10. Normal cat and dog behaviour Flashcards
Two theories for dog domestication:
- Wolves domesticated themselves
– Young wolves lived on the outskirts of human encampments to scavenge
– May have accompanied humans on scavenging/hunting and found useful
– Inadvertently selected for ability to live close to humans - Humans domesticated
– Found wolves useful and allowed them to breed once tame
– Keeping pets was a common behaviour of humans
Paedomorphism; what is it? other changes related to canine domestication?
–retention of juvenile features
– Physical features:
* Smaller size, shorter muzzle, domed head,
larger eyes, smaller teeth, floppy ears, etc.
– Behavioural features
* Increased care-soliciting behaviours such as begging, face-licking, reduced fear, curiosity, playfulness, reduced territoriality, increased social contact, increased vocalizations
- Other behavioural changes
– Earlier sexual maturity, relaxed estrous cycling, better social-cognitive skills
Dog activity patterns
- 12-14 hours of sleep per 24 hour period
- Diurnal and matching to owner patterns
- Breed and age differences
Dog environments
- Land based, with individual preferences for water
- Quiet ‘dens’ for resting
- Opportunities for exercise and play
Dog feeding behaviour
- Carnivores but will consume other foods
- Large, infrequent meals
- Generally not too discriminating, but breed and individual differences
social referencing in dogs
- Social referencing
– Dogs can use cues to understand their environment
– Ability to interpret emotional cues, but limited
guilt in dogs
– Guilty looks do not accurately reflect whether the dog did something wrong
guilt in dogs
– Guilty looks do not accurately reflect whether the dog did something wrong
dog vision
– Field varies with breed, focal ability likely reduced
– Some colour vision
Canine olfactory communication
- Feces marking
- Urine marking
- Pheromones
Cat Domestication
–selective breeding for physiologic, morphological, behavioural changes
– Most cat breeding uncontrolled
– Selection for morphology not behaviour – Cats easily revert to total self-sufficiency
- Some suggest ‘self-domestication’
Cat social behaviour
- Not actually solitary
- Social when resources permit
- Requires appropriate early socialization
Cat activity patterns
- 15-20 hours of sleep per 24 hour period
- Crepuscular
- Multiple short bouts of sleep rather than a long nighttime bout
Cat environments
- Use horizontal as well as vertical space, so need 3D environments
- Need safe spaces to escape and rest
- Enough resources to accommodate multiple cats
- Opportunities to exercise and play
Cat feeding behaviour
- Obligate carnivores
- Multiple small ‘catches’ per day – Variety
– Small, frequent meals - Predation-based play behaviour
