about dominance, intentions, and state of mind, and, like the yawn, is mainly a pacifying behavior. All pacifying behaviors contain elements of puppy behavior, including licking. Puppies lick themselves and their litter-mates as part of the cleaning process, and it appears to build bonds. Later in life, licking ceases to be a cleaning function and forms a ritualized gesture indicating friendliness. When stressed, a dog might lick the air, its own lips, or drop down and lick its paws or body.Lip-licking and sniffing are also recognized as calming signals. Ears Dogs' ears play an important role in communication between humans and other dogs. It is important to consider the breed of the dog and the ear morphology when determining the positioning of the ear. Ability to move their ears is different among each breed. In addition, some ears move very little if artificially altered or cropped by humans. Ears erect or slightly forward - signals attention or alertness. Ears pulled back flat against the head, teeth bared - signals an anxious dog that will defend itself. Ears pulled back flat against the head, teeth not bared - signals submission. Ears pulled slightly back and slightly splayed - signals indecision, or uneasy suspicion that may become aggression. Ears flickering, slightly forward, then slightly back or downward - signals indecision with a submissive or fearful component. Ears pulled close to the head to give a "round face" - a calming signal. Ears pulled back in varying angles - expresses arousal. Ears flattened or pressed down - indicates fear, anger, or frustration. Ears pressed tightly to the head - expresses extreme fear. Ears held sideways - indicates conflicting emotions due to an unsettling situation. Eyes Eyes can be very informative when it comes to communicating with other dogs or humans. When dogs want to threaten a perceived adversary, they will stare. In contrast, dogs will avoid eye contact if trying to decrease tension. They can communicate emotional states by having "soft" eyes or "hard" eyes. Soft eyes are used when a dog feels relaxed and not threatened. Hard eyes are used when feeling tension and unease about a potentially threatening situation. The eyes are slightly closed, the brow area is wrinkled, and their teeth may be showing. A dog should not be approached when they are communicating this way and should be removed from the high tension situation, if possible. Direct eye-to-eye stare