Attack Dog????

That's cute and scary in equal measure. Quite an achievement Liz. Does anyone have any clues as to why he flashes his teeth? Other than he's grinning? :-)

He is very cute :)  We had a neighbor dog, DUKE (RIP), he would always flash a big grin and wiggle his whole 100+ lb. body everytime he met you.  He was a Lab and had the biggest grin which brought on special treats from every neighbor as he made his rounds.

It is so cute, the grin. The thing I wonder, somewhat related to this, is if Diego would actually protect me if push came to shove. So far I know that he never barks, never lifts his head if someone is in the yard or anything. He is very strong but I just dont think he has the concept in his head that someone might try to hurt me.

I trained a very large Chessie who was not an overly friendly dog to strangers.  She wasn't mean at all but she wouldn't approach with a happy demeanor and her tail was held low.  She'd give them a submissive grin, just showing her front teeth with her mouth mostly closed and her head held high.  It was pretty funny to watch people's reactions.

J, submissive grins are exactly what the words imply.  It's meant to convey "I'm no threat".  Dogs have a lot of appeasing body language they use to defuse any possible tension.  Other dogs pick up on these very easily but humans, not so much. :)  Not all dogs display submissive grins and they can vary a lot.  Diego's doesn't look like most of the submissive grins I've seen but since we're seeing just a tiny fraction of a second caught on camera, I'll take Elizabeth's word that that's what he's doing.  

Thanks JackieG...... the photo was taken by the receptionist at vet's office as I had tried and tried for years to capture that grin so you are right it only is a split second. I was really psyched to get it and had it as the homescreen photo on my phone forever.  Def a submissive grin ... his tail and butt and hips fast wagging, squinty eyes, all wiggly.... and it usually ends with him collapsing on the ground. Front part first and then throwing back part down in a sideways fasion that people say makes it looks like he is falling over from cracking up laughing so hard...

But JackieG, tell me about your dog. What's his or her name? I'm kinda obsessed with his ears in your profile picture. They are too cute !

The dog in my avatar pic is Rex.  I adopted him from a shelter when he was about a year old.  I had no plans to adopt a young male dog but I fell in love and I did what I always advise against, adopted out of impulse. :)  

He's sweet as anything and loves to train and learn tricks.  His favorite past time is catching flying insects and the occasional bird. :(   We went through therapy dog class and Rex did well.  He wasn't really cut out to be a therapy dog though.  He was stressed and nervous in nursing homes/hospitals so I decided not to continue.  He gets along well with other dogs and his best friend for years was my cat, now deceased.  

I wanted to name him Radar because of his ears.  They are super keen and I love them too. :)

Thanks for asking about him.  We call him "the good dog" at our house of three dogs. lol  

Awww Rex (Radar). He does loook like "the good dog." I am glad you went against your "better judgement" and adopted him. How old is he now? How big is he? He looks perfect wiggle/snuggle size with those sweet eyes and button nose (and of course the ears)!!

He'll be 8 this January.  I can't believe it.  He weighs around 68 lbs. He has degenerative osteoarthritis in one hip but is doing fine (takes an NSAID and supplements) and is still very active.  He does love to wiggle/snuggle despite being a little large for a lap dog. :)

I meant to say how much I love Diego's name and how handsome he is.  Even when he's showing all his lovely big teeth!  lol  He sounds like the quintessential Golden Retriever.  

The bigger the dog the cuter the wiggle/snuggle :)!!!!