Axel – Chin Rests

Axel is displaying a chin rest on Denali as a show of passive dominance.  As you can interpret from Denali’s response, (ears pricked and turned sideways and lips slightly curled), this posturing from a 9-month old pup is less than welcome.  We knew Axel had confidence on the first day of the pup introduction when he successfully fed on a turkey carcass with Denali.  This confidence continued throughout the winter as Axel matured.  There are many observations of Axel’s passive, yet effective signals of status.  Chin rests, stand overs, persistent competition over food resources and overall persistence with Denali’s space and possessions.  There are some similarities between these two.