Lecture 31

Question 1

What is social behaviour?

1 pt

Answer 1

Interaction with other species, communication is important

Question 2

What evidence do we have that dogs are social animals?

5 pts

Answer 2

• Domestication - they get sad when their human leaves
• Dominance hierarchy
• Affiliative behaviour
• Social bonds
• Communication

Question 3

What are some examples of social behaviour in dogs

4 pts

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What is play behaviour like in wolves?

4 pts

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What does play behaviour in dogs depend on?

4 pts

Answer 5

• When you take them away from their siblings
• Lack of things to interat with
• Punishment for play behaviour
• Breed

Question 6

What is facial signals in wolves like?

3 pts

Answer 6

• 60 different facial signals alone
• 11 different facial regions
• Huge ability to communicate with facial expressions alone

Question 7

How are the facial expression and body signals in dogs different from wolves?

3 pts

Answer 7

• Less numerous
• Less differentiated
• Reduced in strength

Question 8

Why are facial expression adn ody signals in dogs different compared to wolves?

4 pts

Answer 8

• less ability to communicate
• bred out of them
• faces smushed in
• they bark more rather than facial expressions to communicate with humans

Question 9

What other indications can be used instead of facial expression?

3 pts

Answer 9

• tail
• paws
• posture

Question 10

What are the different tail posturing in wolves?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

What other things does wagging of tail indicate in dogs other than happiness?

3 pts

Answer 11

• Upright and wagging - aggressive, curiosity, confident
• Level with the body - relaxed
• Down/clamped and wagging - nervous, fear, not confident

Question 12

What is vocalization like for wolves?

3 pts

Answer 12

Barking is not common in wolves
* Agonistic or warning system
* 11 basic sound types

Question 13

How do dogs communicate and what is it used for?

4 pts

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

What are family groups like in wolves?

3 pts

Answer 14

• Range from pairs and family groups to packs
• Packs often determined by food availability
• Within packs, see division of labour and food sharing

Question 15

What is mating like in wolves?

2 pts

Answer 15

• Generally monogamous but not always
• Can demonstrate long term sexual relationships

Question 16

What is social learning from conspecifics like in wolves?

2 pts

Answer 16

Pups may remain in the pack long term
* learn social behaviour, hunting behaviour, and feeding behaviour

Question 17

Are there dominance hierarchies in wolves and how do dogs compare?

3pts

Answer 17

• 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