play bow
Canine greeting posture
A play bow is a posture dogs use to signal friendly intent—front legs extended forward, chest low to the ground, hindquarters raised.
It invites play and communicates that any roughhousing that follows isn't aggression: The puppy dropped into a play bow, tail wagging furiously.
Other canids like wolves use it too.
- crouchLow bent-knee stance
- body posturePhysical stance and alignment
- gestureCommunicative body movement
- body languageUnspoken physical expression
- tail waggingDog's rhythmic rear movement
happy dog · fun · social bonding · communication · posture · canine behavior · wolf pup · fetch · kitten · exuberance · toy · outside · signal · ethology · kinesics · trust-building · stretch · cat
- animal signalsbody language, bird songs, tail wagging, mating calls, whale song
- animal playroughhousing, rough-and-tumble, chasing, pouncing, romping
- pet posesloaf, sploot, sit, sitting, standing
play bowraised hackles
Erected neck hairs
bared teeth · snarl · growl · hard stare · lip curl
play bowignore
Refuse to notice
turn away · avoidance · disengagement · withdrawal · sleep
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