Dominant Comfort...........

[urchin]

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This is likely to be a bit of a ramble, and i'm not sure if I'll actually get to the point at all but anyway.........

Something Dij does has got me thinking

Digit is most definitely top dog out of my two - but he is generally pretty indulgent with Bloggs (so long as bones aren't involved).

Bloggs hates the car - when I first had him he would throw up on even the shortest journeys - I've done a lot of work on this and he's loads better - but still sits and frets and pants whenever we drive anywhere.

I usually have them both seat belted in the back. When Bloggs starts to fret, Dij very deliberately hooks his head over the back of Bloggs' neck. Now everything I've read tells me this is a dominance gesture (and Dij won't tolerate it from Bloggs, even for a moment)....but it seems like Dij is using it to say 'look littl'un it's ok, I'm the big doggy and I'm telling you there's nothing to worry about'

Bloggs certainly takes comfort from it and calms down considerably.

It isn't just Dij looking for a handy head rest btw - if Bloggs sits up, Dij will lie with his head craned right back, so that it's still on the back of his neck.

Has anyone else noticed their dogs doing things that seem to be using their dominant status to look after others?

Does anyone else have a dog who does this?

Does anyone have an alternative explanation for what Dij might be doing?

lol told you it was a ramble!

 

[FeeFee]

My dogs often do this when they are greeting one another, and in that situation I don't think it's anything to do with dominance at all, it's just a friendly gesture/reassurance.

The more I see of dog body language the more I realise how complex it is, the same thing can have different meanings in different contexts. I also think a lot of things often attributed to dominance are to do with status/leadership (which is quite different) or even protectiveness, which it might be in this case.

 

[Rae]

Very interesting - I find the pack behaviour totally fascinating too. Leia is a dreadful traveller too we usually arrive at our destination to find the other covered in her slaver I have noticed Star doing the same to her but thought she was just resting her head - it didnt make any difference to Leia at all, but Leia is above Star in the pack so perhaps it was no reassurance?

 

[Fleesh]

Blaze is a grumble bum, she has a good grump when anyone tries to lay with her, Kerri the eldest simply gets in the bed behind her and puts her head across Blaze's neck as if to say "you're not the boss of me, now shut up".

If something is "scary" you'll find Kerri's 2 pups the litter sisters Jessi and Bumpy-Dog curled up together chest to chest with necks intertwined over each others backs or chests, necks and heads side by side watching the proceedings.

When out for walks off-lead they have an interesting pack behaviour, it's always been established that although not the mose assertive Kerri is pack leader as far as the whippet pack goes. On a walk she walks by me, when we spot another dog or person coming towards us Blaze, Talli and Jessi immediately double back and return to me walking behind or by my side, as the person gets closer they all stay by until we get past the person and they're told they can "get on". However if there's another dog Kerri will break away from the pack and approach it alone as if to say "who are you and where do you come from", she's never aggressive but I she waits until the rest of her pack are away ahead until she continues on her way. I think it stems from her being approached by a large dog when she was out with Blaze and her pups when they were 14 weeks old. Blaze was on a lead due to being in season and she was going mad snarling and snapping, Kerri approached the large dog head on and refused to let it pass, they kept the pups between them.

Little brag about my clever Bumpy dog here, she has fantastic recall :wub: . I was in the woods walking and she and her sister took off across the adjacent field, down to the bottom and across by the embankment towards a horse's paddock. She was 300-400yds away from me going full tilt racing her sister with one whistle from me she turned back immediately and ran full tilt back to me with sister in tow. Or course if they were within sight of fluffy lunch and not just general hunting then it would have been a different matter :- " .

 

[imperative]

My lot do this too.

Have caught myself doing this too at the vets :blink: when dogs being examined,seems to calm them