Someone Grab a Muzzle You Dont Know Shit

What a great chat nosotros've had nigh these behaviors in dogs. I originally posted on this topic on Oct 10th, and the comments in response take been fascinating. For those of you who'd rather not read through them, I'll summarize them here, and add some information I've found elsewhere.

Kickoff of all, I did look at some of the wolf literature (still waiting to hear from folks who piece of work with wolves), and I did find that Zimen, an internationally respected wolf ethologist, discusses 2 of these behaviors in his wolf sociogram in Wolves of the World. I'll add his comments in the relevant section.

MUZZLES PUNCHES/POKES: As best I could, I categorized your responses about the context of muzzle punches into four categories: Excited/Playful, Attention Getting, Warnings with potential Aggressive Intent and Affectionate. Here's how the responses sorted out (as of this writing, there were 81 responses, note some responses contained multiple examples):

Excited/Playful 14

Attention Getting 30

Warnings: xiii

Affectionate: 0

The consensus is strong, and I couldn't concord more, that context and other postural signals hateful everything hither. Several of you, wisely, distinguished between 'cage punches' and 'cage pokes,' the onetime being much more forceful than the latter. I appreciate that distinction–I am going to start calling much of what I used to telephone call a 'punch' a 'poke' (is there a song here?). I besides agree completely that, as someone quoted me (give thanks y'all!) "It depends," as being the answer to all behavioral questions.

A muzzle punch given to the face from a dog who had been giving you a hard, cold stare straight into your optics is something altogether dissimilar from a domestic dog who pokes you in the back of the leg to, presumably, go your attention. I would be extremely concerned about a dog who gave me a hard, straight stare and so 'cage punched' me.

Information technology seems to me there are at least three letters here: Pokes: one) YO! YOU! Pay attention to ME! or 2) YO! You! Wanna chase me? Wanna play? Wanna react in some way for heaven's sake?" and (Punch) 3) I'thousand alert y'all… back off. I also recall in that location is a possibly fourth component here related to herding dogs. Willie changed from biting at my ankles as a puppy when I ran to the phone into muzzle punching the back of my leg when I ran to the phone to racing 2 inches behind me while I turned my head and said "Willlllllll………." to keep him from dial/poking the dorsum of my leg as I run to the phone. I've seen this kind of reactivity and mouthiness in a lot of herding dogs. Yesterday Volition played with a 6 month old BC puppy who has just started trying to grab at annihilation that moves, in this example a walking stick. Will does the aforementioned matter: pick up a hose, and Will wants to grab it. Pick up a lamb, and Will wants to take hold of it. In the example of the pup, it was very clear that information technology was extremely  hard for him not to react to the moving stick…..GOTTA Terminate THAT THING FROM MOVING!!!

I was interested that Zimen described these muzzle poke/punches (exactly every bit done to Tulip in the video from the showtime post) as a wolf "apace pushing its nose into the other'due south fur…". He categorizes it as a neutral social contact, neither offensive or defensive, and speculates that it relates to "olfactory command." I'm not sure what he means by that, and I'm not convinced that when dogs do it information technology has anything to practice with scent. Although.. I've taught Will to sniff on cue (not exactly rocket science, hey?) and I've found that he will often push button his nose into something I'm belongings him to aroma. But then, I've taught him "Touch on" too, and my guess is that he's confounding the two a bit….

AIR SNAPS

Excited/Playful 14

Attention Getting one

Warnings: 11

Appreciating: 1

Interesting difference with "Muzzle Punches," hey? Several of you have seen your dogs practice it in what sounds like advisable play, only only i of you described information technology in an Attention Getting context. Regarding "Aggressive warning" versus "Playful", surely this is all the same another case of context and other signals being critical to interpretation. Thinking back (always dangerous), information technology does seem to me that I've generally seen them in a context I'd either describe as a warning (in response to "Lie Down" for example, with directly stare to my confront) or in play. Again, information technology seems that an air snap from a playful domestic dog with a loose body, partially open oral cavity, squinty eyes would hateful something very unlike than a dog who turned and snapped at your paw while yous were trying to groom. That may be 1 of import distinction: is there any obvious target of the snap, or is the dog only snapping in the air?

Molar CLACKING

Excited/Playful 10

Attention Getting 3

Warnings: 3

Appreciating:0

Clearly, fewer of you lot have seen this beliefs, and I have to say I've probably seen it least of the 3 myself. I have seen a few client's dogs who stared right at my face and molar clacked, usually in response to a cue I had given them (similar to the lie down cue above.). In that case I perceived it as a alarm. Like many of y'all, I've seen dogs exercise it when they were aroused, ordinarily during play. One of you mentioned, and I idea this was very interesting, that her dogs did it afterward their arousal levels increased during play, and the play stopped (arousal inhibition?) for a while after the clacking.

Zimen, past the fashion, calls this "Snap Clatter," I lovely description I wish I'd thought of myself. He describes it in the packs he'southward watched every bit an "Aggressive Behavior involving inhibited biting," and as a "noisy beat out made by the teeth when jaws hit together." Information technology is very different from the much more rapid jaw movement of an extremely excited dog, which most people call Molar Chattering. By the way, there are 3 other deportment that were introduced by your comments: Smile, Nibbling and the Jaw Chattering associated with "Flehman," when male mammals test urine for the presence of the molecules associated with oestrous cycles. I call back smiling deserves its ain post (as requested) and to the commentor whose dog nibbles on her like an ear of corn, Yeah! It's social preparation and is motivated by affiliative and friendly behavior. No fleas on you!

Hither are two photos, taken by a vet student friend and colleague (and owner of the lovely Dobbie, Miska) illustrating some other posutre described by Zimen: He only calls information technology "Imposing  Behavior" in which one wolf stands next to another, body lifted every bit if by balloons, head upward and tail up.  Miska is the ONLY dog that Will has e'er met who is faster than he is, and she is one of the but females he has played with very much (mostly due to who he's met, I tin't say yet if he has a gender preference). In my mind, Will is absolutely gobsmacked by Miska. He can't become enough of playing with her, tries to stop her forwards motion whenever he can (a few weeks ago he ran in front end of her and lunged toward her, she responded with a half a second worth of bowwow fury (she was most appropriate). Later that, Willie was even more enamored of her (it seemed) simply ran outruns around her rather than body blocks, air snaps or muzzle punches to stop her moving forrard. He appears to be fascinated by her, but is very nervous–tongue flick-ey, snake headed, Willie's evil twin-y in the house. (ie, he's terrified of not beingness able to control her in the house, which seems vitally important to him.)

Pretty gorgeous, isn't she! I dear Will's face in this ane and the image of 6 month quondam Max trying to keep up and play with the big kids…. Thanks to Lesanna for the photos! Me thinks Willie's in honey.

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Source: https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/muzzle-punches-air-snaps-and-tooth-clatters-revisited

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