understanding and speaking dog

Punishment-Elicited Aggressive Behavior:

Humans who physically punish a dog (kick, slap whip, throw), do not accept the dog's signals of submission , and continue the physical punishment without allowing the dog recourse to escape the punishment - leave the dog little choice other than to bite the human. Humans may misperceive the dog's defensive, punishment-related biting behavior as vengeful, and retaliate by further escalating the punishment.

defensive aggressive behavior

Some canids might issue distancing signals or displacement signals to diffuse the aggressive approach of a person or other canid. When those communications do not influence the aggressor to cease his intrusive actions, a defensive attack toward the aggressor, human or canid, might occur.

Territorial Aggressive Behavior:

Some canids will defend the familiar territory where they reside (which includes the territory they share with conspecifics or humans). Territory can include the entire home, property, car and the human's possessions or be limited to the dog's immediate possessions such as his own bed. Territorial aggressive behavior might also result from the dog's misperception of what belongs to him or his person.

Trained Aggressive Behavior:

Some dogs have been trained to respond aggressively, on command, to particular situations or in relation to specific human behaviors (such as hand signals). For some dog/human partnerships Aggression training is sport; for others, it is a deadly serious military, police or other service career. Trained aggressive behavior may go awry if the training is incomplete or poorly done.

Group-Related Aggressive Behavior:

Some dogs only behave aggressively when in the company of a group or pack of other dogs.

drug-induced aggressive behavior

Some medication side-effects and reactions to toxic ingestions, can cause aggressive behaviors that are atypical for and inconsistent with the dog's personality and temperament

stretching

Stretching takes many forms and may express a range of feelings. Stretching in a bowing posture may be a play invitation. Stretching may also be a displacement behavior , especially when combined with other signals directed at calming others. Stretching also relieves physical tension in the canid doing the stretching, and may occur when tired, or when just rising after sleep.

active submission

Submission initiated by a canid soliciting interaction with a higher-ranking animal. Active submission is distinguished from confident greetings by the crouching posture and tucked tail and flattened ears. "Active submission occurs as a normal greeting behavior between dogs and humans" Examples: submissive grin , puppy licking, crouching , groveling, tail might be wagging or tucked; ears are flattened , might paw at the other dog's face.

heterochrony**

"A change in the timing of rate of developmental events, relative to the same events in the ancestor" (Goodwin et al., 1996, p. 297). The concordance of morphological and behavioral features found in the domestic dog is best explained by the evolutionary mechanism of heterochrony (Serpell, 1995, p. 43). Heterochrony is the mechanism that controls the rate of growth, of both physical structures and behavioral characteristics. Domestic dogs and their wolf ancestors have identical gestation periods (60-64 days). All canine species and breeds (with the exception of the Borzoi), are born with the same face shape, which facilitates nursing. The rate of growth of physical structures and the rate of development of species or breed characteristics is call heterochrony, and accounts for the great divergence of dog appearance and behavioral traits.

Dilating Eyes:

"Dogs' eyes dilate from low light and from any situation that triggers sympathetic stimulation, whether it be eustress or distress"

ethology

"Ethology is the systematic study of the behavior of animals under natural conditions" (2004). Ethology is a branch of zoology. Ethologists and behaviorists both study animal behavior. Behaviorists primarily confine their work to scientific studies in controlled laboratory environments. Ethologists study animals "in the field" or in environments more natural to the animal than a laboratory.

lateral display

"One animal stands broadside to another, standing tall, head up, ears pricked, tail level with back or raised over the back, with some piloerection; it may try to challenge the other canid by forcing eye contact". "The advantage to a lateral display over a frontal display is that more of the body may be seen and thus more information may be communicated"

flight distance

"The distance you can get to an animal before it flees. Zero flight distance = you can touch the animal"

critical distance

"When flight distance is overstepped, as occurs when an animal is cornered, we speak of the critical distance. The critical reaction may be triggered, which is usually an explosive attack."

Social Aggression:

Social aggression often refers to aggression of a canid directed toward a human or another dog.

social distance

Social distance refers to the physical distance individuals require to feel comfortable within a group or pack.

predatory motor patterns **

The predatory motor pattern includes most - sometimes all - of the following behaviors: - scan and scent - orient - freeze - stalk - charge, pounce or chase - grab bite - kill bite - toss - dissect - consume or cache

Parallel Walking:

Parallel walking refers to instances when two canids move companionably side by side, matching the length of their strides to each other's. This may occur during courtship but is not exclusive to that activity. Brenda Aloff calls this type of behavior "mirroring". Parallel movement might be a more appropriate term, since canids' synchronized matching of stride length is not limited to the walking gait.

passive submission

Passive submission is a distance increasing signal, whereas active submission is distance decreasing behavior. Examples: the canid rolls over onto his side or back, presenting belly up to another canid, submissive urination, inguinal presentation. There is no attempt to greet or appease the other dog; tail may be tucked, ears are flattened.

ethogram

A tool used by ethologists where all observed behaviours of a particular species are listed. Observations of particular individuals or groups of individuals can then be charted against a master list and graphed. Detailed analysis of Ethograms can yield valuable information such as energy budgets, amount of time spent on a given behaviour and sequencing of behaviors.

alliance aggression

Aggression is any behavior that communicates overt challenge, threat or the intent to do harm to another individual including. but not limited to displays such as growling, posturing or snapping

aggression

Aggression may be defined as threats, postures or harmful actions directed towards another individual. Aggressive behavior is a form of communication, where the aggressor is attempting to establish greater social distance between himself and the target of his aggression Aggression is any behavior that communicates overt challenge, threat or the intent to do harm to another individual including. but not limited to displays such as growling, posturing or snapping

biologically-based aggressive behavior

Aggressive behavior caused by medical condition such as idiopathic epilepsy, Cushing's disease, thyroid disorders, brain tumor, or other diseases or disorders.

competitive aggressive behavior

All canids compete for resources, including, but not limited to, food, treats, toys, human affection, and sleeping space. In this author's household, the most common stimulus for competitive aggressive behavior occurs when all three dogs want to enter the house through the same door at the same time. Food is the catalyst most likely to spark competitive aggression among housemates (dogs), pack members (wolves), and random canids encountering a single food source.

Instinct:

An instinct is a behavior that appears in its fully functional form the first time it is performed. The instinctive behavior usually requires a mechanical trigger to set the behavior in motion for the first time. Some instinctive behaviors are evoked by specific environmental events or a simple cue in the form of a sight, sound or smell. Instinctive behaviors include inherited breed characteristics such as "eye" in a Border Collie, or "pointing" in hunting dogs. Learning and environmental factors play a role in refining instinctive behaviors. E.g., without training, Border Collies may not have fully functional heading ability or herding ability but they may have "eye" immediately. Puppies' instinctive behaviors - during the neonatal period - include finding warmth from their littermates' or mother's bodies; recognizing the smell of milk, moving toward a teat, and suckling.

anthropomorphism

Attributing human characteristics, qualities, feelings or attitudes to non-human beings such as dogs, cats, deities, toys, machines, etc.

alpha

The alpha animal in a stable long standing group is the animal who controls the resources - food, water, shelter, space, and sometimes the behavior of subordinates. In dogs, who form loose associations that may shift regularly, determining which dog is alpha at any give time is difficult at best

avoidance behavior

The canid uses positions or postures in order to avoid activity or environmental factors that cause him to feel stressed or fearful. While engaged in avoidance behaviors, the dog may be in "reactive" mode, not utilizing the thinking portion of his brain. Avoidance behaviors can also be a experientially learned or trained behavior. In which case, the dog's responses are cognitive rather than determined by "limbic" reactivity. Other avoidance behaviors: eyes averted, hiding, pressing into or against the human's body, turning away, leaving the situation. Louie presses against his person to relieve stress and avoid interacting

Ears Semi-Erect, Turned Outward Towards Sound:

The dog is alert and listening. Note that ears can move independently of each other, in order to optimize sound localization.

temperament ** (a lot of writing)

The dog's innate individual personality - includes his attitude toward people, dogs and his environment. It also considers his ability to cope with arousal, aggressive approaches from other dogs, and the stress of new sights, sounds, smells, and substrates in the environment.

Ritualization **

The evolution of social signals. Ritualization is the evolutionary process whereby a signal behavior is established or improved in such a way that it becomes a more effective or efficient means of communication. Any attribute of an animal upon which natural selection can act - behavioral, physiological, developmental, or morphological traits - can be the basis of a communicative signal. The key attribute of the trait is that it in some way conveys information, usually about one individual to another. This information then makes the world of the recipient more predictable, less chaotic

hip nudge greeting

The hip nudge is a form of friendly greeting. Dogs turn their backs to other dogs or people and bump them with their hips or butt as a way to express that they are enthusiastically affiliative .

Amplitude:

The intensity, duration, and frequency of a specific behavior. Wolves and dogs display many of the same communication behaviors. Wolves generally express themselves with greater amplitude than dogs. Wolf behavior has the appearance of an exaggerated version of dog behavior.

arousal

The state of being that occurs when strong emotions are evoked by fear , anger, stress, excitement, or joy. Arousal can be both pleasurable and distressing. Blink rate, tongue flick rate, and respiration rate increase during all states of arousal, but most acutely when arousal is uncomfortable. Indicators of stressful arousal take many forms: piloerection , flared whiskers , anal display, penis crowning , barking, whining, and other vocalizations .

alpha roll

The submissive canid rolls over of his own accord - deferring to the other animal's social status. Humans who force dogs to roll onto their backs or side are not replicating canid behavior and they risk receiving a defensive bite.

Agonistic Pucker:

The technical term for an offensive warning snarl. During an agonistic pucker, the canid's lips are drawn away from the teeth exposing the incisors and canine teeth; the skin above and to the sides of the nasal plane (nose pad) wrinkles; the corners of the mouth are drawn forward shortening the commissures ; the tongue may be drawn back in preparation for a bite, or it may protrude to create a combination of an agonistic pucker with a tongue flick/distancing signal.

Submissive-Aggressive Behavior (Also Called Fear Aggressive Behavior, and Submission):

in particular, canids can be both submissive and aggressive at the same time. Some canids initially react to threats by behaving submissively. They display appropriate signs of active submission by offering appeasement signals or otherwise acquiescing to the threatening postures of the other canid or human. Some canids might offer signs of passive submission , by rolling onto their backs and exposing their vulnerable belly or inguinal area . Sometimes, the threatening canid or human ignores or does not accept the offered signs of submission . The aggressor may escalate his threats instead. The submissive canid's options become limited to flight, immobility ( freeze ) or fight. If flight is not possible, the canid is likely to resort to the survival mode - bite the human or fight the other canid. The submissive canid resorts to aggression , aptly called submissive-aggressive behavior.

border collie

it is interesting to note that Border Collies often carry their tails over their backs when playing, but almost never do while working sheep. A Border Collie engaged in herding uses his tail as if it were a boat's keel to assist with balance. - natural tail carriage: level with his topline, slight curl at the end - tail raised above topline- play arousal - naturally level tail, raised high over back and tightly curled: extremely aggravated arousal evoked by the Collie's relentless sexual pursuit

conspecific

members of the same species

submission

submission is generally defined as the yielding of a subordinate to a more dominant member of a hierarchy. As a strategy, submissive behavior may benefit the canid in several ways - he may avoid the risk of injury during a fight; he may be able to take a less risky role during group hunting; and he may obtain the opportunity to have access to resources by the association formed with a more dominant member of the hierarchy

evolutionary continuity

the similarities and contrasts among species are nuances or shades of gray, not stark black-and-white differences

cursorial

"adapted for running"

indicators of mild stress

- blinking - lip licking - paw lifting - licking and mouthing - pulling back - scratching - shaking off - sneezing - stretching - yawning

Ears Back - Appeasement:

Ears back but not flattened convey appeasement

indicators of moderate stress

- cautious/reluctant to approach - tail lowered - tongue flicks - lumpy whisker bed

domestication

"a process by which a population of animals becomes adapted to man and the captive environment by some combination of genetic changes occurring over generations and environmentally induced developmental events recurring during each generation." Domestication has brought with it many obviously visible changes to size, shape, color, coat length and coat type within dog breeds. Other, not so easily identified changes, some positive, some detrimental, have occurred as well. Those changes include, but are not limited to: 1. Paedomorphosis : "the retention of juvenile morphology at maturity, is thought to be an important process in generating evolutionary novelties" 2. Female wolves are monoestrus (fertile only once a year), while dogs are bi-estrus (fertile periods twice a year). 3. Male wolves are only fertile (only produce sperm) at the season when female wolves are fertile. Male dogs produce sperm all the time, unless neutered.

Anatolian Shepherd

- alert and playful tail slightly raised above topline - tail relaxed. it is waving like a flag in a gentle breeze with no sign of tension or arousal - tail lowered due to extreme stress - note arched back and yawn - tail lightly curved above topline: tension and irritation

indicators of extreme or severe stress

- arched back - dilating pupils - ears forced back - whale eye - facial tension ridges - full body stiffness - hard eyes - heavy panting with drooling - pinched ear - shedding hair and dander - skin drawn tightly on head - stiff or braced legs - sweaty paws - tail tucked - whiskers flared

lips

- short tense lips, mouth closed - short lips mouth partially open, front teeth visible - long lips forming "C" shape (also see gape), mouth wide open, teeth visible including molars - long lips tense (see stress indicators), mouth open - long lips mouth open

tail positions

- tail level with topline of back - tail raised above the back - tail raised high over topline of back - tail raised, curling above the topline - tail lowered below topline - tail below topline - tip of tail raised slightly - tail tucked between hind legs - tail tucked - tail flagging/averted - tail raised straight up

Idiopathic Aggressive Behavior:

: has the following necessary and sufficient condition: Aggression that occurs in an unpredictable, toggle-switch manner in contexts not associated with stimuli noted for any other behavioral Aggression diagnosis or with any underlying causal physical or physiologic condition. This diagnosis must be distinguished from any neurologic condition. Intensive characterization of attendant behaviors is necessary.... Unpredictability is a function of the quality of observational skills and knowledge. Although idiopathic Aggression may be considered a common problem by clients, once a detailed history is collected it becomes clear that this is a rare diagnosis

Maternal-Protective Behavior:

A female who believes her pups are in danger might attack the person or animal she perceives as the threat.

epiphenomenon

A secondary phenomenon that occurs alongside a primary phenomenon. Examples: hackles raised ( piloerection ) that occurs along with other indicators of arousal or stress such as stress panting, ears flattened, agonistic pucker, lip licking, paw-lift, head lowered , etc.

barrier frustration/aggressive behavior

Barrier aggression occurs when a canid is frightened and/or frustrated, and cannot escape or get to the target. His arousal is apt to build into aggressive behavior that results in an attack on another animal or bite to a human. A barrier can be a crate, kennel, fence, leash or tether that prevents the canid from escaping. Initially the dog might be excited and frustrated that he cannot approach and appropriately greet a strange person or dog. Fear of the approaching stranger may also be a player. When a canid is frightened and/or frustrated, and cannot escape, or get to his target, his arousal is apt to build into aggressive behavior that results in an attack on another animal or a bite to a human.

communication (64)

Canids communicate deliberately in order to convey information about themselves or the environment, and to alter behavior in another dog or human. Not all communication emanates from deliberate behavior. There are different types of information that can influence dogs' communication behaviors: - Contextual cues: Contextual cues are any stimuli in the local environment. For example: the sound of food bowls clanking, or a can opener touching a can, would signal dinner preparation. Dogs might come from afar and begin jockeying for position to be fed first. - Signals: Specific acts performed by one animal (canid or human) that convey information to another. - Displays: are signals that have evolved by natural selection to enhance the transfer of information. Displays are distinct communicative behaviors on the part of the sender.

appeasement or pacifying behaviors

Canids offer appeasement behaviors, also called pacifying behaviors, to suppress aggressive behavior that might happen. In contrast, submissive behavior serves to turn off aggression already happening. Appeasement behaviors are often associated with friendly greetings. The dog who lacks confidence might also offer pacifying behaviors to acknowledge his own social inferiority, or announce his fear . Examples: Pawing , muzzle-nudge, twist movement, puppy licking, lowered body posture (groveling, wiggly approach), ears back, submissive grin , tail and hindquarters wagging.

consummatory face

Consummate means complete or perfect in every respect: as in consummate happiness. The consummatory face can be seen when a dog satisfyingly scratches a particularly itchy itch. The dog's face is characteristically tilted upward, lips drawn straight back and closed; the mouth may fall open but no teeth are deliberately exposed.

Cruising Behavior:

Cruising behavior is a popular, descriptive term, not one supported by scientific investigation. Livestock guardian dogs will typically cruise any new environment to acquaint themselves with the territory, its boundaries, and potential threats to the animals in their care. This behavior can be seen even in young puppies. Cruising is a characteristic behavior for livestock guardian dogs. It is important to note that there are behaviors specific to certain breeds or classes of dogs. People who evaluate the temperament of puppies or adult dogs need to be aware of breed specific behaviors. Otherwise, they risk interpreting a behavior such as cruising, as aloofness, or lack of affiliative interest.

cut-off signals

Cut-offs are behaviors similar to displacement and distance increasing behaviors , but are usually seen in combinations of multiple simultaneous signals. Canids use cut-offs to interrupt behavior coming at them from another animal. Cut-off displays unequivocally signal that further interaction is not desired. Cut-off signals are triggered by conflict. If cut-off signals are not respected, conflict will escalate. Cut-off signals generally include two or more of the following behaviors: dramatic head turn s; turning the body away; turning the back to other animals, moving away, freezes , agonistic pucker , growling, hackles raised , averting eyes, lowered head, C-Curves, pinning after conflict.

displacement behaviors

Displacement behaviors get their name from the fact that they appear displaced, or out of context when they occur. Displacement behaviors occur because of conflicting or frustrated impulses to perform behaviors that are impeded. Displacement behaviors also occur when the animal experiences simultaneous conflicting emotional states and cannot figure out what else to do. Displacement behaviors are a reflection of the dog's internal emotional state, rather than a deliberate attempt to signal information to others.

distance decreasing behaviors

Distance decreasing behaviors convey deference and peaceful intentions that invite other canids, humans, or animals of other species to come closer, without fearing attack. Such behaviors include: - Ears Forward, Open Mouth with Long Lips - hip nudge - muzzle nudge - paw-lift - play bow, face - submissive grin

distance increasing behaviors

Distance increasing behaviors signal that an interaction may be too intense or prolonged for one canid's comfort. He uses a variety of signals to let other canids, humans and animals of other species know that they should back off, or end the interaction. - agonistic pucker - ears flattened or pressed back - intent stare, bark and lunge follow - crouched head lower than body, tail down, legs bent - head turn/turn away - dramatic paw lift

Ears Flattened Back:

Dogs who are frightened may flatten their ears against the sides of their heads. Ears that are flattened may also suggest an agonistic response to a perceived threat.

Pain-Related Aggressive Behavior:

Dogs who are sick, injured or suffer from chronic pain may become irritable due to medical conditions. Assuming they have previously had a stable temperament , their lashing out aggressively is likely due to pain or illness, rather than the result of personality or temperament changes.

social hierarchies **

Domestic dogs are not pack animals in the same ways as wild wolves, or even captive wolves. Some feral dogs live in loosely structured groups. To date, no scientific research has tested the most popular theories related to dogs and dominance, and yet, almost every negative behavioral trait has been attributed to dominance by one or another trainer or self-proclaimed canine behaviorist. It has yet to be proven that dogs living in multi-dog households form a rigid, linear pack with each other or with their humans.

dominance aggressive behavior

Dominance aggression is a misnomer. It is possible for a canid to be both dominant and aggressive, but an aggressive attack does not occur because of dominance. Dominance is a quality of a relationship. It stems from leadership - one animal having or taking control in a situation. Only rarely, is dominance established as a result of aggression - but it can be. "No normal dog attacks because of dominance". People often mistake agonistic displays as dominance challenges. Dogs may react when humans fail to correctly identify the dog's expressive displays of fear , uncertainty or submission . If the human escalates his own threatening behavior, by leaning over the dog, yelling at or hitting the dog, the dog may feel trapped and respond with escalated agonistic displays, warnings and threats. In such a situation it is the human who mistakenly identifies the dog's behavior as 'status seeking'. Sadly, if the situation escalates to the point where the dog bites the human who has threatened him, the dog is blamed and mislabeled as 'dominant aggressive'.

dominance (read more in book)**

Dominance is a description of status within a stable canine social hierarchy. A dominant canid controls priority access to a range of resources including food, choice sleeping spaces, and breeding rights. The dominant individual may - from time to time - chose to relinquish, or bestow on others, any of his specific privileges of rank without jeopardizing his status within the social group.

Proximity Sensitivity (Also Called Fear Aggressive Behavior):

Donaldson describes proximity sensitivity as "social shyness that presents in a few different ways". 1. Obvious fear and avoidance of other dogs - this is the most easy to spot variation. 2. Pro-active lunging, barking and snapping displays that cease once the other dog is far enough away 3. Asocial dogs seemingly disinterested in other dogs until the other dog gets too close or makes social overtures - at this point, threat signals such as growling, snarling, snapping or outright fighting ensue ('she's fine as long as other dogs don't get in her face')

epimeletic behavior

Epimeletic Behaviors include all acts of self-care and caring for others. Examples: - Self-care: grooming, nibble grooming , and licking genitals - Grooming: companion - Maternal behaviors : such as licking to elicit elimination, allowing puppies to nurse, carrying puppies, regurgitating food for puppies - Food caching - Shelter building: turning around before lying down, digging bed in dirt, digging to enlarge den.

et-epimeletic behavior

Et-epimeletic behaviors are all behaviors that solicit comfort, food, or affection, from conspecifics or humans. Examples: Puppy licking to elicit regurgitation, whining, yelping, tail wagging , licking the face or hand of person, usually with tail wagging .

Soft Eyes: (Also see Displacement Signals )

Eyes partially closed as if the dog is squinting slightly; all other postural, facial expressions, and neutral ear position are signals that she is relaxed and non-threatening.

Fear-Related Aggressive Behavior:

Fear aggression has the following necessary condition: aggression that consistently occurs concomitant with behavioral and physiologic signs of fear as identified by withdrawal, passive, and avoidance behaviors associated with the sympathetic nervous system

Give Eye:

Giving eye is the first part of the predation sequence. It is another name for eye stalking or orienting.

Herding: (Also see Predation )

Herding behaviors are fixed action patterns that have been modified over generations of selective breeding to include the functional aspects of predatory behavior, orienting, stalking, and chasing - but stop short of bite, kill and consume. Some dogs have been selectively bred as "headers" for their ability to work, at a distance from and usually facing the stock, with intense eying, stalking, and gathering abilities (Border Collies). Others have been selectively bred as "heelers" to work from behind the stock, nipping at their heels and following closely in order to move the stock from place to place (Corgis). Other breeds use different combinations of heading and heeling behaviors with different aspects of the fixed action patterns contributing to their behaviors depending on the type of stock they work, the terrain they must cover, and the need to work with greater or lesser direction from a human handler.

tame **

In order for an animal to be considered tame, it must have a flight distance of zero. An individual animal may be tamed over the course of its own lifetime. Domestication occurs over many generations.

Agonistic:

In the case of canine interactions "agonistic" is most often used to refer to aggressive behavior but can also include behaviors related to dominance displays, submission, and defensiveness. refers to: A range of fighting or competitive behaviors between members of the same species, including attack, threat, appeasement/conciliation, or retreat/flight; regarding aggressive encounters including offensive attacks as well as defensive fighting.

stress

It can manifest in every aspect of life, in every situation and also at every age. The perception of stress, as well as the coping strategies developed by the organism, can be different from human to human and also among dogs. For example, different dogs experiencing the same situation perceive it differently, some not seeing it as stressful at all, while others are clearly stressed by it. Completely different symptoms and coping strategies can be seen among those that show stress reaction

piloerector reflex (raised hackles)

Most often, canids display their raised hackles when they are surprised, fearful or aroused. While piloerection may communicate aggressive arousal or agonistic intent, it is a misconception that canids' raised hackles primarily indicate aggressive behavior .

obnoxious submission **

Obnoxious submission may confer some sort of evolutionary advantage to the submissive dog or might be a by-product of artificially selected traits. In the wild, a dominant wolf may relinquish food or other resources to a subordinate, just to relieve himself of the annoyance of being the recipient of so much obnoxious submissive behavior. Some dogs are so effusive in their greetings to humans that the person may feel overwhelmed or annoyed by the dog's persistent body wiggles, squirming while being petted, rolling around at their feet, repetitive hip nudging, and submissive urination . Dogs being rehabilitated after a history of an abusive relationship with a former owner, may use obnoxious submission with new caretakers. Some abused dogs generalize the abusive experience to include all new people they meet - thus their submissive greetings may seem excessive or obnoxious.

commissure of lips (64)

Observing the commissure of a dog's lips reveals essential information about aggression and other emotional states. In a dog with serious aggressive intent, the oral commissure is drawn forward. In dogs at play, or engaged in ritualized aggressive behavior, the mouth will be more widely open and the commissure is drawn back farther. Agonistic puckers occur both during ritualized aggression and aggression with intent to threaten harm. The length of the commissure of the lips should not be relied upon to determine the seriousness of a dog's intention to bite. Like most signals, the length of the commissure of the lips must be observed in the context of all the concurrent signals a dog is offering in any given moment.

Redirected Aggressive Behavior:

Occurs when a dog redirects his hostility from a primary target to a secondary target. Examples: - dog might turn her aggressive behavior toward the person restraining her when she is frustrated in her efforts to aggress toward another dog. - A dog wearing a pinch collar, or shock collar receives a painful correction just after the moment she communicates aggressive intent toward another dog. The dog wearing the correction collar associates the pain with the presence of the other dog. Her aggressive behavior toward the other dog will intensify (redirect), as a result of the painful correction.

Allelomimetic Behavior:

Often combined with et-epimeletic , investigative and agonistic behaviors , sometimes referred to as "Mirroring". This behavior is defined as doing what the other animals in a group do, with some degree of mutual stimulation. Puppies first do this at about five weeks of age, when the litter begins to run in a group. This foreshadows running in a pack, one of the outstanding characteristics of dog and wolf behavior. To do so, the animals must maintain contact with each other, primarily through vision, but also through hearing and touch Any behavior carried out in unison with conspecifics . Dogs may bark because they hear neighboring dogs barking. Canids join other canids in digging activities to enlarge a sleeping hole, or to relieve boredom. At first glance, the fact that two or more canids are maintaining an identical gait or posture might look to be a coincidence.

dimorphism

Physical and behavioral characteristics, other than sexual organs, that differentiate the male and female members of a species, such as: bone mass, breadth of the head, overall body size; coat color or plumage and vocalizations, especially of birds and moose, Dogs are not very dimorphic

Pinch Ear:

Pinch ear is only visible in floppy eared dogs - Labs, Goldens, Hounds, etc. They turn the ear parallel to the side of the face (not forward or back) and pull it toward the skull. Pinch ears occur during times when the dog is extremely stressed or fearful.

predation

Predation is the act of obtaining food by killing and consuming prey. Canids are able to vary the motor patterns, and may engage in one stage of the motor pattern without following a specific sequence.

predatory aggressive behavior **

Predatory Aggressive Behavior may involve attacking other canids, sheep, cats, and other small mammals, even small children. A single dog may engage in predatory aggression, or join forces with other free roaming pet or feral dogs. Predatory aggressive behavior is part of a functional system, that includes all behavior directed to the capture and killing of prey animals.

tail wagging

Tail wagging is most often seen as an indicator of a dog's affiliative desire to interact socially. Tail wagging may also occur preceding an aggressive attack, or in the company of other submissive greeting behaviors . "Tail-wagging is a context-specific behaviour, which signals excitability or stimulation, such as friendliness/confidence, anxiousness/nervousness and even a threat of aggressive behavior"

Play Escalation/Predatory Drift:

Predatory drift is the kicking in of predatory reflexes in an interaction that begins as a social interaction. As opposed to regular predation, which happens predictably when a dog with an identified predatory predisposition is exposed to one of his targets, predatory drift can occur among non-identified dogs who had never been predatory before and may never be again after. It kicks in because of specific contextual triggers. The riskiest triggers are: - play or squabble between two dogs extremely different in size. The smaller dog panics, yelps and/or struggles. The simulation of a prey item so close that the roles in the interaction drift from a social scuffle to predator-prey... - Two or more dogs engaging in intense play, chase, or scuffle with a dog that begins to panic, yelp and/or struggle. Dogs have also been known to attack injured dogs and this effect is also facilitated by the attack unit being two or more dogs as opposed to one.

resource guarding

Some canids guard such obvious things as food, toys, bones or other treats, and sleeping space. Some will also guard not-so-obvious resources such as proximity to human attention/affection, proximity to exits and entrances to favored rooms, etc.

Intra-Sex Aggressive Behavior:

Some dogs will only fight with others of their own gender. Males are most likely to fight only to make a point. They will usually stop at ritualized aggression rather than injure each other. Bitches are more apt to fight to the point of injuring each other.

submissive urination

Some puppies as well as older dogs will urinate as part of a collective display of submissive behaviors. The urination may range from a tiny tinkle on your shoes to the complete loss of bladder control.

play skill deficits

Sometimes when two dogs are playing, the play becomes too intense and tips over into a fight. The genesis of this can be found in the breakdown, or in severe cases, complete absence of the role reversals (also called demeanor shifting) and constant atmosphere cueing that characterize normal play. ...When this system breaks down it's as though one dog becomes a broken record, repeating the same thing relentlessly and often with increasing intensity. The other dog's attempts to move on to something else or get his playmate to dial it down a notch are ignored. Irritation, self defense and fighting can ensue

fixed action patterns **

Such regular and predictable specific behaviors, which are not dependent upon learning in order to appear, are called "fixed action patterns." When we genetically manipulate aggression in a dog breed we are making a quantitative, not a qualitative, change. We do not alter the basic behavior patterns, but rather their likelihood and how easily they can be triggered in the dog

Ritualized Aggressive Behavior or Threats:

Threat displays that are shown as communication signals but without the intention of actually doing harm. These threats can escalate into injurious fighting but usually only if they are ignored or the sender has some form of behavioral pathology Ritualized aggression can be differentiated from fighting behavior - with the intent to do harm - by the presence of metasignals . Metasignals, in the ritualized aggression context, look like the feinting and parrying that occur during a human fencing match. During actual fights, when there is clear and immediate intent to do harm, canids use jabbing or direct stabbing motions with their teeth as weapons. Standing on their hind legs is a defensive posture - a position from which they cannot inflict maximum harm. During ritualized aggression, the observer might see the predation sequence or other fixed action patterns occur with elements missing or out of order. For example, canids might chase, then stalk, or chase without stalking at all. Ritualized aggression is noisy, with lots of vocalizing including growling, screaming, huffing, etc. All-out battles are relatively quiet, especially among wolves, but between some dogs, as well.

Whale Eye (Also Called Eye Flash):

Whale eye occurs when dogs are stressed or threatening. The skin over the top of their head is so taut that it stretches the eyelids away from the eye, exposing part of the whites of the dog's eye.

Hard Eyes:

When a dog does a "hard eyed stare," his pupils contract. His eyes will be partially open and his brow wrinkled, as if he were scowling. An agonistic pucker and other signs of tension building toward a threat, may accompany hard eyes.

Airplane Ears:

When dogs' ears are out to the sides of their heads, they are usually in a state of conflict, experiencing more than one set of feelings, without having made a decision how to react. For some dogs, ears out to the side may be their natural, relaxed state.

calming signals

canids use specific signals to announce their own peaceful intentions to other canids and to people. Canids may use calming signals when they feel stressed, and when they perceive stress or threats in environment. The signals may serve to calm the animal who is signaling, and calm others around him. Calming signals are used to avert potential threats. They are meant to convey goodwill, and the absence of threatening intentions. Rugaas explained that canids broadcast calming signals deliberately, to a non-specific audience, rather than to an individual recipient.

umwelt

perceived by insects and animals. He created the word Umwelt to describe the world around a living thing as that creature experiences it.

evolutionary roots of behavior **

species can also be identified and classified by behavioral patterns that are unique, such as: ...distinct vocalizations, types of food eaten, techniques for finding or hunting food, unique social organizations, defense against predators, and learning abilities limited to certain tasks.