Which set of strategies do dogs use to resolve social or competitive disputes?

• A. Aggression, Submission, Flight
• B. Avoidance, Appeasement, Submission
• C. Play, Tolerance, Deterrence
• D. Fear, Aggression, Anxiety

Answer: (B)

Dogs manage social or competitive disputes through non-confrontational communication that reduces threat and keeps interactions from escalating. The best answer reflects a natural negotiation pattern: avoidance, appeasement, and submission.

Avoidance is about giving distance or stepping away from a potential confrontation, which prevents the conflict from turning into a fight. Appeasement involves calm, non-threatening signals that communicate “I’m not a threat”—for example soft eyes, lip licking, yawning, or turning the head away. Submission is a physical display that yields to the other dog's higher rank or desire to end the interaction, such as crouching, exposing the belly, or a tucked tail. Together, these behaviors help two dogs resolve disputes with less risk of injury and maintain ongoing social relationships.

While aggression or fleeing can occur in dogs, they are not the typical, deliberate strategies dogs use to resolve disputes. Likewise, fear, anxiety, or deterrence without the accompanying calm, yielding signals don’t capture the cooperative negotiation dogs rely on to keep peace in social groups.