erm f1 is crossed with dog .......

re the suprised when expired...my lobo does that(hes a dog )

Do you think food is the only resource that is important?

Why do you think some dogs fight?

rune

She was homed at 8 weeks and has another pup of the same age at home too. Different breeds though. She is well handled and trained, they both are, and has been socialised at my puppy romps since 10 weeks and been to class since 12 weeks. There was also an adlt dog there for a while (a friends who was on holiday) and the staff pestered and persued this older dog so much, he had to be given a place to go to that the pups couldn' get to.

So totally different backgroound

In my view, to study any group of dogs or wolves, or any other canids or indeed species and draw a conclusion that all groups, within the same species, behave the same, is a a very limiting view indeed. One which may often negate the "need" for further learning. Which is not a good approach for general understanding.

it would be like studying a homeless family in Birminham, the royal family, or a small tribe in the outbacks of Africa and trying to apply their structure and behaviour to all humans - it just wouldn't make any sense!!!!

My family is not even the same as my neighbours and neither is yours.

I believe that as in humans, in canids, there are assertive ones and less assertive ones, natural communicators, mother types, hunter types, aloof ones, timid, bold or gregarious ones, teachers, leaders and followers.

I also believe that there are some general "types" of behaviors that are adopted or instinctual in some individuals , whether they are live in groups or not. There are in my experience, policing dogs, nanny dogs, and aggressor dogs, protector dogs, watchdogs etc. Some of these behaviourss are instinctual to some degree, I believe all of these behaviours are usually heightened with learning, experince and age.

Dogs which live in true groups, adopt them more readily, without the interference of humans. Dogs who socialise most often, become more powerfull in whatever role they have adopted and can with experience, or out of group "necessity" . adopt or other required roles.

I think everyone's experience is valid, every point of view worth hearing, but I think that given that we really cant even fully understand the way that humans interact, (and we are human and can talk and write down our thoughts and emotions), then it is highly unlikely that we will ever fully understand the way that dog groups work.

The day we do, is the day that I will stop asking WHY??? and will therefore probably just keel over and die. My life having become rather meaningless!

Maybe shes just a needy clingy character, we all know people like that & in general they dont have many friends

All animals, human or not, have strong survival & self-preservation instincts, of course we do. This is part of the genetic code to try ensure preservation of the species.

But the strategies for survival & self-preservation can be different both between & within species.

Wolves have evolved different survival strategies from domesticated dog. Wolves generally fear humans, rely on their own hunting strategies to feed themselves & rely on being part of a pack to bring down large prey, which is often all that is available in the locations they are now forced (by humans!) to live.

Dogs, the other hand, rely far more on being able to live near or with humans to scrounge & scavenge for food. Obviously they can & will still hunt prey to eat & the breeds that have been less affected by human selective breeding strategies may be more able & likely to hunt & kill rabbits etc.

Given the dire straits of the wild wolf population, & the huge numbers of domestic/feral dogs in the world, it is clear which survival strategy has been most successful in the past few thousand years!!

Yes absolutely ~ we still have so much to learn about ourselves, let alone other species. Given that none of us can know what it's like to a dog/wolf or any other species, we can only surmise & make educated guesses from what we observe.

Which strategies are specifically different for survival within a group? Lets forget food as it is provided for captive wolves and for dogs.

Lets look at other resources---the comfiest resting place, the playthings, the left over bones, the bitches, or the owners in the case of dogs.

How do the behaviours differ?

rune

Of course being hunted to extinction by humans has nothoing to do with the position Wolves & many other species find themselves in of course ?????????

Meooow.