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Vékony K, Pongrácz P. Many faces of dominance: the manifestation of cohabiting companion dogs' rank in competitive and non-competitive scenarios. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:12. [PMID: 38429548 PMCID: PMC10907432 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01842-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
There are indications that companion dogs of multi-dog households form a hierarchy, maintained by formal and agonistic dominance. Although it was found that the behaviour of dogs depends on their rank in several contexts, so far, the assessment of their rank itself has been based on owner-completed questionnaires. With this research we endeavoured to find associations between rank scores from the Dog Rank Assessment Questionnaire (DRA-Q) and cohabiting dogs' behaviour in a competitive test (Toy Possession test-32 dog pairs) and a non-competitive, citizen science scenario (Greeting test-20 dog pairs). Based on the grabbing the toy first and keeping the toy at the end variables, the dogs' rank score provided a reliable indication of the dominant and subordinate dogs' behaviour in the Toy Possession test. Similarly, the occurrence of dominant and submissive behaviours in the Greeting Test showed a good match with the agonistic and leadership subscores of the composite rank score from the DRA-Q. Our results provide a pioneering case for validating a questionnaire-based rank scoring method with biologically meaningful behavioural tests in the case of companion dogs. The finer analysis of the results highlighted that in the case of a multi-question scoring system, some components might provide more effective prediction of the dogs' rank-related behaviour in some situations, while other components are more relevant in others, with traits related to agonistic dominance having relevance across contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kata Vékony
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter Sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
| | - Péter Pongrácz
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter Sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
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2
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Fur removal promotes an earlier expression of involution-related genes in mammary gland of lactating mice. J Comp Physiol B 2023; 193:171-192. [PMID: 36650338 PMCID: PMC9992052 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-023-01474-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Peak lactation occurs when milk production is at its highest. The factors limiting peak lactation performance have been subject of intense debate. Milk production at peak lactation appears limited by the capacity of lactating females to dissipate body heat generated as a by-product of processing food and producing milk. As a result, manipulations that enhance capacity to dissipate body heat (such as fur removal) increase peak milk production. We investigated the potential correlates of shaving-induced increases in peak milk production in laboratory mice. By transcriptomic profiling of the mammary gland, we searched for the mechanisms underlying experimentally increased milk production and its consequences for mother-young conflict over weaning, manifested by advanced or delayed involution of mammary gland. We demonstrated that shaving-induced increases in milk production were paradoxically linked to reduced expression of some milk synthesis-related genes. Moreover, the mammary glands of shaved mice had a gene expression profile indicative of earlier involution relative to unshaved mice. Once provided with enhanced capacity to dissipate body heat, shaved mice were likely to rear their young to independence faster than unshaved mothers.
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Bungum HZ, Tan MHY, Borker A, Hsu CD, Johns P. Observations of multiple reproductive females in groups of smooth‐coated otters. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Chia Da Hsu
- Conservation Research and Veterinary Wildlife Reserves Singapore Singapore Singapore
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Time-activity budget of urban-adapted free-ranging dogs. Acta Ethol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-021-00379-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Banerjee A, Das N, Dey R, Majumder S, Shit P, Banerjee A, Ghosh N, Bhadra A. Power-laws in dog behavior may pave the way to predictive models: A pattern analysis study. Heliyon 2021; 7:e07243. [PMID: 34195401 PMCID: PMC8239746 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Apparently random events in nature often reveal hidden patterns when analyzed using diverse and robust statistical tools. Power law distributions, for example, project diverse natural phenomenon, ranging from earthquakes to heartbeat dynamics into a common platform of self-similarity. Animal behavior in specific contexts has been shown to follow power law distributions. However, the behavioral repertoire of a species in its entirety has never been analyzed for the existence of such underlying patterns. Here we show that the frequency-rank data of randomly sighted behaviors at the population level of free-ranging dogs follow a scale-invariant power law behavior. It suggests that irrespective of changes in location of sightings, seasonal variations and observer bias, datasets exhibit a conserved trend of scale invariance. The data also exhibits robust self-similarity patterns at different scales which we extract using multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. We observe that the probability of consecutive occurrence of behaviors of adjacent ranks is much higher than behaviors widely separated in rank. The findings open up the possibility of designing predictive models of behavior from correlations existing in true time series of behavioral data and exploring the general behavioral repertoire of a species for the presence of syntax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arunita Banerjee
- Behavior and Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, PIN 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Nandan Das
- Tissue Optics and Microcirculation Imaging, School of Physics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Rajib Dey
- Tissue Optics and Microcirculation Imaging, School of Physics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, PIN 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Shouvik Majumder
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, PIN 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Piuli Shit
- Behavior and Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, PIN 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Ayan Banerjee
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, PIN 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Nirmalya Ghosh
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, PIN 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Anindita Bhadra
- Behavior and Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, PIN 741246, West Bengal, India
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Cafazzo S, Marshall-Pescini S, Lazzaroni M, Virányi Z, Range F. The effect of domestication on post-conflict management: wolves reconcile while dogs avoid each other. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:171553. [PMID: 30109041 PMCID: PMC6083655 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Highly cooperative social species are expected to engage in frequent reconciliation following conflicts in order to maintain pack cohesiveness and preserve future cooperation. By contrast, in social species with low reliance on cooperation, reconciliation is expected to be less frequent. Here, we investigate the pattern of reconciliation in four captive wolf packs and four captive dog packs. We provide evidence for reconciliation in captive wolves, which are highly dependent on cooperation between pack members, while domestic dogs, which rely on conspecific cooperation less than wolves, avoided interacting with their partners after conflicts. Occurrence, intensity, latency, duration and initiation of wolf reconciliations appeared to vary as a consequence of a compromise between the costs (e.g. risk of further aggression) and the benefits (e.g. restoring relationship with opponents) of such interactions. Our results are in line with previous findings on various wolf packs living under different social and ecological conditions, suggesting that reconciliation is an important strategy for maintaining functional relationships and pack cohesiveness. However, current results on dogs are in contrast to the only other study showing that reconciliation can occur also in this species. Therefore, the occurrence of reconciliation in dogs may be influenced by social and environmental conditions more than in wolves. Which factors promote and modulate reconciliation in dogs needs to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Cafazzo
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah Marshall-Pescini
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martina Lazzaroni
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zsófia Virányi
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friederike Range
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Corrieri L, Adda M, Miklósi Á, Kubinyi E. Companion and free-ranging Bali dogs: Environmental links with personality traits in an endemic dog population of South East Asia. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197354. [PMID: 29870525 PMCID: PMC5988322 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dogs living on Bali Island have been free-ranging for thousands of years. A large group of expatriates sometimes adopt Bali dogs and keep them restricted to their houses and backyards, as is typical in modern western cultures. This provides us with the unique opportunity to compare the personality traits of dogs to their lifestyle either living as human companions or as free-ranging animals, exploring at the same time the impact of demographic variables (such as age, sex, and neutered status) on personality. After controlling for internal consistency of the scales and between-observer variation, we found that free-ranging Bali dogs were rated as less active, less excitable, less aggressive towards animals, and less inclined to chase animals or humans than Bali dogs living as human companions. Among free-ranging dogs, females were found to be more excitable. Females in the whole sample were also more fearful of people. The results of this preliminary study suggest that a change in lifestyle, i.e. being adopted, and living in a confined environment has negative consequences on some canine personality traits, such as activity/excitability, aggression towards animals, and prey drive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Corrieri
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Marco Adda
- Independent Researcher, AEC Anthrozoology Education and Canines, Naples, Italy
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Enikő Kubinyi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
Cooperative breeding is an excellent example of cooperation in social groups. Domestic dogs have evolved from cooperatively hunting and breeding ancestors but have adapted to a facultatively social scavenging lifestyle on streets, and solitary living in human homes. Pets typically breed and reproduce under human supervision, but free-ranging dogs can provide insights into the natural breeding ecology of dogs. We conducted a five year-long field based behavioural study on parental care of free-ranging dogs in India. 23 mother-litter units, belonging to 15 groups were observed, which revealed the presence of widespread allo-parenting by both adult males and females. While all the females were known to be related to the pups receiving care, the relatedness with the males could not be determined. Hence, we coined the term "putative father" for caregiving males. Allomothers provided significantly less care than the mothers, but the putative fathers showed comparable levels of care with the mothers. Mothers invested more effort in nursing and allogrooming, while the putative fathers played and protected more. Our observations provide support for both the "benefit-of-philopatry" and "assured fitness returns" hypotheses. Free-ranging dogs are not cooperative breeders like wolves but are rather communal breeders; their breeding biology bearing interesting similarities with the human joint family system. This breeding strategy is likely to have played an important role in increasing pup survival in a stochastic environment and helping to adapt to living among humans during the domestication of dogs.
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Bhattacharjee D, Sau S, Das J, Bhadra A. Free-ranging dogs prefer petting over food in repeated interactions with unfamiliar humans. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:4654-4660. [PMID: 29038310 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.166371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are the first species to have been domesticated and, unlike other domesticated species, they have developed a special bond with their owners. The ability to respond to human gestures and language, and the hypersocial behaviours of dogs are considered key factors that have led them to become man's best friend. Free-ranging dogs provide an excellent model system for understanding the dog-human relationship in various social contexts. In India, free-ranging dogs occur in all possible human habitations. They scavenge among garbage, beg for food from humans, give birth in dens close to human habitations, and establish social bonds with people. However, there is ample dog-human conflict on the streets, leading to morbidity and mortality of dogs. Hence, the ability to assess an unfamiliar human before establishing physical contact could be adaptive for dogs, especially in the urban environment. We tested a total of 103 adult dogs to investigate their response to immediate social and long-term food and social rewards. The dogs were provided a choice of obtaining food either from an experimenter's hand or the ground. The dogs avoided making physical contact with the unfamiliar human. While immediate social reward was not effective in changing this response, the long-term test showed a strong effect of social contact. Our results revealed that these dogs tend to build trust based on affection, not food. This study provides significant insights into the dynamics of dog-human interactions on the streets and subsequent changes in behaviour of dogs through the process of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debottam Bhattacharjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Nadia, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Shubhra Sau
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Nadia, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Jayjit Das
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Nadia, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Anindita Bhadra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Nadia, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
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Free-ranging dogs show age related plasticity in their ability to follow human pointing. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180643. [PMID: 28715475 PMCID: PMC5513426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences in pet dogs' and captive wolves' ability to follow human communicative intents have led to the proposition of several hypotheses regarding the possession and development of social cognitive skills in dogs. It is possible that the social cognitive abilities of pet dogs are induced by indirect conditioning through living with humans, and studying free-ranging dogs can provide deeper insights into differentiating between innate abilities and conditioning in dogs. Free-ranging dogs are mostly scavengers, indirectly depending on humans for their sustenance. Humans can act both as food providers and as threats to these dogs, and thus understanding human gestures can be a survival need for the free-ranging dogs. We tested the responsiveness of such dogs in urban areas toward simple human pointing cues using dynamic proximal points. Our experiment showed that pups readily follow proximal pointing and exhibit weaker avoidance to humans, but stop doing so at the later stages of development. While juveniles showed frequent and prolonged gaze alternations, only adults adjusted their behaviour based on the reliability of the human experimenter after being rewarded. Thus free-ranging dogs show a tendency to respond to human pointing gestures, with a certain level of behavioural plasticity that allows learning from ontogenic experience.
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Bonanni R, Cafazzo S, Abis A, Barillari E, Valsecchi P, Natoli E. Age-graded dominance hierarchies and social tolerance in packs of free-ranging dogs. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Bonanni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Unità di Biologia Evolutiva e Funzionale, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy,
| | - Simona Cafazzo
- Wolf Science Center, Dörfles 48, 2115 Ernstbrunn, Austria,
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria,
| | - Arianna Abis
- Djanet Association, via XI Febbraio 18, 10093 Collegno, Italy,
| | - Emanuela Barillari
- Agenzia Regionale Protezione Ambiente Calabria, Dipartimento di Catanzaro, Laboratorio Bio-naturalistico, via Lungomare, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy, and
| | - Paola Valsecchi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Unità di Biologia Evolutiva e Funzionale, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy,
| | - Eugenia Natoli
- Canile Interzonale, Azienda ASL Roma 3, via della Magliana 856/H, 00148 Rome, Italy
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