Canine Behavior Vet Science

How Dogs Communicate Vocalizations Body Postures Direct Contact Scents or Smells

What to Observe Ear Positions Neutral Forward Alert Back Pricked ears Floppy ears- frightened or relaxed Cropped ears- hard to read

What to Observe Tail 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?

What to Observe Overall Body Carriage Relaxed or at ease Alert Stand erect Lean forward Crouched or cowering Afraid Play bow en.wikipedia.org

What to Observe Gaze Wide Narrowed Relaxed Focus of gaze- Direct? Avoidance? Scanning? Direct/prolonged- threatening Avoidance- fear, submission Scanning- blinking, relaxed Scrunch- threatening

What to Observe Dilated pupils- fear high arousal scanning environment nervous Extra Wide Unwavering gaze How open are the eyes? Scrunched look- attack mode Fixated gaze- attack modelaweekly.blogs.com

What to Observe Stance or Positioning Behavior worksheet

What to Observe Mouth Position/Baring Teeth Closed- Low arousal Barring teeth- attack mode Submissive grin Licking lips- panting, cool down Show teeth but eyes wide open Panting- worked/happy Happy Face- tongue out, relaxed Yawning- bored, displacement behavior blog.dog-and-bone.co.uk

Biting Not touching target Teeth touching (no mark) Inhibited biting Full bite (injury) Threats may or may not lead to aggression

What to Observe Vocalizations Barking Growling Whining

Displacement Behaviors Yawning- tired or bored Lip Licking- conditional Grooming Redirected aggression animalconnectionac.wordpress.com

Observations vs. Interpretations Observing: short time describe what you see Interpreting: take time not always accurate

Threatening gestures Direct eye contact Facing the dog Leaning over the dog Reaching for the dog sOo

Agonistic Behavior Agonistic Behavior- threatened or challenged behavior Escape behaviors- body crouched Submissive or appeasement behaviors Tail tuck Ears floppy Threats, either offensive or defensive Aggression, either offensive or defensive

Threatening Behavior Offensive threat/Aggression Ears forward Tail between ears Defensive threat/Aggression Ears back Tail tucked

Aggression Mixed motivation Territorial Ears back Tail wagging

Aggression Fear- 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

QUIZ 9. 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 submissive grin  Play bow  Tucked tail  Excessive licking

Quiz 11. 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

Quiz 13. 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