Dog Behaviour

Question 1

why are dogs excellent predators

Answer 1

• very curious animals
• they have a variety of diets, and are more versatile (not obligate carnivores)
• social hunters
• overall, they are social, intelligent animals who are able to hunt together

Question 2

what physical features allow dogs to be excellent predators

Answer 2

• great stanima
• long, slender limbs and toes
• more upright standing posture

Question 3

what is the morphometric analysis for domestication

Answer 3

it is hard to accurately differentiate between canid species

Question 4

Dog domestication

Answer 4

Dogs descended from wolves, but domestication selected for reduced fear, increased sociability, and communication with humans, not just tameness.

Question 5

4 phases of behaviour development

Answer 5

1. neonatal period
2. transition
3. socialization
4. juvenile

Question 6

what is the neonatal period

Answer 6

blind, deaf, main stimuli response is touch and olfactory, can vocalize, stimulation required

Question 7

what is the transition period

Answer 7

ears and eyes open, improved motor function

Question 8

what is the socialization period

Answer 8

most critical learning period. Dogs learn:
- adult like behaviour patterns
- social behavior
- first manifestation of fear and aggression

Question 9

what is the juvenile period

Answer 9

behaviour is not changing much, motor abilities are remarkably improved

Question 10

what is ethology

Answer 10

study of behaviour, includes causation and function

Question 11

how is behaviour classified

Answer 11

1. physiological responses
2. complex activity
3. combination of both

Question 12

what is dog Behaviour really

Answer 12

actions to environmental stimuli
- a higher level response that involves stimuli that can induce a response.

Question 13

what are stimuli

Answer 13

an environmental signal that can be modified by endocrine responses to elicit a response.
- olfactory, auditory, visual, tactile processes processed by the brain

Question 14

how is Behavioural responses affected

Answer 14

by both the environment and genetics of the animal
behaviour can be:
1. unique to the individual
2. unique to the event
3. uniform within the population

Question 15

what are tinbergens four questions in the context of a dog barking

Answer 15

1. what causes the dog barking (what stimulates it)
2. what is the function of a dogs bark (impact on behaviour)
3. how does barking modify the animals experience
4. how has barking developed during phylogeny

Question 16

what do the four questions not consider

Answer 16

the dogs emotional and cognitive aspect of behaviour

Question 17

what is ontogeny

Answer 17

origination and development of an organism

Question 18

what is phylogeny

Answer 18

the study of relationships between different organisms and their evolutionary development

Question 19

what is the functions of the cerebral cortex

Answer 19

• integration of sensory stimuli
• higher learning, reasoning, reflection

Question 20

what are the functions of the limbic system

Answer 20

this part of the cerebral cortex contains the hypothalamus, thalamus, and hippocampus
- maintains basic behaviours like feeding, fear, aggression, sexual behaviour

Question 21

what is the CNS composed of

Answer 21

the spinal cord and brain

Question 22

what is the PNS composed of

Answer 22

all nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that relay information between the body and CNS

Question 23

what are afferent nuerons

Answer 23

nerves that carry information to the CNS from receptors

Question 24

what are efferent neurons

Answer 24

nerves that carry information away from the CNS

Question 25

what is the autonomic vs somatic nervous system

Answer 25

autonomic: involuntary control somatic: voluntary control

Question 26

what are the main divisions of the autonomic nervous system and their function

Answer 26

parasympathetic and sympathetic - para: relax - symp: excitation

Question 27

what are key stimuli

Answer 27

collection of stimuli that cause a interpreted response by the CNS in a specific and functional manner

Question 28

what do genes do

Answer 28

code for proteins within the body

Question 29

what do mutations do

Answer 29

alter genes and protein function (multiple or single)

Question 30

what are the nine various characteristics of social behaviour in dogs

Answer 30

1. social play 2. fairness 3. communication skills 4. communication social hierarchy 5. family groups 6. monogamy 7. social bonding 8. parental care 9. social learning

Question 31

what is social play

Answer 31

forming some basic characteristics of social life (ie bite play vs dominance- aggression)

Question 32

what is fairness

Answer 32

a part of social play- helps individual animals benefit and survive within the environment

Question 33

what are communication skills

Answer 33

visual cues, body posture, facial expression and barking

Question 34

what is communication social hierarchy

Answer 34

established structure that aids in social behaviour stability

Question 35

what are family groups

Answer 35

groups that are influenced by food supply which determines the pack size and interactions - there is a division of labor in wolf packs for things like hunting, raising progeny, and development

Question 36

what is monogamy

Answer 36

a long term commitment to the wolf pack. polygamy is uncommon - less common in domestic dogs because reproductive behaviours are influences by people

Question 37

what is social bonding

Answer 37

a strong bond in social animals such as candids to bond to the pack or bond to the owner

Question 38

what is parental care

Answer 38

wolf pack members help in raising cubs

Question 39

what is long term social learning

Answer 39

wolf can stay within the pack indefienlty as long as they learn long term skills for hunting, social interaction, play, etc.

Question 40

what influences dogs personalities

Answer 40

GENES AND ENVIRONMENT - they are highly intelligent animals that will adapt behaviours to their environment and situation - can display single, but lots of behaviours

Question 41

how are personality traits described

Answer 41

as dispositional characteristics that regularly and persistently determine behaviour in many different types of situations

Question 42

what are the 6 dog personality traits

Answer 42

1. fearfulness - expression of fear and anxiety that is different in various breeds 2. aggression - non uniform responses but can be stable in certain breeds 3. excitability 4. sociability 5. playfulness 6. trainability - no consistent display of effective trainability between breeds.