Meeting a loose social group of free-roaming dogs within their home range

Описание: We haven't met these dogs before (we are on vacation here; this is not where we live). In the days that followed, I would occasionally see individual group members, but not the entire group. This leads me to believe that this is a loose social group: one that spontaneously formed because the dogs in this area know each other, and sometimes, they happen to end up in the same place at the same time, and move together for a few minutes. They are not what we'd refer to as a "pack" of dogs, and they are not a closely knit social group, either. This is important because "packs" will behave differently from loose social groups.

We are also somewhere in what is referred to as their home range: a part of the area they travel through now and then. This is neither their "territory" (which is considered "theirs") nor their "core area" (the area where they spend more than 50% of their time). Depending on whether your dog meets unfamiliar conspecifics in their territory, core area, or home range, the encounter will look differently. The home range and the core area are generally considered public spaces by the free-roaming dogs I've observed. It is okay for strangers (like my dog Game) to walk through there as well. Game knows it, too, and so do I.

This is a relatively large group of dogs, so you can see Game's body language showing a little insecurity/submission. It's intimidating to be confronted by several new dogs all at once, and it makes sense to defer to them.

You'll also see her show play moves, particularly towards the tricolor dog. Knowing my dog, I am relatively certain that she would not have shown the same behavior if this was the only dog she met on this same street: they'd just have greeted each other politely and moved on with their respective days. Because the group of dogs causes Game's arousal and/or stress level to rise above baseline, she displays play-jumpy behavior: she is (a) releasing the internal tension she likely feels by means of (affiliative and hence appropriate) movement, and (b) deflecting the situation by means of showing that her intentions are entirely friendly.

The two main take-home messages of this video are:

1. Dogs behave differently depending on whether they are alone, part of a loose social group, a closely knit social group, or a pack. (The closer you get to the pack end of the spectrum, the more likely conflicts are to arise. However, packs are rare where I've lived.)

2. Dogs behave differently towards unfamiliar dogs depending on where they meet the unfamiliar dog: in their own territory? They might treat the dog as an intruder. In their core area? Most will be confident about navigating this space, but allow strangers to travel through without issues. 3. In their home range (the entire space that a dog ever traverses on their scavenging, roaming and mating outings): treated as a public space; anyone has the right to be here.

The equivalent of a dog's territory is your own apartment/house/fenced yard. Would you smile and offer someone coffee if they just walked in without asking? Highly unlikely! You might feel alarmed. If you were in Texas, you might get your gun.

The equivalent to a dog's core area may be your place of work or your neighborhood with your favorite coffeeshop where you spend many hours a day. You are aware that this is not a private space, but you know it well, and are comfortable navigating it. You won't be alarmed if a stranger appears, but you'll recognize them as a stranger and pay attention to them.

The human equivalent to the home range depends on whether you only walk, take public transport, ride a bike, or own a car: it's likely the largest if you own a car. In that case, it would include any place you may go to in your car (the next town over, the next state over), and any place you walk your dog (the beach, the national park) ... In your home range, you don't know the other people and dogs you encounter, so you can't necessarily tell if someone else is a regular there or just passing through. You don't recognize strangers, and you appreciate that everyone is allowed to be there.

One more point about this video: this is how Game would usually deal with free roamers in a situation like this, when she's having a good, normal baseline day. Compare this to last week's video, where she stayed by my side so I'd deal with the dogs for her: she wasn't having a good day that day, and didn't want to deal with the situation:    • Game chooses to come close to me so I'll k...  
We're a team, and we share tasks. Sometimes I do the work, and sometimes Game does.