Dog Behaviour Flashcards
why are dogs excellent predators
- variety of diets
- can incapacitate prey larger than themselves
- packing up
- run fast & good stamina
- long, slender limb, slender toes (phalanx)
- upright standing posture
which common tooth do carnivora have
carnassial tooth
-fusion of premolar & molar
what is the taxonomy of the dog
Genus - Canis
Species - C. lupus
Subspecies C.I. familiaris
What is morphometric analysis (anatomy & shape)
differentiating between candid species
what is molecular analysis
karyotypes, allozyme electrophoresis, mitochondrial DNA, microsatellite loci
leads to more conclusive evidence
what were tinbergens four questions
cause, purpose, development, effect
- What causes dog barking
- what is the function of dog barking
- how does dog barking develop during ontogeny
- how has barking developed during phylogeny
what is ontogeny and phylogeny
ontogeny: origination and development of an organism
phylogeny: the study of relationships between different organisms & their evolutionary environment
what does the cerebral cortex do
- integration of sensory stimuli
- higher learning - reasoning & effect
- includes limbic system
what does the limbic system do
contains hypothalamus, thalamus & hippocampus
- behavioural & emotional responses
- feeding, fear, aggression, sexual behaviour
What is the central nervous system
the brain and spinal cord
what is the peripheral nervous system
everything outside of the brain and spinal cord
-includes autonomic & somatic control
what do afferent neurons do
sends nerve signals TO the CNS
what do efferent neurons do
send nerve signal AWAY from CNS
what is autonomic control
involuntary control (digestion)
what is somatic control
voluntary control (weight lifting)
what is part of the autonomic system
parasympathetic (relaxation) & sympathetic (excitation)
what is ‘key stimuli’
a collection of stimuli that can be linked to specific behaviour response, but is able to be modified.
-linked to behaviour response
What does FSH do
increase testosterone in the testes- this will affect growth, maturation, and reproductive behaviour
what happens when you castrate a dog
reduces testosterone which alters reproductive behaviour
what are the four phases of behaviour development in canids
- Neonatal
- Transition
- Socialization
- Juvenile
what happens during the neonatal phase
- completely depend on mother
- poor movement
- touch & olfactory response
- vocalization
- stimulation required for defecation & urine
what happens during the transition phase
2-3 weeks old
- early development of adult traits
- eyes open on day 13
- auditory canal opens on day 18-20
- no longer requires stimulation for defecation & urine
what happens during the socialization phase
3-8 week of age
- adult like behaviour problems
- social behaviour begins
- manifestation of fear & aggression
- brain developing for learning
what happens during the juvenile phase
2-8 months
- full grown at 8 months
- improved motor abilities
- reproductive maturity
- major development of aggression
what is the hierarchy of behaviour
- reproduction
- copulation
- pelvic muscles (mating ability)
what do gene mutations affect
animal fitness in a population because the animal will adapt to the environment which will cause their offspring to inherit their adapted trait
-can be either beneficial, neutral, or detrimental
what is behaviour affected by
a defined set of multiple genes
what are the behaviour differences in the the genetics in a dog vs wolf
alterations (mutations) in the regulatory areas of the genetic code
what species has the most ‘social behaviour’
wolves
-have more than domestic dogs + other canids
what are 9 characteristics/mechanisms of social behaviour
- Social Play
- Fairness
- Communication skills
- Communication social hierarchy
- Family Groups
- Monogamy
- Social bonding
- Parental Care
- Social Learning ( important for long term pack hierachy)
has domestication of dogs affected communication
yes, it has. Their dog-human communication has improved and it has also affected their barking. Dogs have a higher bark frequency and duration.
what are 2 highly studied dog personality traits
- Fearfulness
2. Aggression
what are the two criteria for fearfulness
- Non- Social: loud noise, new household objects
2. social stimuli: unknown people & unknown dogs
what are the manifestations and targets of aggressive behaviour
manifestations:
1) threatening
2) attacking
targets:
1) family members
2) strangers
3) unfamiliar dogs
what are the less studied dog personality traits
- excitability
- sociability
- playfulness
- trainability
what is required in behavioural animal communication
genetics & learning ability
what are some forms of sophisticated communication in dogs
- pointing/gestures
- looking (facial gestures)
- words
