Testing

Testing involves a group of behaviours, some of which are subtle and others glaring, used by a dog to test another dog's self-confidence,social freedom and the stability of its position in the hierarchy. Obnoxious submission is an example of testing, in that the dog uses a behaviour to display submission or greeting but does so in such an emphatic and persistent way, ignoring the cut-off or calming signals received, that the dog succeeds in displacing a higher-ranking dog. The test may also include a refusal to exhibit submissive behaviours unless forced to. Testing is a behaviour which has to be evaluated in context.
(Goodman et al., 2002; Koeler Matznick, 2005)

This encounter between the tawny female Pit Bull cross and the male German Shepherd cross begins with a test: the two dogs confront each other from frontal stances, standing tall; the male tries to displace the female by slowly moving his head and shoulders nearer to her.

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In this encounter with a male Groenendael (Belgian Sheepdog), the female Czech Wolf Dog displays testing behaviours. The Czech Wolf Dog approaches the Groenendael, and displays chin over. The male then approaches the female, who displays a jaw punch, swerves, orients frontally, and leaps forward with forelegs wide open, then bows and leaps forward with forelegs wide open a second time. The male moves away. The female displays anus-genital olfactory exploration; when the male orients frontally the female displays a bow with forelegs wide open and a paw jab. The male moves nearer and displaces her; the female spins around and exhibits a bow, then leaps forward with forelegs wide open; the male responds with paw jabs, and the female rears up. The female again leaps forward with forelegs wide open, and displays a paw press. The male orients frontally and displaces the female, who jumps forward with forelegs wide open, displays a paw press and moves to bite. The male attempts a rear approach, the female reacts with a hug from behind and wrestling. The male moves away, followed by the female. The male stops in a lateral stance; the female displays an inhibited bite to the scruff of the neck, and the male reacts with a shoulder-hip slam. The male spins around, the female sniffs the ground, and the male displays anus-genital olfactory exploration.

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