Today's topic will be a breakdown of, in our experience and professional opinion, is the main scale of canine behaviour. Based on multiple sources, we have compiled our knowledge in this graphic, to illustrate how dog behaviour looks, what is healthy and normal, what is getting unhealthy, and what is downright bad. This breakdown is intended as a basic guide for evaluation, not as a replacement for training.
Peace
At the core of every dog is a desire to be calm, peaceful, relaxed, and balanced. It is totally normal for a dog to be at peace most of the time; in fact, it is their heart's desire. However, that isn't to say that they cannot branch out into other moods and not be normal - in fact, it's very important. While it should be a goal that your dog should get to and stay at peace, there's nothing wrong with letting them branch out a little in any direction!
The Four Categories
When a dog branches out into one of the four main behaviour types, or on the border of two, it can either be acceptable, or unacceptable. While a dog cannot be both aggressive and hyper at the same time, and not dominant and fearful at the same time, they can absolutely be dominant-aggressive, hyper-dominant, hyper-fearful, and fearful-aggressive. Wherever your dog sits on this scale, we will go over symptoms, and what the stages look like.
Excitement
When happiness is normal or acceptable, it resembles a gently perky, perhaps a little more active, slightly wagging tail. This is a fine level of excitement; however, it can go too far.
1 - Happiness
This totally normal stage of excitement will look calm and gentle, but slightly more active than a peaceful state. Typically happy dogs are exercised, walked, and are simply enjoying life and it's scenery. It is common to mistake excitedness as happiness, but they are not synonymous.
2 - Bouncy
While bordering on too much, a bouncy dog is okay - but it is a sign they're getting a little stir crazy and need to exercise their minds and body. A bouncy dog will be just that - running about, and bouncy, like a three year old after too much sugar.
3 - Excited
When it gets out of hand is when a dog is excited. This is an unhealthy level of excitement, and is no longer going to be constructive, or beneficial to allow or encourage. It's marked by lots of excited barking, crazy running around, ignoring of commands, and a tail that is wagging quickly.
4 - Rambunctious
This stage is where it's gone way too far and should have been stopped or corrected before it got here. Hallmarked by a jumping, incessant barking, and a tail that looks like a ceiling fan, this type of excitement is very dangerous - about as dangerous as aggression or fear at this stage - and consequently will undo much of your training the longer you allow you dog to be here. This kind of excitement should be addressed and dealt with before they enter the black level.
5 - HYPER!
When all the stops are blown and your dog is out of control, we call this hyper - the black level of excitement. When this stage has occurred, your dog will likely be a nuisance; destroying things, barking non-stop, ignoring everything you have to say, tearing about your house like a tornado, and possibly be playing keep-away and other really irritating games. Your dog needs to burn off mental energy like yesterday!
Anxiety
This behaviour is typically associated with whining, avoidance, and other behaviours - but what level is safe, and what level is not?
1 - Unsure
When a dog just plain isn't used to something or isn't totally sure what's expected, or what's going to happen, they become a little unsure. This is typically seen with a raised paw, slowing down, or watching whatever it is that's causing it. While its normal, don't react too much - it can teach your dog that their concerns are valid.
2 - Avoidant
After a dog has gone past unsure, they become avoidant - a behaviour that causes them to move away, give space, or just ignore what's affecting them. While borderline acceptable, you'll need to intervene here before it gets too far. Being a little unsure is okay; it could just be their personality. However, avoidance very quickly unravels into fear.
3 - Anxiety
When a dog learns that their concerns are justified, either by handler error or a traumatic experience, they become anxious. This usually looks like some body tension, whining, pacing, or warning bites. A dog that believes it either should not be scared, or is expected to deal with this fear themselves, will often become unstable and strike unexpectedly, or shut down. Either reaction is normal, but unhealthy.
4 - Reactive/Defensive
After the dog has gone through anxiety and has been allowed to believe either that their behaviour is expected (happens through trying to console or pet a dog while they're scared), or the signs have been missed and the handler hadn't noticed until now. In either case, a dog will either be reactive (barking, growling, attacking, unstable aggression that looks worse on the outside, ect) or defensive (fleeing, yelping, panicking, ect). This behaviour should be addressed and rehabilitated immediately before it gets into fear. Other behaviours in this category that are not safe or normal are door alarm barking and charging (a sign your dog has gotten too unstable in regards to perimeter threats), and food defensiveness.
5 - FEAR!
When a dog has moved into full blown fear, one of two behaviour types occur; fight, or flight. When a dog feels they are afraid but need to defend themselves, in fight mode, they use fake-it-till-they-make-it style; looking way more threatening than whatever is threatening to them. These dogs are almost always mistaken as being "aggressive", when a dog in a fear state will hardly ever actually strike. In flight mode, a dog will commonly hide, urinate, whine or yelp incessantly, or flee from the source until it's totally gone or dealt with.
Aggression
Typically associated with violent behaviour, there is in fact a level of aggression that's not only healthy, but encouraged. Surprised? Most people are. When it gets too far is where it affects the state of mind of other people or dogs.
1 - Alert
Alertness is actually a very healthy behaviour - it's a sign your dog is paying attention to something. It is a gentle behaviour that involves looking, smelling, and watching in a passive but aware manner.
2 - Alarmed
When a dog becomes alarmed, it means they have seen something that has caused them to become more than just alert and sees something as a potential concern. They will be staring with tension, and can be softly growling. While it should be addressed and stopped soon, you can sometimes let it slide when and if it's in defense if their own property, but only for a short time, because it very quickly bleeds into defensiveness.
3 - Defensive
Once a dog has flagged something a potential threat, and they are not scared of it, they become defensive. This essentially means that they believe it is up to them to handle this threat. A defensive dog has gone from watching and aware to signalling to this threat that they're ready to act - commonly by growing, showing teeth, and lots of body tension. It is when a dog become silent in this category that there could be some bleeding into reactive.
4 - Reactive
Once defensiveness warnings have gone unheeded, a dog will fly into reactivity - a way to communicate that they find this threat unacceptable. They will bite and draw blood as a way to drive the threat off, shake their heads with violence to try and stun or kill the threat, and also offer a deep, throaty bark that serves as a final warning.
5 - TRUE AGGRESSION!
Once all the warnings have been ignored, or the dog is suddenly triggered, a dog becomes truly aggressive. It is used primarily as a means of self-defense or a hunt-and-kill behaviour that is usually in a life-or-death scenario. True aggression is hallmarked by attacking with intent to kill (biting the front or underside of the throat), biting without any warning, and silence. Aggression that has a lot of growling and barking in it is not true aggression; it is a fear reaction.
Dominance
Finally, we come to dominance - a behaviour commonly mistaken for common and normal - but there is a line that shouldn't be crossed.
1- Confidence
A confident dog can't be scared, startled, or set off. It is a great behaviour to encourage when it needs to be present, and is a very healthy starting point. It is obvious by a loose but high tail (middle or upper, not high mast), and a straight, non-tense back and straight, forward ears.
2 - Assertive
An assertive dog knows what they want, and will express it - while its not an issue at a smaller level, it can become an issue if it's encouraged or allowed too far. An assertive dog will take what they want (such as a spot on the couch without asking, food off your plate or counter, ect), remove their things where you and others cannot get to them, and assert that things and places belong to them - typically with short warning growls.
3 - Reactive
Once dominance has moved too far, a dog will become reactive. These dogs believe that they are in control and must maintain that control in order for their home and family to be safely balanced - which causes havoc in human lives and can destroy homes and friendships in the process. A reactive dog will give barks to warn you that you're taking too many liberties (a similar bark to an aggressive bark; low and throaty), warning nips that can sometimes draw blood and involve teeth contact, and herding (guiding you physically with nipping or shoving) and charging (running full tilt at you with teeth bared).
4 - Authoritative
Warning signs that a dog thinks he is King Turd of Poop Island are often mistaken as passive and normal, when in fact this dog has gone past reactivity into prevention. These dogs will ensure you don't even have a chance to challenge their authority because they will confront you and everyone else way before you can try to challenge, such as biting you before you can even touch their food or toys, or staring at you in the way that makes you slow down. They also leave their marks everywhere for everyone else to pay attention to, such as marking every tree and bush, scratching the ground to alert others, and won't walk properly on a lead. These dogs often assume leadership with strangers and express it, and might sometimes listen when they feel like it, but its often a strike out otherwise.
5 - TRUE DOMINANCE!When dominant behaviour has gone too far, it becomes true dominance. Rare and uncommon, this is usually caused by a very inexperienced owner or handler that has too much dog for their life and or personality - and is unfortunately difficult to reverse. True dominance is very unpredictable and yet predictable in its symptoms; these dogs will charge and growl with the intent to follow through and attack to hurt or kill, can strike without any warning, and will have a very high and tense tail and muscles that signal they are ready to assert themselves any time, any place. Great care and caution must be taken with dogs at this level, and owners are encouraged to call professionals or surrender their dogs to a rehabilitation expert.
In close, we hope this little graph and it's long explanation will help you analyze your dog, and their level of behaviour! Let's all keep our ideal companions in the green!
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