EXCERPT © KIM MILES, REPRINTED FROM FLORIDA LUPINE NEWS PAGE 1
Reading & Understanding Canines….
By Kim Miles
| Reading a Canine Many of the behavior traits and body movements or positionings can be applied universally to all canines. The problems many may encounter when reading a canine are when the specific breed has been genetically or surgically altered to such an extent that the animal can no longer communicate through traditional methods: ear positioning, tail positioning, raised hackles, etc. For example, the ears may be too long to stand, or the tail may have been cropped, or the coat may be so short that it fails to indicate that hackles are up — all of which can cause problems in humans being able to accurately read a canine. Genetics and surgical alterations notwithstanding, the body language in this article focuses specifically on wolves, but since all dogs are descended from the wolf — some quite recently — the body language of the wolf applies to all canines. After learning wolf behavior, you may see that many dogs — even those who have been altered — exhibit similar body language to as great an extent as is physically possible. Because they are highly social animals, wolves have a very sophisticated communication system — in both body language and verbal language. They use their whole bodies when communicating. To successfully read a canine, one must collectively assess the canine's complete body language: head position, tail position, eye contact, ear position, hackles, etc. The figures below illustrate facial expressions (Fig. 1) and tail positioning (Fig. 2). Below |
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Figure 2: Wolf’s Expressive Tail Positions (A) Self-confidence; (B) Aggressive, threatening; (C) Imposing attitude with insecure threat; (D) Self-assured (lifted from the base is slight aggression); (E) Worry to defensive (depending on lift of tail at base and curl at tip); (F & G) Normal attitude; (H) Between normal & threat/defensive; (I) Friendly subordination; (J & K) Total subordination (J is friendly; K is fearful). |
1) Ears erect (1A) & tail in position 2A, 2F, 2G, or
2H — the animal is alert, listening and assimilating.
2) Ears erect (1A, 1B, or 1C) & tail is in position 2H
and 2E (depending upon the lift of tail at the base)
and 2C and 2B — the animal is becoming
increasingly aggressive, respectively. The more the
tail lifts and the ears are up and angled forward, the
more aggression the animal is showing.
3) Ears flattened and out to the side (1E, 1D, 1G, or 1H) & tail is in position 2D, 2F, 2J or 2K--the animal is indicating neutral to increasing submission or fear, respectively. The more submissive/afraid, the more the tail will curl between the legs to the belly and the ears will flatten to the side. The more fear aggression present (1H and 1I coupled with 2E and 2H), the more the ears lift, angling forward (1I, 1F and 1C, respectively), and the more the tail rises (2E, 2H and 2B, respectively).
4) Ears flattened and straight back — the animal is
angry, probably afraid and angry. The more afraid,
the more the tail will tuck between the legs; the
more angry, the higher the tail will be raised, out
and away from the body.
5) Raised hackles are also indicative of aggression/
anger and can also accompany fear aggression.
As mentioned before,
ALL body, tail, and
facial positions must be
observed collectively.
Watching the ear
positions without noting
the full facial features,
the position of the tail,
and the body stance will
provide you with less
than half the picture.
Look at the positions
holistically and you will
better understand and
more effectively read
and communicate with
your canine. A knowledge
of canine behavior
is vital when trying to
“read” canines; therefore,
the next section
will address the social
behavior of wolves: the
social structure of the
wolf pack and the interactions
of wolves with
their packmates.
Social Hierarchy
North American wolves are extremely social animals
and live in groups called packs. The packs can vary
in size, usually according to the abundance or dearth
of prey. For example, the wolf packs of Alaska's
Denali National Park — preying primarily on
moose — can number into the twenties; but in
Minnesota wolf packs typically number under ten
because of the smaller abundance of prey.
However, North American wolf packs generally
consist primarily of the alpha mating pair and their
offspring or relatives. In fact, they are similar to the
extended family structure of man. North American
wolves have a rigid social structure that is based on a
dominance hierarchy. An alpha (dominant) pair leads
the pack, but neither the male nor the female is
necessarily the top leader.
In his book Of Wolves and Men, Barry Lopez
contends that the alpha male is at the top of the male
hierarchy, and the alpha female is at the top of the
female hierarchy. But they work in tandem, not only
deciding where and when to move; but also deciding
where, when, and what to hunt. However, during the
breeding season, the alpha female is responsible for
choosing the den site, thus determining where the
pack will live for the next couple of months.
Both alphas are almost always involved in the
hunts — with the exception of the time during the
birthing of the pups and for a few weeks thereafter.
The alpha female will generally stay with the pups in
the den (or near the den area) for their first three
weeks. The alpha male and other pack members will
bring food back for the female and then for the pups
as they get older. When the pups are old enough, the
alpha female may continue her duties as huntress
while a lower-ranking “nanny” stays behind to
watch over the pups.
Next in the hierarchy is the beta of the pack. The
beta can be male and/or female. In some cases, the
beta will also breed. One of the documentaries on
the Discovery Channel recorded an instance when an
alpha male had lost his mate and had allowed the
beta male to breed with the new alpha female. But a
female beta breeding along with a female alpha is
uncommon and usually occurs only when food is in
abundance.
The rest of the members of the pack are the
subordinates; these members are subordinate to the
leaders (and to the betas, if any are present in the
pack) and are dominant over those younger than
them: the juveniles and pups. A mini dominance
hierarchy can also be found within this group, as
well as within the juvenile/pup group. But there is
one difference between these groups: the alphas,
betas and subordinates will form their mini hierarchy
according to sex; the pups will form their hierarchy
without regard for the sex of the individuals.
In some packs, there is one male or female wolf
called the “omega.” This wolf lives on the fringes of
the wolf society and is usually the last to eat,
sometimes going without if food is scarce. This wolf
will also be likely to travel outside and a little off
from the rest of the pack, trailing at a distance. Lopez
makes one interesting observation when he discusses
the omega being a displaced alpha or beta: “If he was
once dominant and abused animals from that
position, he will likely be abused in turn. If he was
benevolent as an alpha animal, he will be treated
kindly.”
One more word before I end this section. I want to
include a brief “lesson” that Lopez mentioned with
regard to momma wolf teaching her young pups and
the level of intelligence that was displayed:
A female wolf left four or five pups alone in a
rendezvous area in the Brooks Range one
morning and set off down the trail away from
them. When she was well out of sight, she
turned around and lay flat in the path watching
her back trail. After a few moments, a pup
who had left the rendezvous area trotted riskly over a rise in the trail and came face to
face with her. She gave a low bark. He stopped
short, looked about as though preoccupied
with something else, then, with a dissembling
air, began to edge back the way he had come.
His mother escorted him back to the
rendezvous site and departed again. This time
she didn't bother watching her back trail.
Apparently the lessen had taken, for all the pups stayed put until she returned that
evening.
Would that human parents maintained as much
control over their children — and that human
children listened so well. . . .
NOTE: Although this article focuses primarily on
wolves, both posturing and hierarchies are found in
dogs and in wolfdogs. It is usually more watered
down in these animals due to selective breeding,
domestication and environment. Man provides most
of the dog’s needs; therefore, even though posturing
and pack dynamics are still present in domestic dogs,
they aren’t crucial to their survival.
This information was reprinted with permission of The
Wolfdog ~ located at
http://www.fiu.edu/~milesk/behavior.htm#READING%20&%20UNDERSTANDING
and is
Copyright © 2002, Kim Miles.
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