I once had two dogs, both of which were mongrels. Cocoa, a brown mongrel weighing about 40 pounds was a real fighter and was master of the neighborhood. After a couple of months, no dog would dare challenge him. The other dog, Pancho was a small black mongrel weighing between 15 and 20 pounds who had been injured when hit by a car and had back problems. Pancho was a complete coward. If another dog attacked Pancho, he would simply roll over on his back and howl.
Now Pancho had a real nasty disposition. If another dog came near the house, he would instantly start a fight with it. Needless to say, when the other dog retaliated, Pancho would then roll over on his back and howl. This would summon Cocoa who would then come to Pancho’s rescue and tear into the other dog. When the other dog retreated, Cocoa and Pancho would happily return home.
I often wondered if Pancho behaved this way with malice aforethought, deliberately attacking other dogs and summoning Cocoa do his fighting for him. Not being clairvoyant with dogs, I never knew for sure, but I truly suspected (and still do) that he did.
I can never forget the behavior pattern as I am frequently reminded of it when we receive news of our middle east wars.