Dog Behaviour Flashcards
Dog/cat taxonomical order?
Carnivora
Miacidae family includes
small, slender, tree dwelling predators
When were dogs domesticated
12,000-15,000 yrs ago
Miacines include
Dogs, other canids, bears, weasels, raccoons
Closest living relative to the dog
grey wolf (canis lupus)
How were wolves domesticated
Ice age= ppl less nomadic, wolves that tolerated humans got food/shelter, were then bred/selected for over generations
Domestication vs tameness
Tameness = individual level (in one lifetime) (fight/flight threshold smaller)
Domestication = species level
Canalized
produce the same phenotype regardless of variability of its environment or genotype
Purpose of ritualized signals?
Dominance, submission & appeasement enhance survival and reproductive chances of individuals and the pack
What social variation is observed in dogs in pair relationships? Why?
In some cases, ranks are obvious (dog guards food, bed, toys, etc w/ aggression)
In other dogs, not obvious (might guard food, not toys, multiple-dog houses might not guard at all (no competition for resources))
Selective breeding for different functions
What is meant by social referencing. Example?
Dogs pick up on emotional, behavioural, communicative cues presented by owners, mirrors them back.
e.g. when leaving for vacation, if you’re stressed so are they
Example of sporting breeds and characteristics
Pointers, setter, retrievers, spaniels
Aid hunters (locate, flush, retrieve game)
Energetic and active, trainable, social, low aggressivity
Characteristic of hounds (breeds, personality, use)
Scent and sight
Hunting (scent hounds and sight hounds)
Independent (ahead of hunter)
Greyhounds and whippets (sight), bloodhounds, etc
Characteristics of working breeds and examples
Akita, boxer, rottweiler, husky, etc
Guard property/livestock, pull sleds, water rescues
high reactivity, moderate-high in aggression
Strong bond to one person or family, highly trainable
Characteristics of terriers & breeds
Mini schnauzer, wire fox terrier, bull terrier
Find/kill small rodents (high instinct to chase small things)
Independent (when they see a small animal, they go), low-medium trainability, reactive
Predatory response, inter-dog aggression
Characteristics and examples of toy breeds
Chihuahua, Pekinese, pug, poodle, shih tzu
Miniaturization of other breed (behaviour similar to larger)
Neotenized features (youthful features)
Bonding w humans, puppy-like behaviours, highly trainable
Herding breed characteristics and examples
Border collie, german shepherd, shetland sheepdog
Move livestock, highly trainable
Strong bond, reactive, high chase instinct
What is coprophagy
Ingesting feces
Feeding behaviour of canids
Opportunistic scavengers, hunt prey and hoard excess
Why would dogs do coprophagy?
Mostly small (not uniquely)
Nutritional deficits, genetics, learned behaviour?
Concerning bc of parasites
How many scent receptors do dogs have
220 million
What frequencies can dogs hear up to vs child
45 KHz (ultrasound)
Child = 20 KHz
What percent of wolf vocalization is barking?
2%
What is crepuscular? What kind of canids are crepuscular
In cooler temperatures, opportunity to hunt prey greater
Dingos, African wild dogs
When do wolves and foxes hunt
nighy
What kind of biological rhythm do dogs follow?
Diurnal
sleep when their owners do
What is polyphasic?
several bouts of sleep per night (phases of sleep cycle)
When is group behaviour learned
Puppy development, 5-6 wks (play fighting in litter)
Why don’t animals want to fight
energy depriving
When breeds are of a similar size, what can determine rank?
Temperament
Submissive posture
Crouching, tail wagging, rolling over, looking small
Arousal (play or aggression) posture
Aggressive, ears back, tail up, snarl, play-soliciting behaviour
Traits of fear aggression
Animal makes body small, but sending mixed messages with raised hackles, snarling, etc
What is the function of the hierarchy
Stability, reduce intra-group aggression
What is allelomimetic behaviour
When multiple animals do the same thing at the same time
What is social facilitation
When one dog starts barking/howling, then others start to follow
What can tail wagging indicate?
Context-specific: Anxious/nervous, friendly/confident, aggressive
Might also distribute odour
When are dogs sexually mature vs wolves
Dogs = 7-8 months
Wolves = 22 months
Female dogs are diestrous, what is that?
heat twice annually
What are the stages of the estrous cycle
Proestrus (2 wks): blood, restless, seek male attention, unreceptive to mating
Estrus (10-21 days): receptive to mounting, once mated can end early
Metestrus (2 months): period of pregnancy (false/pseudo pregnancy commo)
Anestrus (4-5 months): reproductive inactivity
What is the lordosis stance
When female receptive to mounting, she elevates her rump and lifts her tail to one side
How do puppies find the teat
Olfactory cues, nudging, heat
When are puppies fully weaned
8 wks
What happens to mom 5 wks after birth?
Decreased milk supply to prep for weaning
Dogs are altricial, what is this?
Helpless at birth, unable to see or hear, limited movement
What is the prenatal period
63 days from conception to partruition
What is the neonatal period
0-14 days, rely on mom (elimination, food), eyes/ear canals closed, limited movement (reflex-driven). Whine, grunt, mew
What is the transitional period
14-21 days, Neurological and physical change. Eyes open day 13, ear canals day 18-21. Can eliminate by themselves, increased motor skills (walk clumsy), play-fighting and tail wagging
What is the socialization period
3-10 wks of age, adult patterns of behaviour. Senses/motor abilities developed, time away from mother (less sleeping/feeding). Teeth erupt. Social bonds with mother, littermates and ppl
What is the juvenile period
10 wks to sexual maturity. Rapid growth (fully grown 8 months), adult teeth at 5 months, removed from mother. Social interactions, puberty (male=slow, female= first heat)
Why do dogs scratch
Visual or scent cues left from toes or foot pads
Why do dogs roll
A strong smell will indicate a high ranking dog
Why do dogs scent mark
Urine and anal glands expelled. Status-seeking behaviour (higher ranking dogs raise leg urinate). Females do it more during estrus to attract males. Feces serve no purpose for dogs
When does whelping usually take place, how long does it take
Night time, 3-6 hours
What is dystocia
Difficult labour
How does a female act before parturition
Restless, secluded, build nest
When can puppies eliminate by themselves
Transitional stage (2-3 weeks)
How long do puppies suckle
3-4 weeks, then slowly weaned off (at 5 weeks moms milk supply decreases)
When are puppies weaned
Around 8 weeks
How does wolf weaning differ from dogs
Dogs = suckle 3-4 weeks, mom starts to regurgitate
Wolf = mom feeds by regurgitation for first 4 weeks, teaches them to hunt
Dogs are altricial, what is this?
Born relatively helpless
What happens if a dog is removed from te litter before 6 weeks
Deprived of social interactions, might lead to behaviour problems towards other dogs later
When do dogs begin to display play behaviours. What does this look like and why is it important
5-6 weeks
Play bow posture
Teaches them to control intensity of bite and social limits
How do dogs communicate
Posturing, vocalizations, facial expressions, scent marking
How is rank determined
Posturing, vocalization, possibly fighting
Does weight matter in female pairs?
No
How do dogs learn social organization/hierarchy
Being in group litter, tests of strength during play fighting establish rank
What is a dogs foraging/feeding behaviour
Opportunistic scavengers
Some will hunt/hoard (all resources — not just food)
Feeding controlled by people
What are the miacines
Ancestor of canid species (dog, wolves, foxes, coyotes) as well as bears, weasels, raccoons
what is the crucial development period
4-16 weeks
expose to different people, places, animals, environments
less fearful/aggressive later on
