Lecture 33 Flashcards
What is social behaviour?
Interaction with other species, communication is important
What evidence do we have that dogs are social animals?
- Dominance hierarchy
- Affiliative behaviour
- Social bonds
- Communication
What are some examples of social behaviour in dogs
Social play
* Important because basic rules of social play are learned - teaches them how to communicate with each other, teaches about hierarchy, what their relationship is like, how to solve conflict
- Codes of social conduct and fairness
- Without play, social development suffers - not able to perform social play with siblings results in aggression
What is play behaviour like in wolves?
More common in wolves
* Facial expressions in play
* Contact games, biting and fight games also common but rarely result in any injuries
* Play for up to a couple of years
What reduces play behaviour in dogs?
5pt
- Reduced past 8 months
- When you take them away from their siblings
- Lack of things to interat with
- Punishment for play behaviour
- Breed
What is facial signals in wolves like?
- 60 different facial signals alone
- 11 different facial regions
- Huge ability to communicate with facial expressions alone
not seen as much in domesticated dogs
How are the facial expression and body signals in dogs different from wolves?
- Less numerous
- Less differentiated
- Reduced in strength
dogs have different ways to communicate
What are the different tail posturing in wolves?
Elevation of the tail = hierarchy position
* Striaght up in the air - most dominant
* Straight out behind them - second dominant
* Submissive - tucked into the body against the abdomen
* Wagging of tail - corresponds to high energy or excitement
What other things does wagging of tail indicate in dogs other than happiness?
- Upright- confident dog
- Level with the body - relaxed
- low = fear
- wagging -usually associated with happiness but can mean aggression, over arousal
What is vocalization like for wolves?
Barking is not common in wolves - gives location away
* Agonistic or warning system
* 11 basic sound types
How do dogs communicate and what is it used for?
- Complex, with many subunits (transitions, graduations etc)
- Barking categories of function and emotion
- Social play, play soliciting, exploration, caregiving, social contact and greeting, loneliness, agonistic behaviour, distress
- Terriers ( limited facial expression) have 12 new sounds
What are family groups like in wolves vs dogs?
Wolves
* Range from pairs and family groups to packs
* Packs often determined by food availability
* Within packs, see division of labour and food sharing
Dogs
* depends if they have opportunity to do it (feral dogs, sled dogs)
What is mating like in wolves vs dogs?
- Generally monogamous but not always
- Can demonstrate long term sexual relationships
in dogs they are polygamous - spayed, use AI
What is social learning from conspecifics like in wolves compared to dogs?
Wolves
* Pups may remain in the pack long term
* learn social behaviour, hunting behaviour, and feeding behaviour
Dogs
* take them away at 8 weeks
Are there dominance hierarchies in wolves and how do dogs compare?
There are in wolves
* dominant displays from wolves when playing with pups (muzzle biting by the adult followed by submissive display of licking by the pup
In dogs:
- some breeds have difficulty in establishing and maintaining a hierarchy (poodles)
- Conflicts can turn into fights
- Agonistic behaviour appears much earlier in domestic dogs than in wolves
