Personal grooming
As a comfort behavior or Autogrooming is known in behavioral biology all the activities of an animal that can be directly associated with the personal care. These include in particular cleaning and scratching movements, to licking, to shake, to scrub, to nibble, swimming in the water, the sand bathing and sunbathing, but - for example, in pigs - even the rolling or wallowing in the mud and the nose picking in humans.
For comfort behavior also includes the social body care, ie the reciprocal of cleaning fur or feathers ( Allogrooming ). In many socially living animal species, it promotes cohesion of pairs or groups and must therefore be regarded as an element of their social behavior.
Occasionally, in the ethological literature but also as " comfort movements " relevant activities such as yawning, all Räkel and stretching movements and other as an expression of well-being interpreted behaviors reported as comfort behavior.
Grooming as a means of shaping behavior in the domestic dog
Actions that mimic the social grooming the dog, can be used as an amplifier of social behaviors in the dog training. Compared to the grooming of horses, where Groomingaktionen cause in preferred areas of the withers a lowering of the heart rate as a sign of special calming the dog a very effective full area is located around the ears. With regular, but not excessive applications a noticeable calming has been shown especially in hyperactive dogs, what is to be aimed at a balance of the dog beneficial.