Study Suggests Wolves More Tolerant Than Dogs
New research may have just busted the myth that dogs are more tolerant than wolves – at least when it comes to inter species relationships.
Dogs Are Often Thought to be More Tolerant Than Wolves
It’s been long assumed that part of the strong bond humans have with dogs is due to the breeding choices made throughout their domestication. It’s been common theory that we selectively chose more submissive, tolerant, and cooperative dogs as our partners, which in turn made them easier to interact with.
Dogs are often considered more docile and affectionate than wolves, and amongst human raised wolves and human raised dogs this seems to hold true. This increased tolerance and cooperation has likely been promoted through continued socialization by humans and the dogs own relaxed interactions with us.
The theory that dogs are more docile and less aggressive than wolves has been influenced by observing these human – animal interactions. But a new study released suggests that though dogs are tolerant and kind towards humans, wolves were shown to be more tolerant and kinder amongst their own species.
Cooperation is thought to be highly dependent on tolerance. For example, it has been suggested that dog–human cooperation has been enabled by selecting dogs for increased tolerance and reduced aggression during the course of domestication (‘emotional reactivity hypothesis’). – Messerli Research Institute, University of Vienna
How the Animals Were Chosen
In the study a pack of 9 wolves were compared with a pack of 8 mutts both being hand raised under identical conditions. The wolves were transporter from North America where they were born in captivity and the dogs were born in animal shelters throughout Hungary.
All of the animals were hand raised under identical situations at the Wolf Science Center. Each were integrated with adult animals into different packs between four to six months old and their contact with humans remained the same amongst both species with daily training and behavioral sessions.
Tolerance is Often Measured During Feeding
The researchers set out to study the interactions of wolves and dogs amongst their pack mates when it was time to eat. Cooperation during feeding has been studied amongst many species and has been used as a measure of an animals tolerance.
One of the most notable studies on the subject found that a higher tolerance level allowed bonobos to perform better on cooperative tasks than chimpanzees.
When presented with a task of retrieving food that was difficult to monopolize, bonobos and chimpanzees were equally cooperative. However, when the food reward was highly monopolizable, bonobos were more successful than chimpanzees at cooperating to retrieve it. These results support the emotional-reactivity hypothesis. Selection on temperament may in part explain the variance in cooperative ability across species, including hominoids. – Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Cofeeding Habits of Dogs vs Wolves
The dogs and wolves were studied once a day during a cofeeding period. They were presented with either multiple pieces of meat spread out on a large bowl or one large bone. The trials lasted no more than 5 minutes and each animal was tested once a day.
All of the animals were tested in pairs and rotated amongst each member of their pack. To ensure each animal started at the same distance from the food it was presented under a wooden box and once both animals were standing next to it the box would be lifted to the ceiling.
We analysed whether species, test condition (meat or bone), age (in months) and dominance status of the subject (higher- or lower-ranked member of the dyad) influenced the occurrence of tolerant and agonistic cofeeding, feeding alone, and the relative duration of these in the animals that did show the respective behaviours, as well as the relative number of agonistic behaviours.
Results of the Study
Amongst the wolves the researchers found that regardless of pack rank an animal could monopolize. Amongst the dogs it seemed to only be the ‘higher ranking’ animals that monopolized their food.
The scientists noted that wolves only showed rare and weak aggression toward their fellow pack mates. Wolves therefore appear to be surprisingly tolerant — a trait associated with kindness and cooperation — with the important catch that such feelings are limited to their own pack mates. – Discovery News
Subordinate wolves were found to readily challenge their dominant partners during feeding, while low ranking dogs cofed silently and were much more likely to retreat when confronted by a more dominant pack member.
Beyond the distribution of agonistic behaviours, it is worthwhile to note that neither the wolves nor the dogs were very aggressive during testing: agonistic interactions occurred only in 84 of the 260 test sessions (dogs: 36/134; wolves: 48/126). Moreover, of the 92 agonistic behaviours in dogs, 73 were threats, while of the 185 agonistic behaviours observed in wolves, 162 were threats.
There were a lot more incidents of aggression amongst the dogs than wolves which led researchers to question why dogs behave less tolerantly towards their own species. They also found that wolves were more likely to show restraint when another pack member acted submissively.
In sum, in our captive packs, wolves behaved tolerantly to their pack members during feeding, in contrast to the dogs, which have a steeper and more rigid dominance hierarchy.
New study begs the question; Has the human-dog bond effected the dogs own inter species relationship?
Has Domestication Led to Less Cooperation Amongst Dogs?
Although there’s not enough information from one study to make any great claims about inter-species relationships amongst dogs it does beg the question; has domestication led to less cooperation amongst dogs?
Perhaps because domesticated dogs are fed in a more relaxed environment without immediate threats they’ve lost some of their cooperative skills amongst each other. Some suggest this cooperation may have been lost because dogs don’t rely on their own pack for food as wolves do.
It must also be noted that even though the wolves in this study weren’t related wild wolf packs are. In the wild a big majority of the wolves are a family group, parents live with their offspring for 2 – 3 years. Feral dogs on the other hand roam in mixed groups that are not necessarily related.
Maybe human – dog cooperation has evolved to mimic the relationship that wolves have with one another – one of tolerance and cooperation. Dogs have no doubt learned to socially interact with us and perhaps that interaction stemmed from wolf – wolf interactions.
This also might help explain why dogs seem to have lost a lot of the pack mentality that wolves have. We’ve chosen our canine companions for their cooperative and kind nature towards us – which has landed them the title of ‘mans best friend.’
Whatever the reasoning might be it’s clear that dogs have perfected their human interaction skills – whether this means they may have lost some inter-species cooperative ones along the way has yet to be proven.
Dog-human interactions are more about living together without conflicts, not about equality. Their ability to respect and follow others made dogs the ideal partners of humans. – Friederike Range
Has the Human Bond Affected the Dog-Dog Relationship?
I haven’t lived in a multiple dog household in years – but when I did I saw a lot of cooperation, tolerance, and kindness. My older dog was the best teacher around – he taught Carter many rules, and in a very conflict free manner.
Do you think the close link between humans and dogs have effected their cooperation skills amongst their fellow canines? Do you think a dogs ability to live together with humans without conflict also extends towards other canine family members? Do you think wolves are more tolerant than dogs?
Really interesting study! We have three dogs in our household, and we find that the pack mentality definitely instills more tolerance and cooperation. Long story short, we originally had a pack of three. When the pack leader passed away, there was a sense of unrest. We introduced a new dog to the pack (Daisy) and balance was restored. Then another member of our original pack passed, and there was unrest again, until we introduced our newest member Lilo the pug. I never thought I would have a multiple dog household, but given our experience, I think we will always have multiple dogs from now on.
I really miss having a multiple dog household; it was so much fun watching my dogs play together all day long. It’s so interesting to think of how the dynamics can change within a home. Sounds like you’ve got an awesome dynamic trio for sure.
Very interesting post! I have never lived in a multiple-dog household but these are definitely some great questions.
That is an interesting study. It does seem that we’ve domesticated the dog away from their wolf instinct to a point. We’ve had multiple dogs for years and they’ve always been cooperative, although there’s always an alpha. When our latest alpha passed, the next in line seemed to step up. It was interesting to observe. Thanks for the great article!
It’s so interesting that you wrote this today because on Saturday I met 2 gorgeous wolf crossbreeds from a rescue called Where Wolf Rescue. They were the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen and they were SO loving. Matt and I were hoping they were up for adoption but they weren’t.
Very interesting thoughts. It is always cool to see those minute differences between creatures that seem so very similar. The impact of domestication is an interesting subject too. It does seem to me that domesticated dogs generally cooperate well, but when you think about it, they don’t necessarily have as much reason to cooperate as wolves do. Cooperation is a means of survival of the pack for wolves. Domesticated dogs have to cooperate more with humans more than other dogs in order to ensure they will receive food.
You said it perfectly – thank you for articulating that so well. It really does make me wonder how much off that skill set they haven’t necessarily lost but simply don’t have to use anymore because of the human interaction.
This makes a lot of sense to me…I have also read that street dogs tend to get along better with other dogs – it’s all about survival! As they become more dependent on us and more isolated from their own kind it would follow that their interaction skills change.
How interesting! I’ve actually never lived in a multiple dog household, so I don’t have much insight into that. I would like to some day, but I do worry that Luna might not play well with others since she is a bit defensive about food with other dogs. So maybe the answer is yes?
It would make sense that evolution would lead dogs to cooperate more with humans than with other dogs.
I also wonder if dogs become less cooperative with each other because they lack practice. For instance, are dogs more tolerant of each other in dog-friendly countries where they need to be than in less dog-friendly countries like the U.S.
I definitely think that’s a possibility. As with any skill it’s easy to get rusty when your abilities aren’t asked for or being used often.
That is so interesting but it makes sense to me! For every nice dog I come across there are 10 more reactive or dog aggressive ones! It’s gotten crazy out there! I don’t remember ever seeing this when I was younger.
It does seem to be quite common these days for sure. I’m sure there are so many factors that go into it but now I can add this evolutionary bias to the list of possible causes.
Indeed. But keep in mind that very few dog owners bother to train their dog with even basic commands such as sit, stay, come, etc. A solid recall, a reliable sit, and most importantly, the “watch me,” (or other command to focus attention on the owner) is all it takes to avoid unpleasant encounters. You cannot have control over what happens to your dog if you don’t have control over his basic behavior.
This is fascinating. I’ve lived in a multiple-dog household in the past and there definitely was a pack mentality amongst them and a clear alpha. Now, I’ve recently introduced a second dog into our home after being a single-dog home for three years. It has been interesting to see them acclimate. I work in a doggie daycare and it is interesting to me how some seem to enjoy the pack and play as a group, yet others are more interested in interacting with the staff.
Isn’t this an interesting post! I have often thought that current-day dogs seem to form packs with their human counterparts, much like wild dogs do with each other. It also makes sense that domesticated animals do lose some of their natural instincts, simply because they don’t have to use them anymore. Kind of use it or lose it situation, I guess. 🙂
I live in a multi-dog household… really multi, multi, multi ! lol and I do believe for the most part that our dogs our more tolerant to us, humans, than each other. For the most part they all get along, with one that can become a firecracker, and one that just likes to growl. But for us it all works as long as they think I’m happy all is good 🙂
Being domesticated and living with humans would dramatically change how tolerant our dogs would be with each other, but wild dogs may be very similar to wolves as far as how tolerant they are. Very interesting article!
Interesting. We’ve had multiple dogs for years and lucky to say we’ve never had any food aggression issues.
There was recently an article published by Whole Dog Journal regarding the loss of dogs’ dog skills, basically. It pretty much indicates what you have written here. This is all very interesting.
Dog trainers and behaviorists have known all along that our dogs are always watching us; for cues as to how to behave, reading our moods, etc. This began as a matter of survival when wolves and humans first began interacting. Whether you know it or not, you are in effect training your dog every moment you’re around him.
A good example of this is small dogs’ aggression towards larger dogs. Many owners of small dogs think it’s cute when their Chi attacks a large dog while on a walk because they believe a small dog can’t inflict that much damage. They frequently laugh and coo at their little bully, saying things like “oh, you’re so brave, did you show that big doggie you’re not scared of him?” using a high-pitched, happy tone. Unfortunately, what they don’t realize is that this is interpreted by little Fifi as praise for rushing the larger dog, ensuring that the behavior will be repeated. It’s simple Pavlovian stimulus-response-reward based TRAINING. By praising their dog for attacking the large dog, they are actually training him to attack large dogs whenever he encounters them, as he knows this is behavior his owner approves of and even encourages. This same belief that a small dog’s bite can’t inflict much damage is behind the reason many small dogs are aggressive and snappish generally, including toward humans. Not only do they get away with it, but they get their owner’s “approval” when they do bite, via the owner’s lilting tone of voice (“no, no, Fifi, that’s a bad little doggie.”) Fifi doesn’t understand the words, but the tone of voice is positive, and there are no negative repercussions for his actions, so he sees that as approval.
Lack of training – of both dogs AND owners – is the cause of most of the problems we have with our pets, and a major reason for dogs being ditched in shelters when they’re not what the owner had expected. They chew up the rug, pull on the leash, dragging the owner down the street; bark uncontrollably and lunge at every visitor who knocks at the door, necessitating their owner’s having to hold onto his collar for dear life while the visitor squeezes through the half-opened door.
The point is, dogs have been watching humans for thousands of years, modeling their behavior on what they observe. The deterioration of their pack loyalty and cooperation is no surprise if one considers the level of impatience, disconnection, indifference, and even downright hostility they observe between humans. And frankly, I find it sad.