Ancestors of the domestic dog

Dogs stay with people longer than other species and accompany them on all difficult paths. Scientists, while excavating sites of primitive man who lived about 30 thousand years ago, discover bones that resemble those of a dog in structure. In burials 12 thousand years old, next to human bones, there are bones of a wolf dog, apparently accompanying its owner to the “afterlife.” It was already a domestic dog.

We can only guess where the dog came from, but we know that its cousins today include the jackal, coyote, Australian dingo and wolf. What are they like in the wild? To better understand, I read literature about them.

Today there are several hundred dog breeds. In addition, there are a huge number of outbred animals. All of them are good in their own way; choosing from them the dog that will meet all the wishes of the owners is not an easy task. Special literature and dog handlers can help with this.

We chose the East European Shepherd for its distinctive features - intelligence, loyalty, determination. Our Ruta easily mastered the basic training course, on the street she walks next to us, waits for us at the store, runs only after the command, goes with us to outdoor cafes, and in the pet store she chooses toys herself.

A dog is a family creature. In a pack family, a dog has its own “specialty”; there are 6 of them: leader, mother, warrior, guardian, puppy and disabled person.

Perceiving a person’s family as his pack, the dog “specializes” his relationships with its members. I decided to make observations to check if this was true. Over the course of five days, I observed how the dog reacted to the commands of my family members: who he listened to more, who he was afraid of, who he guarded, and whose command he could ignore. The relationship between our dog and family members can be judged by the results presented in the table.

Relationships in a dog pack are regulated by the laws of dominance and submission. Just like wolves, dogs obey the leader, which gives a person the opportunity to control a dog at any age.

Dogs recognize human speech. I identified the words to which our dog reacts - these are names, commands, actions, objects, parts of the apartment. What they have in common is that these words are often used when communicating with a dog. Memorizing unfamiliar words, Ruta listens carefully, trying to understand the meaning. When learning, three or four repetitions of a word are enough.

Conclusion: A dog remembers human sound signals, just as its wild relatives remember the sound signals of other animals. For example, a jackal knows the “speech” of lions, and hearing the roar of a hunting lion, instantly rushes there for its piece of prey.

Activity

Our dog behaves differently at different times of the day.

I observed the dog for 5 days. Ruta sleeps most of the day, is inactive, and is calm when walking. Towards evening he begins to “wake up”, plays, barks, and actively communicates. While walking, he may show aggression towards other dogs and chase cats.

Conclusion: The dog retains the habit of its wild counterparts, going out hunting in the evening and having a good run before having dinner.

Territoriality

Territoriality in a dog's behavior is very important. The territory for our dog is an apartment, a stairwell and stairs, as well as a place for her to constantly walk. The real territory for Ruta is the apartment, therefore, she is more aggressive towards strangers since this feeding trough is far from bottomless - there may not be enough food for herself, so strangers have no business interfering. She marks the walking area and drives away strange dogs. The farther from its own territory, the less aggressive it is.

Conclusion: Dogs protect the territory they consider theirs as carefully as wolves protect their lairs and hunting grounds.

Hunter Instinct

Dogs like to chase what seems to them to be prey. Our Ruta takes toys with her on walks. She loves to chase balls, sticks, snowballs and plastic bottles. She plays hunter and prey with other dogs. She reacts to all fast moving objects and has a desire to catch up. This is how the hunting instinct manifests itself.

Conclusion: A modern dog, somewhere deep down in its soul, is a wolf and it has a natural desire to catch up and kill its “lunch” before having lunch. She, like all canines, is a predator, armed with teeth, strong paws, keen hearing and a sensitive nose.

All observations prove that the dog:

A hunter with keen senses, strength and endurance.
Active mainly at night.
Submits to the laws of dominance.
Guards and marks its territory.
Social animal.

And despite the fact that she lives with a person for a long time, in many ways her behavior is similar to the behavior of a wild animal and it is not correct to humanize her actions. She not only needs to be fed and walked, she needs a certain climate. She needs to be loved and understood so that she becomes a reliable comrade and protector.