Dog behaviour, evolution and cognition

1 Dogs in historical perspective, and conceptual issues of the study of their behaviour . . 1
1.1 Introduction . . 1
1.2 From behaviourism to cognitive ethology . . 2
1.3 Tinbergen's legacy: four questions plus one . . 8
1.4 Evolutionary considerations . . 11
1.5 What is it like to be a dog? . . 15
1.6 Lupomorphism or babymorphism? . . 16
1.7 Modelling of behaviour . . 17
1.8 An ethocognitive mental model for the dog . . 22
1.9 Conclusions for the future . . 24
Further reading . . 26

2 Methodological issues in the behavioural study of the dog . . 27
2.1 Introduction . . 27
2.2 Finding phenomena and collecting data . . 27
2.3 Making behavioural comparisons . . 30
2.4 Sampling and the problem of single cases (N = 1) . . 35
2.5 A procedural problem in naturalistic observations: the presence of humans . . 37
2.6 How to measure dog behaviour? . . 38
2.7 Asking questions . . 43
2.8 Conclusions for the future . . 45
Further reading . . 45

3 Dogs in anthropogenic environments: society and family . . 47
3.1 Introduction . . 47
3.2 Dogs in human society . . 47
3.3 Interactions between dogs and people in public . . 51
3.4 Dogs in the family . . 53
3.5 Dogs at work . . 56
3.6 Social roles of dogs in human groups . . 56
3.7 Social competition in dog-human groups and their consequences . . 57
3.8 Outcast dogs: life in animal shelters . . 62
3.9 Conclusions for the future . . 65
Further reading . . 65

4 A comparative approach to Canis . . 67
4.1 Introduction . . 67
4.2 Putting things into perspective: an overview of Canis . . 67
4.3 An overview of wolves . . 74
4.4 Wolf and dog: similarities and differences . . 89
4.5 Conclusions for the future . . 92
Further reading . . 93

5 Domestication . . 95
5.1 Introduction . . 95
5.2 Human perspective on dog domestication . . 95
5.3 Archaeology faces phylogenetics . . 101
5.4 Some concepts of evolutionary population biology . . 117
5.5 Emergence of phenotypic novelty . . 119
5.6 A case study of domestication: the fox experiment . . 131
5.7 Conclusions for the future . . 136
Further reading . . 136

6 The perceptual world of the dog . . 137
6.1 Introduction . . 137
6.2 Comparative perspectives . . 137
6.3 Vision . . 139
6.4 Hearing . . 142
6.5 Olfaction . . 144
6.6 Conclusions for the future . . 150
Further reading . . 150

7 Physical-ecological cognition . . 151
7.1 Introduction . . 151
7.2 Orientation in space . . 151
7.3 Spatial problem solving . . 155
7.4 Knowledge about objects . . 156
7.5 Memory for hidden objects . . 158
7.6 Folk physics in dogs? . . 161
7.7 Conclusions for the future . . 163
Further reading . . 163

8 Social cognition . . 165
8.1 Introduction . . 165
8.2 The affiliative aspects of social relationships . . 166
8.3 The agonistic aspects of social relationships . . 170
8.4 Communication in a mixed-species group . . 177
8.5 Play . . 189
8.6 Social learning in dogs . . 191
8.7 Social influence . . 193
8.8 Cooperation . . 196
8.9 Social competence . . 197
8.10 Conclusions for the future . . 200
Further reading . . 200

9 Development of behaviour . . 201
9.1 Introduction . . 201
9.2 What are developmental 'periods'? . . 201
9.3 Rethinking developmental periods in dogs . . 205
9.4 Sensitive periods in development . . 209
9.5 Attraction and attachment . . 214
9.6 Early experience and its influence on behaviour . . 216
9.7 Prediction of behaviour: 'Puppy testing' . . 217
9.8 Conclusions for the future . . 219
Further reading . . 219

10 Temperament and personality . . 221
10.1 Introduction . . 221
10.2 Descriptive approach to personality . . 223
10.3 Functional approach to personality . . 226
10.4 Mechanistic approach . . 230
10.5 Conclusions for the future . . 234
Further reading . . 235

11 Afterword: Heading towards 21st-century science . . 237
11.1 Comparare necesse est! . . 237
11.2 Natural model . . 237
11.3 Evolving dogs . . 237
11.4 Behavioural modelling . . 239
11.5 Ethical implications and researchers' mission . . 240
11.6 Dog genome and bioinformatics . . 241
11.7 Taws in hands' . . 241

References . . 243
Index . . 267