Off and on and intercepted

Tags

canine body language, dog play, pit bulls

Bowpi can be a pretty flexible pile of puppydawg when in rest…

… and in action.

The pit bull’s owner was very conscientious about how rough her dog was playing with Bowpi, due to her size. “Is this okay? Can your dog play like this?” she kept asking. I forget sometimes that many people see Basenjis as “small” dogs, because they don’t display the kind of frailty one associates with toys and minis.

Bowpi does get overwhelmed by larger dogs pretty quickly, particularly during chase. She’s good at outrunning them in short bursts, but can’t quite match their stamina when they keep pursuing and eventually catch up and knock her over. This pit bull was just charging in on her terms though, persisting in roughhouse instead of actual chase. Yet, it seemed she was holding back and playing rather loosely, as far as I could tell from watching bullies play before. And to my surprise, Bowpi was actually reciprocating.

Like I told the pit bull’s owner, Bowpi can handle her own until she doesn’t want to anymore, and then she’ll make it clear when she’s had enough.

On that day, I realized that when Bowpi gets overwhelmed, one of her strategies (as a reader once suggested) really is to deliberately lead the overly exuberant pursuer into Bowdu. I used to think his refereeing was obtrusive, that he was being the killjoy to her chase games.

Well, I think Bowpi has figured out Bowdu’s habits, just as he’s learned to relax a bit when she wants to play chase. And they have learned to cover for each other, developing something that might be called effective teamwork.

When Bowpi started to have enough, I could see her breaking away, but this prompted the pit bull to start chasing instead. When she caught up, she’d try to roughhouse again, throwing all her weight into a galloping headbutt. Bowpi wasn’t having that anymore, so she led her straight towards Bowdu, who jumped right in to intercept the pit bull. After a few moments of all sorts of communicative microsignals that I couldn’t fully observe from my angle, Bowpi was able to slink away without being tailed again.

It was some good playing, and a good finale.

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Auricle check-ins

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canine body language

After all these years, I don’t think I can say that the Bows have bonded deeply to each other. But they do watch out for one another. As part of their membership in the inner circle, they’ve learned to give each other secret handshakes.

If they stray out of sight for a little longer than usual, the Bows will check in upon reunion. Sweet exchanges: a quick burrow into an ear, a brief nuzzle to the cheek.

Bowpi readily gets up close and personal with strange dogs, while Bowdu only permits such gestures in the most familiar company. Bonded or not, I’m proud of how far the relationship between these two has come.

Roll of 28, Day 23: Too much acreage for one panorama

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canine body language, dog parks, roll of 28

click for full-size image

I was catching up on one of my favorite dog blogs, Do You Believe in Dog, because the most recent post on dog park aggression caught my eye.

An excerpt from Julie Hecht’s post:

For dog owners, “aggression” doesn’t have to be this strange, unknown, out-of-the-blue thing. You don’t have to wait until your hand is bitten to learn about aggression. Heck, we could even argue that we learn less about aggression and conflict through actual experience. Ever hear anybody say: “OOOOoh! Now I get it! I now clearly see all the things that led up to that dog biting that other dog’s ear off. I will certainly not miss it next time”? To an untrained eye, witnessing conflict is usually very upsetting and scary, not something where you walk away with a deeper understanding of what actually went down or how it could have been avoided.

One reason I continue to advocate for the idea of dog parks, if not always the execution or the actual construction (cf. The Dog parks we don’t go to anymore) is because in an increasingly leashed world, dog parks are sites where I, as an average, conscientious dog owner, have learned much about both canine behavior and human social behavior as related to dog responsibility. The latter is the subject of an article by sociologist Patrick Jackson, “Situated activities in a dog park,” Society and Animals 20 (2012): 254-272. The article is also the target of some ire from The Science Dog, who reviewed it in depth.

I don’t have a lot of time to go into details at the moment, and I have yet to read the original article. At any rate, the professional reactions to the article and some of the follow-up responses are provocative to me. For one thing, I’m disappointed that articles like Jackson’s, based on case studies or anecdotal experience (which is also always regionally and culturally delimited), are often used to reinforce broad anti-dog park biases, especially when it’s very difficult to cast any incidences of “aggression” in a positive light. Secondly, when I peep in on conversations about dog parks, I am often struck by how people aren’t even talking about the same type of space; dog parks are as varied as parks in general. Hell, even I can’t claim consistency with what I call a dog park, as I could apply the same word to a variety of spaces within my own county — from the unfenced, multi-acre terrains as pictured above in today’s Roll of 28 post, to narrow concrete runs underneath noisy freeway bridges, to mulched and landscaped yet still claustrophobic, contained plots of land in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Third, I often wish there was a better way to steer humans towards individual responsibility and education, instead of automatically presenting dog parks as spaces where ignorance inevitably breeds. That’s why I appreciated Do You Believe in Dog’s perspective. As indicated in the above quote, if humans are as much the problem as their dogs (if not more!), then human training is necessarily in order. Fittingly, they include a good stash of links on reading canine behavior towards the bottom of the post (as they include carefully selected resources with every post — one of the reasons this is one of my favorite dog blogs).

Though it sounds like Jackson was a bit too impartial in his ethnographic analysis to make room for much agency in dog park human behavior, I will credit his statement that canine behavior “may only be gained through experience.” That is, if such “experience” includes coupling retrospective assessments of aggressive incidences along with active engagement in observing and understanding dog behavior. One can, I believe, reflect back and anticipate forward progress at the same time, specifically when it comes to learning more about how to live with our own dogs.

Expressions of alertness

Tags

canine body language, dog greetings, tails

When you’re trying to photograph multiple dogs, and you want them to look in the same direction, try walking another dog in their line of sight.

There’s a similar expression of alertness on both Bows’ faces, but their tails hint at how differently they regard an unknown, approaching dog.

Bowdu’s tail always remains high atop his back, and his whiskers will pull ever so slightly forward half a second before he marches forward with a slightly stiff, guarded greeting. He wants to know who’s entering his space, but he’s not interested in making friends. Often, his tail will wag vigorously as he checks out the other dog’s undercarriage, but it’s more an indication of his arousal than of his friendliness. Greetings are like border patrol checks to him, and to maintain vigilance against unlawful trespass, he refuses to allow any of his muscles to even suggest that he’s willing to yield.

By contrast, when Bowpi sees a strange dog, her tail will gently unfurl and coil downwards. Hers is a fairly relaxed tail; she’s not scared or upset, and not tightly tucking her tail underneath or between her legs. Her tail never wags for other dogs, and certainly not in a down position. I take it both as an expression of her own anticipation, and her signal to other dogs that she’s non-confrontational and friendly. Other dogs seem to get the message, anyway, and readily accept Bowpi’s inspections whereas Bowdu just makes other dogs nervous if he starts to ramp up the interrogation.

Waiting, watching

Tags

anthropomorphism, canine body language

Sort of related to my previous post on the communicative range of canine bodies —

I’m not denying the natural urge to anthropomorphize and to read, sometimes with great clarity, the emotional status of a dog through his head alone.

It’s just that this is where we, as humans, typically refer when trying to interpret meaning. The eyes, in particular, are where we look in the absence of speech. Great communicators will often pick up additional facial cues, because words are frequently insufficient on their own.

Perhaps we could all be more empathetic towards our own kind if we were given license to stare, because humans also express a lot with our entire bodies. The purpose of observation is not to chart a strict anatomical glossary, or learn how to read every twitch and turn “correctly.” Rather, the process itself would teach us to appreciate how meticulously we must consider our subject before we really get to know them. When you watch another long enough, even the slightest changes in posture, the slope and curve of a turned back, can tell you so much that language cannot… and that level of communication is simply amazing.

But the feelings behind these physical cues might be expressed quite differently by another creature. So you have to constantly recalibrate, figure out again just what you’re looking at or for.

Even if you can’t articulate the precise significance, it’s important to recognize when change, even a subtle shift, has happened before your eyes. Truly, no storm comes out of the blue.

Snapping into action

Tags

canine body language, dog play, golden retriever, play bow

Maggie, a leggy, athletically built Golden Retriever, is quite an attractive dog in motion.

Bowpi thought she looked like fun, too.

She had a hard time convincing her to just drop the ball and play chase!

While watching them, I was surprised that Bowpi was actually air snapping around the Goldie’s face at several points. I frequently see her do this at the flanks of running dogs, but seldom around their heads.

Luckily, Bowpi chooses her playmates wisely, as this Goldie knew how to read her cues. I think a well-socialized dog would understand that as a clear invitation to play, though some could find it annoying.

Bowpi was doing her best to engage Maggie, but she wasn’t holding back during the chase either. Maggie seemed to lose interest pretty quickly. At least the orange ball flies in a straight line, a much more reasonable pursuit than an erratic, zig-zagging Basenji.

Sound sensitivity and Bowpi’s body language

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canine body language, fearful dogs, fireworks, july fourth, sound sensitivity, tails

I watch my dogs’ tails carefully, as they can communicate so much. Both Bows have tails that are typically curled over their backs, so a dropped, semi-straight tail often indicates their stress or bad mood. Of course, their tails will uncurl naturally when they’re lying down and relaxed. However, if they’re standing at alert, and their tails are down, I make sure to watch carefully for signs of an impending reaction.

Bowpi, in particular, has gotten flightier in response to outdoor sounds this past year. I’ve mentioned that she displays a heightened sensitivity to certain kinds of sounds. Things that pop, crack, smack, click, thump, and boom will cause her to skitter: a soda can being opened, the sound of me trimming my nails (though she’s fine with the Dremel), a pile of books being dropped on a desk, etc. At best, she just skulks off, perhaps glancing back with a knitted brow before disappearing from the room. At worst, the sounds will send her flying off in panic, as happened once when we rounded a corner at one off-leash park and encountered a whole field of people played cricket, of all things. Not baseball, not softball (which are also pretty terrifying to Bowpi), but CRICKET, with those long, flat smackywhacky paddle things. The horror! She completely lost her mind and went hiding in the tall grass for an interminable five minutes or so before I was finally able to coax her out.

The acoustic environment of the Bay makes some days quite tense for Bowpi. We hear this sporadic, low thump which echoes across the entire landscape. It’s like the sound of a flat kickball being punted through the air, but we can’t pinpoint its origin. Perhaps things getting jostled around on some nearby loading docks? Whatever the source, the sound really makes Bowpi nervous, so I put her on leash and truncate our park excursion.

When things are really bad, Bowpi strains at the end of the leash until we get to the car. Meanwhile, Bowdu is completely cool and unaffected. His calm does not seem to rub off on her. Even if he is fazed, he just doesn’t have the same kind of flight response that she does.

Nevertheless, both Bows are actually quite tolerant of July Fourth fireworks. Evening walks can be a struggle, but when they’re in the house or even the yard, both dogs deal with the noise pretty well. We don’t have to deal with any trembling, whimpering, howling, or other dramatics. Bowpi just tucks in and acts very sleepy. Only the frequent twitch and swivel of her ears reveals that she remains on alert.

How Bowpi deals with the Fourth of July

Obsequious undergrads at the end of the semester

Tags

canine body language, submissive dogs

Bowdu must understand how I feel at the end of the semester, when students start flooding me with apologies for their lackluster performance…

* timid knock on office door *

Oh look at that. A new face to my office hours right at the end of the semester. What can I possibly do for you?

Well hi yeah, I was calculating my grades and I’m really scared that I won’t get an A in this class because you see I’m gonna be a doctor and if I don’t keep a perfect 4.0 my pre-med sorority is going to kick me out so PLEASE is there ANYTHING I can do so I don’t RUIN THE REST OF MY LIFE??

Well you know if you had come to talk to me when you got your FIRST B+ on your paper — which is a great grade, by the way — maybe you wouldn’t be feeling so desperate now when there’s nothing you can do.

Yeah but it’s JUST a paper about literature it’s not supposed to be this hard! And by the way, we wrote our second-year Chinese final skit about this class and it’s hellafunny so maybe we could present it in the last fifteen minutes of discussion for extra credit —

CHILDREN! Get out of my face! If you had actually done the assigned readings and contributed thoughtfully to sections, you wouldn’t have to be groveling for points now!

Gawl, what an unhelpful JERK! This class sucks why is it even required for the major?

New student lurking outside the office: I’m just minoring in this because I thought it would look good, but it’s bringing down my GPA. My REAL major is way more important. This class is going to rob me of future opportunities to solve the global energy crisis. FML.

* The roles of the obsequious undergrads played here by Pejë and Wall-E, two very sweet pups who greet every dog by licking their muzzle. Bowdu generally has issues with overenthusiastic dogs that get in his face, but these two are so ingratiating, he can only respond with a more “restrained” roar and snarl, which is all it takes to get them to back off.

Guess what happens next…

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canine body language

Read the body language…

… is it obvious what’s going to happen next? Check behind the cut to see if you were right!

Face greeter

Tags

boxers, canine body language, corgis, dog greetings, poodles

Bowpi doesn’t hesitate to greet other dogs face first.

First she finds what the other dog’s breath is made of. Then she tests out the other end…