields, public walks, and beyond—but the principle remains the same: context matters. Dogs are constantly reading the world around them, Mark adds. The environment, paired with their person’s behavior, has a powerful influence on the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, cues they give.
Becoming More Attuned to Your Dog’s Body Language
Learning to read your dog’s subtle cues takes practice, for sure, but Mark says it all starts with something simple: paying attention. His father’s wise words apply as much to dog training today as they do to life. Anticipation, he explains, is the key to preventing unwanted behavior before it escalates.
“If you’re trying to train things into your dog after the behavior has already happened, you’re too late,” Mark says. By being present and observant, dog owners can spot small shifts in posture, ear position, tail movement, or tension long before a dog reaches a point of no return.
This kind of awareness isn’t about hypervigilance; it’s about understanding your dog well enough to recognize what’s normal, what’s new, and what might require a gentle intervention. The more time you spend observing your dog’s natural behavior—whether at home, outside, or around other animals—the easier it becomes to distinguish curiosity from concern, excitement from tension, and confidence from discomfort.
For Mark, staying attuned to a dog’s body language is less about technique and more about relationship. “You have to be in a position to be aware and shift your dog’s attitude and state of mind,” he says. The better you know your dog, the better you understand their cues—and the more trust you build together.
The Irreplaceable Importance of Training
For Mark, training is far more than teaching commands—it’s the foundation of a strong, trusting relationship between a dog and their person.
“Training builds an extremely tight bond with your dog,” he says. Communication can then flow both ways, making it easier to recognize subtle cues and respond appropriately.
Mark says play is often where that bond begins.
“Play becomes training and training becomes play,” he explains. Whether it’s a ball, a tug toy, or structured games that encourage a dog to think and move with purpose, the goal is always the same: to make learning enjoyable. A dog that loves to play, he says, is a dog that loves to engage—and engagement is the gateway to clearer communication.
Training also offers mental and emotional fulfillment.
“It doesn’t have to mean discipline, discipline, discipline,” he notes. “It’s fulfillment for the dog.” When training is approached as a shared activity—not a chore—it nurtures trust, builds confidence, and helps a dog feel secure in their environment.
Ultimately, understanding your dog’s subtle cues and body language becomes easier when a strong relationship is already in place.
“It’s rare that true training really occurs unless that trust and that bond are there,” Mark says. The time you spend teaching, observing, and connecting with your dog pays dividends in every part of their life—from behavior and safety to happiness and well-being.
Ready to work with Mark on a custom training program tailored to you and your dog? Call 215-345-6960.
