Canine Play Behavior: The Science of Dogs at Play by Mechtild Käufer

Canine Play Behavior: The Science of Dogs at Play by Mechtild Käufer

Author:Mechtild Käufer [Käufer, Mechtild]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dogwise Publisher
Published: 2014-09-16T07:00:00+00:00


Two puppies are displaying submissive muzzle licks toward their mother.

The authors of the study give two caveats to their results: (1) according to their observations, older dogs do show a greater degree of self-handicapping behavior toward puppies, but that this has yet to be tested, and (2) they did not find any way to measure passive self-handicapping, such as when the dominant partner withholds force and exercises restraint when biting, jostling, or pinning the play partner to the floor.

Bloch observed in his research that three males who lived together in a group of free ranging dogs in Italy “were busy with tactical maneuvers and status relations” and never played with each other (Bloch 2007). This observation also contradicts the contention that dogs establish dominance relations and social status during play.

The six images that follow show play between two trusted play partners, a Dachshund puppy and an older, more ‘dominant’ dog. Note that both dogs adopt voluntary selfhandicapping postures and the older dog, through the use or a raised paw and a play bow, assures the puppy that he is just playing. There is no evidence here that the older dog is trying to exert dominance over his play partner.



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