Dog Behavior

Why do dogs act the way they do? Why is “man’s best friend” so friendly sometimes, but then, in some instances, can become vicious and unpredictable? Do dogs have a natural tendency to be friendly, or is it the other way around? Are dogs more like wolves than most people realize, or is there more than just a different in build and color at work?

It is firmly believed that domestic dogs are, indeed, a subspecies of the gray wolf. As such, domestic dogs do share a number of common tendencies with their larger, more ferocious counterparts. For one, domestic dogs still operate with a “pack” mentality.

Dogs are very social animals, and the root of this social network is a dog’s pack. Dog packs are usually composed of a tight knit group, and follow a sort of hierarchy.

It is believed that dogs adapt so well and become so well attached to humans because they form a sort of “pack” with the humans that they live with. This is where loyalty comes in. Dogs are fiercely loyal to other members of their pack, which is why so many dogs are so protective of their “human pack”.

It is interesting to note that there are five “narrow traits” that can be used to explain and classify dog behavior, per a Wikipedia article.

These traits are “playfulness”, “curiosity/fearlessness”, “chase proneness”, “sociability”, and “aggressiveness”. A lot of studies of wolf packs in the wild have brought to light misconceptions that have arisen as a result of the observance of wolf packs in captivity.

In the wild, wolf packs are definite “family units”, while a wolf pack in captivity might very well consist of wolves that are not at all related to one-another.

In most wild wolf packs, the alpha male is the head of the pack, with his offspring being the rest of the pack. When these wolves come of age, they range out into territories of their own and start their own packs.