The Ties that Bond
Nearly everything wolves do, they do together. They are genetically programmed for cooperative living. Group consciousness dictates all features of daily life, from play to hunt to feeding to mating. For pack life to work, wolves developed a wide range of ways to express their emotions and intentions. They passed on this remarkable way of communicating to their descendants, the dogs. Watching dogs at play or at work, one can see the wolf nature clearly. When a herding dog circles the sheep or when a police dog chases down the perpetrator, their ancient instincts are at play.
Wolf Language
Survival of a pack is a group effort. Because of this, wolves have developed very clear ways to communicate in every aspect of their living. Messages are conveyed through vocalization, body movements, scent markings, and facial expressions. How a wolf uses its body is determined a lot by its place in the pack. Charles Darwin was the first to observe how a dog's body posture reflects its intentions. These patterns- hackles raised, stiff body posture, forward pointed ears, submissive peeing, slinking while walking, ears down all show aggression or submission. These postures were directly inherited from wolves.
Adoring the Alpha
Lois Crisler, author of "Arctic Wild" observed pups greeting the Alpha. She writes, " That evening after the day's sleep, Trigger (Alpha male) arose and uttered the puppy call. Out from the den, came the pups. It is one of the gayest and prettiest sights in the world. They brimmed with adulation for the adult. The pups beseiged their big meat-giver with feverish love pats and kisses. they thronged his head, sat on their haunches and threw both arms around his neck as far as they would go. They kissed his face and gave him love pats around his mouth with their soft paws. They even kissed the inside of his mouth when he opened it. It looks like they just tingle all over when they even touch him.