Animals have body language that they use to calm themselves, communicate with other animals and they use them on people too.  Some of them are blinking, licking lips, yawning, sniffing ground, looking and looking away, sitting down, lying down, turning away, shaking, holding up a paw, approaching in an arc.   Here Pie is licking.

I often tell animals to do the calming signals when they are overly excited or fearful.

Here is what Pie’s person wrote to me after our session, “the best pic ever–it’s Pie trying out her calming techniques!!!!  SO funny!!
She climbs on us, sits right on our chests, and tries blinking and sticks her tongue out at us…only, she forgets to put it back!  So cute, so funny!
I would just like to note that she has NEVER done this before our chat the other day.  Amazing.”