Dyadic Interactions Between Domestic Dogs

The components of behavioral interactions between pairs of dogs were observed during exercise periods in public open spaces. Most of the interactions were nonaggressive and ended without interference from either of the owners. Even in the 13% of interactions that were ended by owners, there was little evidence to suggest that either dog's behavior had triggered the intervention. The dog that started the interaction was most likely to finish it, particularly when there was a size difference between the two dogs. The majority of the behavioral components observed during such interactions could be categorized into a small number of fixed action patterns in predictable sequences. This suggests that domestic dogs, despite selective breeding, have retained inherited social behavior patterns. After an initial approach phase, the majority of the interactions appeared to consist of olfactory inspections, particularly of the head and anal regions. Female dogs concentrated on the head area, and male dogs the anal area, irrespective of the sex of the other dog. The evident mutual tolerance of the dogs in this study probably reflects human, rather than canine, behavior; owners with highly aggressive or submissive dogs are unlikely to exercise them where they will encounter other dogs. However, the generally low level of aggression and the sequence of the olfactory inspections suggest that behavior patterns characteristic of subordinate wild can ids, have become fixed in many breeds of domestic dogs.