Dog Splitting Action
May I draw your attention to a moment when observing three or more dogs off leash? Have you ever noticed one might seem like the ‘fun police’? Not vocalizing, but walking right through the middle of two other dogs whilst they were having interaction. Perhaps you have seen two dogs playing and a third dog is hanging around nearby and interjecting on occasion. Often the two dogs will go right back to play after the brief disruption/s. Other times a splitter may come in vocalizing and focus more on one dog as if it’s attempting to distract him from the third.
In the first instance I’m not talking about a dog getting right in on the action but ‘splitting’ is a deliberate means of separating or diffusing potential escalations between dogs. The splitter often carries a mid to high tail whilst calmly walking directly between two other dogs which have been interacting in some way. He may orbit but he is definitely focused on this pair and may split them several times in a row. Watching this action in slow motion is interesting as if often missed when watching a group of dogs. The movement is usually calm, walking and often looks like a shark cruising about an object.
If we are experienced with a group of dog personalities we decide whether we redirect the ‘fun police’. In the meanwhile I would pay extra attention to the couple he was trying to split to make sure things didn’t get out of hand. However, in some cases the splitter will, go in for a piece of the action immediately after succeeding in splitting the two others, with either play or a contest. If it were a group of dogs I was not familiar with or not responsible for (and unaware of any concerning behaviour from the splitter thus far) I might not suggest redirecting the fun police. Dogs know more than me about canine conversation. The behaviour of splitting is sometimes seen at the point where two dogs have already begun to fight, so remember it is not always ‘fun’ they are breaking up.
Leah & Angela OMeara
Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)