| Greeting behaviours |
Greeting |
To interact in a friendly and relaxed manner holding the ears back, showing much tail wagging and licking of the other’s mouth/muzzle. The subject however does not show crouching/lowered hindquarters nor is the tail tucked between the legs |
| Dominance behaviours |
Stand tall |
Subject straightens up to full height, with a rigid posture and tail, may include raised hackles, ears erect and tail perpendicular or above the back |
| Stand over |
To stand over another’s body, with all four paws on the ground and the tail above the plane of the back. The receiver may have either the whole body or just the forepaws under the actors’ belly/side |
| Paw on |
To place one or both forepaws on the other’s back |
| Ride up |
To mount another one from behind or from the side, exhibiting a thrusting motion |
| Head on |
The subject approaches another’s shoulder/back with the tail above the plane of the back and puts its head on it. Most of times formation looks like a capital “T” |
| Muzzle bite |
To grab the muzzle of another subject softly |
| Approach dominant |
To approach another subject within one body length for at least 5 s, with the tail perpendicular or above the plane of the back and the ears erect and pointed forward |
| Submissive behaviours |
Crouch |
Lowering the head, sometimes bending the legs, arching the back, lowering the tail between the hind legs, and avoiding eye contact |
| Passive submission |
To lie on the back showing the stomach and holding the tail between the legs. The ears are held back and close to the head and the subject raises a hind leg for inguinal presentation |
| Active submission |
The subject has its tail tucked between the hind legs sometimes wagging it while he is in a crouched position (with hindquarters lowered) and may attempt to paw and lick the side of actors’/aggressor’s muzzle. The behaviour may include urination |
| Withdrawing |
The subject withdraws from another moving away slowly in the opposite direction, displaying a submissive posture. It occurs when a subject has been threatened or attacked by another, or a fight has taken place |
| Flee |
To run away from another with tail tucked between the legs and body ducked. It occurs when a subject has been threatened or attacked by another, or after a fight |
| Avoidance |
In response to another reducing the distance towards it, the subject moves away displaying a submissive posture. The subject may also look at the individual he is trying to avoid |
| Approach submissive |
To slowly approach another within one body length remaining within that distance for at least 5 s. The approach is characterized by a ducked posture and tail between the legs. Subject can also be moving in a wavy line and in a hesitant (stop-start) manner |
| Aggressive behaviours |
Threat |
Subject orients towards another performing one or more of the following: staring intently at, curling of the lips, baring of the canines, raising the hackles, snarling, growling, and barking, sometimes with the tail perpendicular or above the back |
| Attack |
Running into or jumping onto another with tail, ears and sometimes hackles up, often with bites at the neck |
| Knock down |
To strike another subject sharply with the chest or shoulder so that the other falls to the ground |
| Pin |
To grab another at the neck or at the muzzle, forcing it down to the ground and holding it there |
| Chase |
A subject runs after a conspecific, exhibiting threatening behaviours (see ‘threat’ above) |
| Snapping |
To snap teeth into the air, noisily |
| Bite |
Bite a conspecific, without inhibition, with enough pressure to cause potential injury |
