Why Do Dogs Bare Their Teeth?

Quick entry because I have to leave for school in six minutes. So I had my first interview about guard dogs yesterday. I met with a gentleman named Robert Des Ruisseaux, who is a longtime dog trainer. He has worked with guard dogs for almost 50 years. Here's an interesting thing I learned: dogs bare their teeth when they are frightened. Des Ruisseaux told me that dogs who are a little nervousmake the best guard dogs -- that's because they don't tend to sleep deeply and because they bare their teeth when they see someone unfamiliar. Des Ruisseaux told me guard dogs have what he calls a "psychological effect" on a would-be burglar. If a burglar spots a big dog -- preferably a doberman, or a German shepherd, or a pitbull -- who's baring his teeth, the burglar will probably take off. Oh, in case you're wondering why I'm blogging about guard dogs, it's because I've officially started to do research for my next YA book project. There's going to be a guard dog or two in it. Well off I go to school. Will try to do another entry before the end of this week. I guess the whole world is back to school now. If you're a student reading this, hope your term is off to a good start.