In a natural, undomesticated setting, dogs live in packs largely comprised of family members. Adult dogs mostly demonstrate parental behavior (patience and tolerance) toward the pack’s younger members, but they also demonstrate cooperation and competition among other adults in the group. The cooperation and competition within the pack is part of its own interesting hierarchy where top dogs get first shot at resources over lower-ranking canines. What’s even more interesting is that this hierarchy changes based on the health, strength, number, addition, death or age of each pack member. This article introduces dog pack behavior so that you might better understand some of your dog’s natural tendencies.

Communication

In the wild, puppies are automatically exposed to socialization skills and that’s why they’re rarely aggressive. Mothers teach puppies how to properly communicate so that they can get along with other members of the group. This cuts down the need to fight for resources since communication helps dogs establish rank and ownership.

Puppies that don’t get the opportunity to learn these important skills are puppies that end up being nervous, guarding, and even aggressive toward new animals or situations. They’ll either run and hide from an unknown entity, or they’ll try to fight it. When a fearful dog can’t flee from an uncomfortable scene, it will turn aggressive: bearing teeth, growling, and then attacking. In return, the subject of such aggression will turn aggressive as well, and turn a heated, unsure moment into an outright dog fight. The dog that turns away from an aggressive display basically rewards a hostile puppy and gives the latter the impression that aggression is the appropriate response to confusing circumstances.

Dominance and Aggression

Dominance and aggression isn’t the same thing. Dominance results from self-confidence dependent on who’s or what’s around. Aggression results from confrontation no matter what the situation is. Physical force isn’t necessary to establish dominance, but it is necessary with aggression. A high-ranking dog for example, can stop a potential uproar by simply walking and standing between two aggressively behaving dogs.

Pack Relationships

Hierarchies in dog packs are extremely important because it determines how well the entire group gets along. When two dogs meet each other for the first time, they do everything they can to establish a hierarchy even when the group consists of only them. If one of the dogs is older, that’s the assumed "boss" and the younger dog will make that clear by exposing its belly, licking the older dog’s mouth, and avoiding the older dog’s eyes.

Another behavior used to determine and/or establish rank includes anus sniffing. Through the odors released through the anus, a dog can find out another canine’s age, gender, sexual status, and rank. Dogs also sniff faces or mount one another. Mounting isn’t always a sexual behavior. A dog will mount to display dominance as well.

Once everything is figured out, the canines in a dog pack will play according to set roles. Playtime can be very gentle, or it can be rough. Filled with growls, yips, and even barking, playtime isn’t as dangerous as it may seem unless fighting is obvious.

Diplomacy

Dogs use body language when they’re trying to appease superiors. To keep peace and reduce tension, submissive dogs will wag their tails or lick to show respect. A friendly and confident dog will wag its tail loosely that’s neither high nor low. But a less-confident dog will wag its tail very fast and low to the ground. It won’t stand as tall as a dominant dog either.