Field studies have shown that males are generally more active than females. During the daylight hours these canids rest in areas of thick brush cover and infrequently move short distances. The basic social unit of Chrysocyon brachyurus is the male-female mated pair. They hunt, travel, and rest solitarily, and are only closely associated during the breeding season. Urine and feces, deposited regularly in particular spots, may serve to mark territories.
Nomadic males skirt the edges of boundaries and replace males removed by death or capture.
The latter fight initially, then quickly establish a dominance hierarchy. Captive fathers demonstrate quite a bit of parental care. They help females during partruition and participate in the grooming, food provisioning and defense of the young. Captive littermates begin to establish a dominance hierarchy by the age of one month. Maned wolves emit three types of vocalization.