Canine BehaviorVet Science

How Dogs CommunicateVocalizations

Body Postures

Direct Contact

Scents or Smells

What to ObserveEar Positions

Neutral ForwardAlertBack

Pricked ears www.caninetofivedetroit.com Floppy ears- frightened or relaxedCropped ears- hard to read

What to ObserveTail Positions

High tail carriage- alert Lower tail carriage- fearful, defensive (tucking) Wagging tail- NOT ALWAYS FRIENDLY! Motionless- alert

When observing: How does the tail position change overtime? Is the hair fluffed up? Is it stationary or wagging? If wagging, is it quickly or slowly? How does the rest of the dog look?

http://www.vetstreet.com

What to ObserveOverall Body Carriage

Relaxed or at easeAlert

Stand erectLean forward

Crouched or coweringAfraid

Play bow

en.wikipedia.org 

What to ObserveGaze

WideNarrowedRelaxedFocus of gaze- Direct? Avoidance? Scanning?

Direct/prolonged- threateningAvoidance- fear, submissionScanning- blinking, relaxedScrunch- threatening

www.world-science.net 

What to ObserveDilated pupils-

fearhigh arousal scanning environment nervous

Extra WideUnwavering gazeHow open are the eyes?

Scrunched look- attack modeFixated gaze- attack mode

laweekly.blogs.com 

What to ObserveStance or Positioning

Behavior worksheet

www.operationsports.com 

www.ohmidog.com

www.vetstreet.com

What to ObserveMouth Position/Baring Teeth

Closed- Low arousalBarring teeth- attack modeSubmissive grin

Licking lips- panting, cool downShow teeth but eyes wide open

Panting- worked/happyHappy Face- tongue out, relaxedYawning- bored, displacement behavior

blog.dog-and-bone.co.uk

BitingNot touching target

Teeth touching (no mark)

Inhibited biting

Full bite (injury)

Threats may or may not lead to aggression

What to ObserveVocalizations

Barking GrowlingWhining

Displacement BehaviorsYawning- tired or bored

Lip Licking- conditional

Grooming

Redirected aggression

animalconnectionac.wordpress.com 

Observations vs. Interpretations

Observing: short timedescribe what you see

Interpreting: take time not always accurate

Threatening gesturesDirect eye contact

Facing the dog

Leaning over the dog

Reaching for the dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHLnjiISsOo

Agonistic BehaviorAgonistic Behavior- threatened or challenged

behavior

Escape behaviors- body crouched

Submissive or appeasement behaviorsTail tuckEars floppy

Threats, either offensive or defensive

Aggression, either offensive or defensive

Threatening BehaviorOffensive threat/Aggression

Ears forwardTail between ears

Defensive threat/AggressionEars backTail tucked

www.ccrnatacna.org

AggressionMixed motivation

TerritorialEars back Tail wagging

http://www.dog-behavior-tips.com

AggressionFear- submissive

Possessive

Protective Member of social group

Hand shake, playing, hugging, etc.

Maternal

Dominance- directed toward unfamiliar

Predatory

Not aggression

Caused by cats, small child

Important Social Behaviors

Greetings among dogs

Greetings between dogs and people

Friendly and playful behavior

Displacement behaviors

Application Activity Get out a piece of paper.

Number the paper 1-8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIqQI57lA3w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtT9X4eT_Ss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3OamWUFCtE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxnAZcRXE1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C7QxVfYccA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZMlfrtmkds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_2qnI9e4CM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jUuj4YYzns

QUIZ9. What is agnostic behavior?

A. unexplained behavior

B. Resting, comfortable behavior

C. Threatened, challenged behavior

D. None of the above

10. Which of the following is a characteristic of a defensively threatening dog?

A. A submissive grin

B. Play bow

C. Tucked tail

D. Excessive licking

Quiz11. What should you look for when observing a dog’s behavior?

A. Ear positions

B. Tail positions

C. Overall body carriage

D. All of the above

12. Which of the following is a characteristic of aggressive behavior?

A. Dilated pupils

B. Eyes opened extra wide

C. Unwavering gaze

D. All of the above

Quiz13. A bored dog will show a __________ behavior.

A. Aggressive

B. Yawning

C. Territorial

D. None of the above

14. An aggressive dog will tend to have ______ ears.

A. Pricked

B. Floppy

C. Cropped

D. None of the above