Axel – Ride Up

In contrast to Grayson’s more timid behavior, Axel is more likely to be on the other end of the spectrum, boldly going wherever he wants.  In this log’s photos, he displays a ride-up behavior on Denali.  Although, if you carefully look at Axel’s ears, they are pricked forward in interest, but turned sideways with a bit of intimidation.  In our Ethogram, we code this as “EPTS”.  This one behavior helps sum up Axel’s personality.  He has a strong desire to actively engage in testing behavior with all pack mates, but gets a bit intimidated when he gets himself in the middle of things.  The other pack members seem to have a lot of tolerance for his behavior, especially Denali.  If there is a wolf that is allowed to share the carcass with Denali, it’s usually Axel.