Most of what people call aggression in dogs is an inappropriate response to fear and uncertainty.
I.
The first dog—
jaw an archive of resource grinding,
ledger of mealbone and marrow.
Bristles in agonistic bearing
hackles, flapping flags.
Fear is his tongue;
growl, grammar.
II.
His are the circles of escalation,
ears a semaphore of warning.
In thick-smelling stress air
his watershed of nerves flare red.
Every step is referendum:
who owns the bowl, the bed,
the space between two bodies.
III.
What looks like chaos is parliament—
negotiation, violence, relay.
Rituals of rush and retreat:
dog must eat.
A play-bow refused,
silence between them—
here the treaty fails.
IV.
The second advances,
confidence bright on his shoulders.
Not myth of alpha,
but the poise of teeth.
Dominance affiliative,
a contract in saliva and blood,
signed by both.
V.
Pain sharpens him.
Fear misfires the signal.
No down in his back,
fights to win,
gets bit.
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