Canine Communication & Body Language Flashcards
What is the definition of:
Dominant Animal
Higher status. Exercising influence or control over another.
What is the definition of:
To Dominate
To control by superior authority.
What is the definition of:
Subordinate
Belonging to a lower rank.
What is the definition of:
Submission
Yielding to the authority of another.
What is the definition of:
Hierarchy
- Group organized according to rank.
- Used to keep order within the group.
What are the “Determinants of Dominance”?
- Size: bigger dog has higher status.
- Breed Temperament
- Individual Personality
- Sex: males have higher status.
- Territory: one in a home has more territory. New pet.
- Age: at social maturity, may try to move up in status. Very young and very old usually have less status.
- Health Status: healthy dog has higher status than a chronically ill dog.
Why do you need to know how to read dog communication signals?
- To evaluate dogs motivation.
- To communicate effectively.
- To avoid misinterpretations.
What are the types of communication singles?
- Visual: body language, distance, marking.
- Olfactory
- Auditory
- Tactile
What do you read when looking at body language?
- Body posture.
- Ear position.
- Tail position.
- Facial expressions (mouth, muzzle, forehead, eyes, whiskers)
What indicates submissive / fearful body posture?
- Roll over.
- Crouched body.
- Turn away from fearful thing.
- Trembling
What indicates dominant / confident body posture?
- Weight shifted forward.
- Standing tail.
- Body position in relation to others.
What indicates ambivalent body posture?
- Signals conflict.
- Read the biting end.
What indicates arousal in body posture?
- Piloerection.
- Dilated pupils.
- Wagging tail.
What does a raised paw indicate?
- Play
- Appease
- Fear
- Pointing
What does mounting indicate?
- Play
- Dominance
- Sex
What does a play bow indicate?
- Solicits play
- Implies everything after is in context of play.
What ear position indicates submissive / fearful?
- Flattened
- Back
What ear position indicates dominant / confident?
- Upright
- Forward
What tail position indicates submissive / fearful?
- Lowered tail
- Between legs
What tail position indicates dominant / confident?
- Vertical
- Over the back
What tail position indicates neutral?
Different for each dog.
What facial expression indicate submissive / fearful?
- Muzzle smooth
- Forehead flat
- Eyes narrow
- Whiskers folded back
- Whale eye
- Averts gaze
- Eyes small
- Darting
- Licking lips
- Horizontal grin
What facial expression indicates dominant / confident?
- Vertical lip retraction
- Muzzle wrinkled
- Eyes staring
- Eyes big
- Whiskers forward
What facial expression indicates neutral?
- Eyes soft
- Mouth relaxed
- Muzzle smooth
What is a displacement behavior?
A normal behavior shown out of context.
What are some displacement behaviors?
- Yawning
- Grooming
- Sniffing
What are the different distances?
- Personal space
- Flight distance
- Withdrawal distance
What is personal space distance?
Space immediately surrounding dog.
-If entered, and dog is comfortable:
~submissive body language
-If entered, and dog is uncomfortable:
~try to move away
~aggression
What is flight distance?
Distance at which escape behavior occurs.
What is withdrawal distance?
Distance the dog runs away (how far).
Why do dogs mark?
Signals sent to someone else, ie: another dog.
What are visual signals of marking?
- Scratch ground
- Urine marks
What are olfactory signals?
Scent marking. -Signals intolerance or dominance to another. -Territory, anxiety. -Stimuli to mark. ~familiar and conspicuous objects ~novel objects
Why do dogs scent mark with urine?
- Cover previous marks.
- More common in males.
Do dogs scent mark with feces, how?
- Uncommon
- Handstand position
How do dogs scent mark with scent rubbing?
- Roll on bad smelling substance.
- Rub head and neck on vertical objects.
What are pheromones and what are they used for?
Chemical substances excreted or secreted. Used for intraspecies communication.
- found in urine: advertise territory, rank, gender.
- nursing mothers to calm puppies.
