Sierra Newfs
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Another gem from AVSAB's (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior) blog worth passing along.
http://avsabonline.org/blog/view/do...ful-construct-or-bad-habit-bradshaw-blackwell
AUGUST 02, 2012
by Miranda Bourque
Category: Dog Behavior
Dominance in domestic dogs - useful construct or bad habit? Bradshaw, Blackwell and Casey
The paper by Bradshaw, Blackwell and Casey called “Dominance in domestic dogs – useful construct or bad habit?” reviews how the term dominance has been misappropriated in the context of domestic dog aggression. It is not a trait of a single animal nor is it a motivation for how they interact. It also discusses recent literature on wolf packs and feral dog packs.
In the popular press, it is easy to use terms such asdominance and pack. We need to remember that the word pack is just a name, just as a group of whales is a pod or a group of birds is a flock. Wolf pack theory evolved back in the 60s based on premise that dogs and wolves, being of the same species, act in the same way. As well, Dr Mech’s book (The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species) was published at this time. Unfortunately this data was based on observing an artificial wolf pack (a group of captive unrelated wolves). This led to the popularization of the terms such as alpha and dominance.
Although the science has evolved, it has proven difficult getting the public and many professionals such as dog trainers and veterinarians to accept the advances that have been made. Another frustrating aspect is how popular media has promoted the outdated theories through TV and the internet.
When wild wolf packs were studied, it was found that there was very little aggression as they were co-operative family groups containing parents and offspring. There is one breeding pair and other family members to help raise the pups. Dominance hierarchy would not work in this situation nor be genetically beneficial.
As well, understanding of the domestic dog has also progressed. Dogs have co-evolved with us for thousands of years. It began as scavenging waste from the settlements. Domestication followed and through the years humans identified and developed specific breeds for guarding, hunting and herding.
This paper is an important one for anybody who is interested in dog behaviour, whether they are veterinarians, trainers or the general public. The better we understand our dogs, the more respectfully and humanely we can interact with them.
http://www.pawsoflife.org/Library/Behavior/Bradshaw_2009.pdf
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My note - Dr. Mech, mentioned in the post above, has a paper with his current stance on wolf dynamics "Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs" and it is available at: http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/resources/mech_pdfs/267alphastatus_english.pdf
http://avsabonline.org/blog/view/do...ful-construct-or-bad-habit-bradshaw-blackwell
AUGUST 02, 2012
by Miranda Bourque
Category: Dog Behavior
Dominance in domestic dogs - useful construct or bad habit? Bradshaw, Blackwell and Casey
The paper by Bradshaw, Blackwell and Casey called “Dominance in domestic dogs – useful construct or bad habit?” reviews how the term dominance has been misappropriated in the context of domestic dog aggression. It is not a trait of a single animal nor is it a motivation for how they interact. It also discusses recent literature on wolf packs and feral dog packs.
In the popular press, it is easy to use terms such asdominance and pack. We need to remember that the word pack is just a name, just as a group of whales is a pod or a group of birds is a flock. Wolf pack theory evolved back in the 60s based on premise that dogs and wolves, being of the same species, act in the same way. As well, Dr Mech’s book (The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species) was published at this time. Unfortunately this data was based on observing an artificial wolf pack (a group of captive unrelated wolves). This led to the popularization of the terms such as alpha and dominance.
Although the science has evolved, it has proven difficult getting the public and many professionals such as dog trainers and veterinarians to accept the advances that have been made. Another frustrating aspect is how popular media has promoted the outdated theories through TV and the internet.
When wild wolf packs were studied, it was found that there was very little aggression as they were co-operative family groups containing parents and offspring. There is one breeding pair and other family members to help raise the pups. Dominance hierarchy would not work in this situation nor be genetically beneficial.
As well, understanding of the domestic dog has also progressed. Dogs have co-evolved with us for thousands of years. It began as scavenging waste from the settlements. Domestication followed and through the years humans identified and developed specific breeds for guarding, hunting and herding.
This paper is an important one for anybody who is interested in dog behaviour, whether they are veterinarians, trainers or the general public. The better we understand our dogs, the more respectfully and humanely we can interact with them.
http://www.pawsoflife.org/Library/Behavior/Bradshaw_2009.pdf
********
My note - Dr. Mech, mentioned in the post above, has a paper with his current stance on wolf dynamics "Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs" and it is available at: http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/resources/mech_pdfs/267alphastatus_english.pdf
