Dominant Approach

Moving towards another dog at a walk or slow trot, staring at it directly, with tail raised, ears pricked forward, sometimes with hackles raised in a pilo-erector reflex.
(Koler-Matznick, 2005)

In this interaction between two females, the Alaskan Malamute moves toward the mixed-breed adolescent, displaying standing tall; the adolescent reacts by moving away and exhibiting behaviours indicating fear.

In this interaction between two males, the German Shepherd cross approaches the adolescent Belgian Malinois with a dominant approach and, after a brief olfactory exploration, turns toward the Malinois' head and, standing tall, stares.

VIDEO

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During this interaction between two females, an Australian cattledog and a German Shepherd, a Golden Retriever bitch moves towards them with a dominant approach. The Cattledog reacts by lowering her head and moving away, and the Retriever interposes herself between the cattledog and her owner. The Cattledog sits next to her owner, and when the Retriever again approaches, standing tall, the Cattledog moves closer to her owner, circling around her while displaying a rounded back.

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