Belly Up

[christinepi]

Do your greys roll on their backs as invitation to belly rub and/or signal of submission? Mine hasn't done that once. Just wondering whether that's just not a greyhound thing in general or just mine who doesn't.

[Guest sweetpea]

Sweetpea will roach, but she doesn't want anybody near her tummy, and she's not being submissive.

 

It looks to me like she's scratching her back, she'll shimmy around in a half-circle, kick her back legs up and out (watch out!)

and then jump up, looking very refreshed.

 

Buzzy

 

Search for roaching, and you'll see plenty of greyhounds do it.

[Guest Apollo_Dog]

It took our boy Apollo 1.5 years to start roaching & he only does it for belly rubs and to pay attention to him if I'm lying on the bed next to him & my attention isn't on him

[greysmom]

Some greyhounds roach and some don't. It's not really a signal of submission - more like their bellies are too hot and need airing out! If they awake it can be an invitiation to attention, but mine will also do it when fast asleep.

 

It's usually seen as being done by greyhounds who are completely comfortable and trusting in their home environment. The "first roach" on coming home indicates they are settling in well. But again - some do and some don't and some do it only sometimes. Of my current five, two are roaching fools and spend more time upside down than rightside up. One will do it occasionally. One has done it once in 10 months. One has never roached in the six years he's been here.

 

So your boy is not unusual.

[Guest nani]

It seems Rosie is on her back most of the time. Both for belly rubs and roaching, and sometimes one turns into the other.

[GeorgeofNE]

You'd think, reading GT long enough, that only Greyhounds do this, but truthfully lots of dogs of all breeds do this, and even some cats! I used to have a horse that did it! OK, so she couldn't hold the position long, but...

 

I think it's just comfy! My dog does it all the time. That's why he loves our memory foam bed--helps hold him in position!

[Guest KennelMom]

roaching and rolling over in submission are not the same thing. Roaching is usually associated with being comfortable, at ease, feeling safe. Some just like to sleep or rest that way. Others prefer not to, even though they are perfectly comfortable and happy/safe in their environment. I liken it to people preferring to sleep on their back or stomach vs their side. Some of ours are too narrow-backed to maintain a free-standing roach and have to rely on the back of the sofa.

 

Rolling over in submission is totally different body language. The tail is usually curled underneath their belly, they may be licking their lips and they usually roll over on their side and lift a hind leg. If the dog was starting from a standing position, the head is usually lowered and the body sometimes hunched through their back and the end of the tail wagging...I don't often see a dog completely roll over to it's back in submission, though it does happen. We have some naturally submissive dogs that will lift their back leg a bit if we approach them while they're lying down, even just laying on their side.

 

Here's Melody the day she came home from the track, very unsure around strangers and rolled over in submission

 

Here's the same dog sleeping on a half-roach position a few years later

Edited August 22, 2011 by KennelMom

[Guest june]

It took one of my girls almost two years to begin roaching. She was very timid and unsure of herself. As she gained confidence the more she roached, but she sometimes seems to have a hard time holding the position

june

[christinepi]

roaching and rolling over in submission are not the same thing. Roaching is usually associated with being comfortable, at ease, feeling safe. Some just like to sleep or rest that way. Others prefer not to, even though they are perfectly comfortable and happy/safe in their environment. I liken it to people preferring to sleep on their back or stomach vs their side. Some of ours are too narrow-backed to maintain a free-standing roach and have to rely on the back of the sofa.

 

Rolling over in submission is totally different body language. The tail is usually curled underneath their belly, they may be licking their lips and they usually roll over on their side and lift a hind leg. If the dog was starting from a standing position, the head is usually lowered and the body sometimes hunched through their back and the end of the tail wagging...I don't often see a dog completely roll over to it's back in submission, though it does happen. We have some naturally submissive dogs that will lift their back leg a bit if we approach them while they're lying down, even just laying on their side.

 

Here's Melody the day she came home from the track, very unsure around strangers and rolled over in submission

 

Here's the same dog sleeping on a half-roach position a few years later

 

That's exactly what I meant: rolling over in submission. I guess I just wasn't clear in my original post. Tracker roaches aplenty, and always has. But he never has shown the submissive roll. Not that I need to see it! I've seen many dogs (other breeds) do a submissive roll over (from standing) in a very relaxed fashion, plus the lip licking, to invite somebody to rub their bellies. It seems so common in other breeds that I was wondering, having never seen Tracker do this, whether it's just him or a greyhound thing.

Edited August 22, 2011 by christinepi

[Guest SteveO]

Having had our girl only 5 days now I've paid close attn to almost everything body signal she exhibits. She took a few days to tail wag and the first was at feeding time. Then a day or so later - her first zoomies with us. Plus some front leg throw downs. On her beds she has rolled into the roach position while observed by me on a few occasions but it was VERY brief. More like a partial roll/stretch/roach and back on her side. One submissive thing she just started and only slightly is while laying on her side is to lift her leg just a tad and then drop it at my approach and praising voice of greeting.

[Guest mbfilby]

Our Mickey would roll on her back to get belly rubs, and Cy will lift his legs (but not roll over), but they will have already been laying down and accepting pets.

 

I believe it is rare for a retired racer to actually pull a submission roll. Kennelmom's picture is the first greyhound I have ever seen do this.

[JJNg]

I believe it is rare for a retired racer to actually pull a submission roll. Kennelmom's picture is the first greyhound I have ever seen do this.

I agree it seems to be fairly unusual compared to other breeds. However, my girl Willow, who was a bit of a spook at the track, would submissive roll in certain situations. It's usually been when she's being stubborn about something, but once she realized it wasn't going to get her what she wanted, she's pretty much stopped doing it.

 

One example... I will sometimes take a dog or two with me when I go to work if it looks like it will be a fairly slow day at the clinic. This isn't a daily occurrence, and with 4 dogs, each might only get to come with me once every couple weeks. Back when I first got Willow, after she got to come with me a couple times, she decided she wanted to come every time. So when I was getting ready to leave, instead of going into her crate, she would run to the door. And when I went to get her, she would do a submissive roll. I would just calmly take her by the collar, or put her leash on, gently pull her up, and take her to the crate anyway.

 

I've never seen a grey do a submissive roll other than those occasional times Willow has done it. Willow never roaches to sleep, but she does sometimes roll up when I'm petting her, or when she's in bed with me. Her body language in these situations isn't really submissive, so it seems to be more of an invitation to rub her belly. However, she never rolls over to solicit the petting - she rolls after I've already started petting. Here's one of my favorite photos of her rolling for a belly rub.

 

 

Wiki, on the other hand, roaches to sleep all the time, roaches when he plays, and roaches to protest and get away from me when I'm doing his nails. But I've never seen him roll over in a way that seems to be submissive.

[Guest BrianRke]

All 3 of mine spend more time upside down than any other way. Im pretty sure they just want to be upside down as I often will come home and find them in that position. Im pretty sure, atleast with mine, that its not an invitation to rub their belly but Im also sure it would be appreciated.

[Guest KennelMom]

We have a couple still that will go belly up under the right conditions (similar to what jjing described with her dog and trying to avoid the crate). I've met a handful of greyhounds that would go belly-up in submission like Melody. In fact, Melody's littermate Harmony would go belly-up and pee all over herself when she first came off the track, and that was if you just approached her. I don't know that I'd call it "rare" but I wouldn't call it "common" either.

Edited August 26, 2011 by KennelMom

[GeorgeofNE]

Ahhhhhhhhh, OK!

 

Well, we've had dogs my entire life, and never had one that rolled over in a submissive fashion. A combination of hunting breeds, mutts, and now George. George hasn't got a submissive bone in his body that I've seen. If anything, I think he secretly mocks me as an inferior being!

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

I had a foster once that did the submissive rollover. I just ignored it and she got better. Mojo sleeps on his back A LOT, and he could care less if he gets belly rubs.

[Guest firegypsy]

Ahhhhhhhhh, OK!

 

Well, we've had dogs my entire life, and never had one that rolled over in a submissive fashion. A combination of hunting breeds, mutts, and now George. George hasn't got a submissive bone in his body that I've seen. If anything, I think he secretly mocks me as an inferior being!

 

Ha! That's my Darby.

 

Paladin is a roacher. I have a hard time getting him right side up. I've not seen either do the submissive roll, but my mother's boxer does it if you look at her. She's better now...it's been about 10 years.