He is in Conflict!

Deuce brings his ball to me so that we can play one of his favorite games. As I am trying to get the ball from him, he tightens his jaw with the ball in his mouth. I remove my hand from under his chin and I turn away. No release of the ball, no throwing of the ball.

He tries again and this time he lets go of the ball. I throw it for him and he returns back with the ball “talking” happily through it and lying down with his favorite possession.

We play like this for a few minutes with me having to remove my hand as I ignore him for not releasing the ball. This is a perfect example of a dog being in conflict.

He wants possession of his ball, but he also wants me to throw it for him so that he can go after the ball and hopefully stop it from moving. Animals are in conflict all the time. It is an excellent survival mechanism to keep them safe. Most conflict involves having to make a choice amongst two or more options: Drop the ball or hold on to it, go say hi and get a treat or remain safe at a distance, etc.

Think of it, we are in conflict a lot of times as well. Should I order this entrée? Or this one? Or my third choice? Should I tell my friend that I saw her significant other with someone else or mind my own business?

For dogs, conflict for the most part, falls more in the realm of being safe but not always. In the case of Deuce and his ball it is more about guarding an important possession.

When dogs are in conflict they can engage in behaviors called Displacement Behaviors. They are called Displacement Behaviors because they are performed out of their normal context. Examples of them are yawing, but not because the dog just woke up from a nap; lip licking as in licking its chops, but not in the presence of food; or shaking their body as if wet, but the dog is not wet.

More typical examples are: dogs yawning when feeling uncomfortable about an interaction or an event, lip licking once or many times in quick succession, shaking, looking away from what concerns them, a paw raise -  sitting while raising a paw, lip licking or yawning, arching their body in a greeting, walking slowly or standing still when interacting.

Displacement Behaviors are also referred as “calming signals” - since it is commonly thought that animals engage in them in order to “calm” a potential threat. Or perhaps to calm themselves down when they feel threatened or nervous.

So far, there is no evidence as to the motivation (or motivations) behind them.

As the case might be, animals partake in displacement behaviors when they are in conflict. The conflict might be mild - keep the ball, release the ball or more complex as it would be the case of a dog that is afraid of someone’s proximity, but also wants the treats the person is offering. As you can appreciate, if the dog approaches the person while still concerned or afraid it might turn out that the proximity is more than the animal can handle resulting in aggression. This is always a bad situation for both parties!

Whenever I am working with a dog that might feel threatened by the interaction, my priority is to make sure I do not put that dog in conflicting as my safety depends on this.

So for example: I never give treats at close proximity to a dog when I noticed he is conflicted, instead, I throw treats AWAY from me in order to create some distance.

This procedure besides relaxing the dog a bit also allows me to ascertain if the dog is becoming more comfortable with the interaction as he chooses to come closer to me and remains relaxed. Keeping in mind that behavior is more of a movie – always running than a “still frame" is also very important - things can change in a split second.

The fact of the matter is that if we become more cognizant of the subtle, yet present signs of a dogs becoming stressed we could help the dog relax in all sorts of situations that elicit fear or concern such as interacting with new people, other dogs or “scary” stimuli in the environment by either giving them distance or changing something in the environment such as angle of approach, etc. or just allowing the dog to take its time in interacting when ready.

Displacement Behaviors

Every Tuesday I go to a yoga class. I like this class because it is gentle and a great opportunity to stretch after working out hard throughout the week.

On this particular Tuesday, the class was packed more than usual. I noticed that the teacher, Debbie, was becoming a bit frustrated because there was not enough props to go around and she could not get to everyone with a hint of how to make the pose work better for them. As her tension became apparent to me, I began to tense up myself. My mind began to wonder. And I began to think about… dogs.

My response to my teacher’s stress is something I see very often in our dogs as a reaction to our own frustration, stress or plain lack of clear communication when we engage with them as to what we want them to do.

I was reading about a study that showed the effect on the blood pressure of the dogs being studied. The conclusions of the study pointed out to the dog’s blood pressure going up when a person – even a person the dog knew well walked head-on towards them. Now, when the person walked on an arch towards the dog the dog’s blood pressure did not rise. Ah! What sensitive animals they are! To read more about the study visit: www.dogpulse.com.

Dogs are keenly aware of our body language - I think everyone has heard this before. But what most people don't know is how exactly and what exactly is their dog communicating back!

In yet another study, researchers discovered that the subject’s of the study (average dog owners) where actually quite accurate in interpreting what the dog’s language meant. They could differentiate by looking at the dog if the dog was fearful, playful, etc.

This is all good news! However, what concerns me is that pet parents and people in general miss on a regular basis, subtle signs of stress and discomfort that can lead to aggression in dogs.

Once the person is made aware of these subtle, yet very important communication they  need to learn to “interpret” what they mean and learn to act accordingly. Behavior is always context specific and this is part of the learning for us.

Take, for example, what is called Displacement behaviors (also known in the nonscientific literature as “calming-signals”). Displacement behaviors are behaviors that a dog exhibits when he/she is conflicted. They are called displacement behaviors because they occur in an out-of-context or non-typical scenario. Here is a good example: A dog is hugged by someone; the dog responds by yawning while being hugged or just after begin released from the hug.

One can assume that the dog is yawning because he is tired - which could be true, however the dog yawning as a consequence to being hugged is most probably a sign of distress, and not being tired.

Another example of a ubiquitous displacement behavior: The dog encounters something that he feels mild concern or distress over. The interaction ends and as a result, the dog shakes- as if the dog was wet and wanting to rid himself of excess water.

The jury is still out as to what these forms of communication “really mean”. Is it that the dog is trying to calm himself? Calm the person or animal he feels conflicted about?

While the ultimate “meaning” of these behaviors is still being debated it is well understood in the behavioral sciences that dogs (other animals as well) feel conflicted often. Conflict in turn can lead to stress or escape/avoidance behaviors from what the animal finds threatening. So, if we are unsure as to what they are trying to communicate how then should we react?

Now here is what I tell my clients: Observe your dog closely as you interact with her. Observe dogs interacting with each other. How do they interact with one another?

What makes them come close to the other dog? What makes them move away or cry uncle as a result of interacting with another dog?

Also, when engaging with your dog - say when you hug her, walk directly towards her, raise a hand, raise your voice, pick her up, etc. Is her body relaxed? Mouth and eyes also relaxed and soft? Is she moving away from you or towards you –as if wanting more?

Once in the habit of observing our dogs (observation is a continuum by the way– with responses constantly changing in response to stimuli) we must honor what our dogs are trying to communicate to us. Start here: If the dog moves away after a certain interaction, honor that and find other ways of interacting with your pup that elicits wanting more behavior instead.