Pass Along RJ
August 08

Ethology
by Stephen Rafe

thology studies the reasons why things are the way they are - in this case, why dogs behave the way they do. And to study that, it's necessary to go back to our domesticated dogs' ancestral roots - the wolf - in its natural environment. According to PBS's well-researched Evolution of the Dog, today’s domesticated dog, Canis lupus familiaris, is a direct descendent of the gray wolf, Canis lupus. And this is verified through molecular dating of their DNA.

DNA studies also show that the domesticated dog came about some 130,000 years ago, not 12,000 years ago, as originally speculated. So, since this dates our dogs back to a time before humans even began farming, rather than mere gathering, it raises questions about whether we intentionally domesticated them - for companionship or protection - or whether they adapted to us for whatever we could offer them in terms of shelter, food, and so on.

Given that background, we have a stronger basis for understanding why dogs do what they do by studying what wolves do in their natural environment. J.P. Scott and J.L. Fuller, in their book Genetics and Social Behavior of the Dog, were pioneers in this field. Ahead of their time, they had already noted that dogs still have more than 60 behaviors in common with wolves. These genetically based behaviors include concepts such as fixed-action patterns (circling before lying down, for example), socialization, rank, critical developmental periods, and others.

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