Stand over

Standing over another dog who is lying on the ground, with forelegs either on the ground or on the dog who is lying down. This behaviour is often displayed in a head to tail position, but can also be across the dog (forming a cross).
(Goodman et al., 2002; Koeler Matznick, 2005)

The Labrador Retriever puppy displays standing over towards his black sibling.

VIDEO

large screen
In many years of filming dogs (2006-2011), I've never been able to film this behaviour among dogs not belonging to the same family group, except in agonistic interactions, or play between puppies. In this footage, an Alaskan Malamute bitch and her 50-day old puppies were filmed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier bitch belonging to the same family group. The mother plays with the puppies by by grabbing them with her muzzle, and a female puppy displays standing over towards her sister. The adult Staffordshire approaches, the puppy moves away, and the adult female displays standing over in a head-to-tail stance, while the puppy tries to push her away with her paws. The puppy is pressed down to the ground by her mother; when the Malamute moves, the Staffordshire again displays standing over. In the final frames, a puppy presses down her sister and then displays standing over.

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