Stalking Dog

[VJB]

Heidi and another dog have recently begun a friendship which is going well. This other dog is a kelpie cross, and about 4 yrs old. It's been great having another dog to play with and it teaches Heidi some manners as she can sometimes not read other dogs communications too well, but has improved with a little bit of maturity showing through.

This other dog stalks Heidi sometimes. I'm never sure what it's all about. Is there anything to be worried about. They seem good friends, and enjoy a good romp around. My dog will sometimes lower her head and move slowly if we are walking the streets and she sees birds (which is normal), and also on occasion if another dog is coming the other way towards us.

So, I guess my query would be 'Is stalking something to worry about" and is it all just a game before a zoomie moment.

[Loving my Oldies]

Heidi and another dog have recently begun a friendship which is going well. This other dog is a kelpie cross, and about 4 yrs old. It's been great having another dog to play with and it teaches Heidi some manners as she can sometimes not read other dogs communications too well, but has improved with a little bit of maturity showing through.

This other dog stalks Heidi sometimes. I'm never sure what it's all about. Is there anything to be worried about. They seem good friends, and enjoy a good romp around. My dog will sometimes lower her head and move slowly if we are walking the streets and she sees birds (which is normal), and also on occasion if another dog is coming the other way towards us.

So, I guess my query would be 'Is stalking something to worry about" and is it all just a game before a zoomie moment.

In my admittedly limited experience, it is a game before a zoomie moment. I sometimes do this with Tamar. She will be standing looking sweet/confused/lost in the yard and I will go into a bit of a crouch and stalk very slowly towards her. Her body starts to stiffen, the tail will give a little wag, she will look a bit uncertain and then simultaneously she will leap and spin and I will rush towards her. Sometimes, it will mean a big zoomie around the yard with others joining in and sometimes it will go nowhere. She enjoys whatever happens.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Depends on the dog.

Between two friends, especially farm dogs, stalking is part of a play game. It often goes with a bit of crawling, a drop, a bow and leaping zoomie ambush.

Some other dogs - use it as an ambush for a fight.

So you have to know the dog. It's most likely play when it comes to the farm dogs but not always.

[HeavyPaws]

I personally would have no idea what it meant, but I've seen the behaviour in both a DA dog and a dog playing a game with me.

In the game, I'll stalk towards her side. She can see me because usually she's looking at me out of the corner of her eye. Her tail wags in a wide arc, slowly, and she stands in a very alert position. When I get closer, the game is to see how close I can get before she breaks and licks me.

I move slowly towards her muzzle and when I get close enough she usually leaps up and bounds away, then circles back barking and play-bows.

When my cousin's dog does it when we come up the driveway, the dog {a Bc}, gets low to the ground, does 'the eye' and trots in a circle around us. When it gets closer, it stalks like a cat, then rushes up and barks.

[lillim]

Heidi and another dog have recently begun a friendship which is going well. This other dog is a kelpie cross, and about 4 yrs old. It's been great having another dog to play with and it teaches Heidi some manners as she can sometimes not read other dogs communications too well, but has improved with a little bit of maturity showing through.

This other dog stalks Heidi sometimes. I'm never sure what it's all about. Is there anything to be worried about. They seem good friends, and enjoy a good romp around. My dog will sometimes lower her head and move slowly if we are walking the streets and she sees birds (which is normal), and also on occasion if another dog is coming the other way towards us.

So, I guess my query would be 'Is stalking something to worry about" and is it all just a game before a zoomie moment.

In my admittedly limited experience, it is a game before a zoomie moment. I sometimes do this with Tamar. She will be standing looking sweet/confused/lost in the yard and I will go into a bit of a crouch and stalk very slowly towards her. Her body starts to stiffen, the tail will give a little wag, she will look a bit uncertain and then simultaneously she will leap and spin and I will rush towards her. Sometimes, it will mean a big zoomie around the yard with others joining in and sometimes it will go nowhere. She enjoys whatever happens.

thank god I'm not the only one that stalks their own dog, Its nice to know I'm not too far gone.

[persephone]

Coming from th eperspective of working sheepdogs... this 'stalking' is what's called, for a working dog, 'setting', or 'eye'

Did it look like this ?

it's a natural behaviour /posture- a 'herding' behaviour..., if so. The dog is tensed and hyper-alert. It is poised to instantly respond to any movement of the sheep/cattle , whatever. A head turn, a step sideways, and the dog is off!

Edited May 7, 2010 by persephone

[VJB]

The dog wasn't crouched down quite so low, just sort of slowly walking towards us, with a particular look in her eye. Owner laughed and said "oh, look, she's being silly, she's stalking us".

Then there was a quick zoomie and we put our dogs back on lead as we were coming out of the bush. I've seen a husky do it too, while walking Heidi, and I think it just makes me a feel a bit weird, cause I've never been sure what it all entails.

[Loving my Oldies]

Heidi and another dog have recently begun a friendship which is going well. This other dog is a kelpie cross, and about 4 yrs old. It's been great having another dog to play with and it teaches Heidi some manners as she can sometimes not read other dogs communications too well, but has improved with a little bit of maturity showing through.

This other dog stalks Heidi sometimes. I'm never sure what it's all about. Is there anything to be worried about. They seem good friends, and enjoy a good romp around. My dog will sometimes lower her head and move slowly if we are walking the streets and she sees birds (which is normal), and also on occasion if another dog is coming the other way towards us.

So, I guess my query would be 'Is stalking something to worry about" and is it all just a game before a zoomie moment.

In my admittedly limited experience, it is a game before a zoomie moment. I sometimes do this with Tamar. She will be standing looking sweet/confused/lost in the yard and I will go into a bit of a crouch and stalk very slowly towards her. Her body starts to stiffen, the tail will give a little wag, she will look a bit uncertain and then simultaneously she will leap and spin and I will rush towards her. Sometimes, it will mean a big zoomie around the yard with others joining in and sometimes it will go nowhere. She enjoys whatever happens.

thank god I'm not the only one that stalks their own dog, Its nice to know I'm not too far gone.

I should have added that sometimes Tamar looks at me as if I am completely "gone" and quite undeserving of any recognition.

[JulesP]

Here is my border pup stalking her friend. Eski fetches the ball, Amber stalks Eski! Both are happy. I can only see it being a problem if the sheep/dog didn't appreciate being stalked.

[wuffles]

My big mutt stalks. Sometimes he actually lies down, waits for them to get within a few metres then pounces For him, it's part of an excitable greeting or invitation for zoomies.

[CoffeeChoc]

My housemate's dog is an ex-working dog. She stalks the vast majority of dogs she meets, then does zoomies if the dog goes near her. It looks horible, some people do get very woried, but its just her way of playing. I found it very strange when i first met her as I had never come across a dog that did this before.

[Lindyx]

Ok, so what about if the dogs is crawlihng on their belly approaching a new dog??

My guy's do it at the beach when a dog they dont know is coming toward them.

I was told it is submissive behaviour, is that correct??

It's alway's ended in friendly play, but I did get a scare the first time one of them did.

I thought they were going for the kill

[corvus]

Crawling is usually submissive. Stalking can be play or can be serious. I've seen both. Erik is a mean play-stalker. He even hides behind things and then springs out at Kivi. Kivi gets slammed about a dozen times throughout our trips to the park. Erik learnt it from a mostly BC mix called Max. Erik only does it to Max and Kivi. Most dogs I've seen Max do it to have been uncomfortable with it. They have to learn that it's only play, because it's not obvious. I think this is why Erik only does it to Kivi and Max.

There's a husky around here that does it to small dogs and I find it worrying. I don't know what she's doing, but I'm pretty certain it's not playing. She's a funny one. It looks very predatory coming from that dog.