A family group or coterie is made up of a male, one to four females and their young. They will greet each other by touching noses, or turning their heads sideways and touching incisors. They also groom each other and work together to build their burrows. Prairie dogs are territorial. They will protect their coterie from other prairie dogs.
Prairie dogs are very vocal animals.
They have lots of different calls. They use yips, growls, chattering, barks and chirps. When there is danger, prairie dogs have a call that is a chirp and a wheeze. Once one prairie dog initiates the warning, others will continue. When it is safe, the prairie dog will leap in the air, and yip, other prairie dogs will hear the all-clear call, and soon the whole town will be yipping and jumping.