What It Means When a Dog Rolls onto Its Back

The belly-up maneuver does not always signal submission

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When a dog rolls onto its back during play, does the maneuver indicate submission, akin to a person crying “uncle,” or does it signify something else altogether? A study published earlier this year, by Kerri Norman and her colleagues at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta and at the University of South Africa, comes down on the side of “something else.”

Their report appeared in January in an issue of devoted to canine behavior. Investigating what behaviors mean during dog-dog play is not new. For example, you have probably heard of play signals that help dogs to clarify play from not play. These signals indicate something like, “Hey, when I just bit you in the face, I didn't mean it like ‘I'M BITING YOU IN THE FACE.’ It was just for fun. See! Here's a play bow for additional clarity. All fun here!” Play signals may also include exaggerated, bouncy movements or presentation of a “play face”; they start or maintain play, and they occur around potentially ambiguous behaviors—such as a bite, tackle or mount—or anything that might be misconstrued as not playing. But not all behaviors that appear during play between dogs are as well studied.

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