@RobertFischer @howlingdingo Silver foxes were domesticated as an experiment. The question relates to the origin of domestic dogs and why/how they were domesticated.
Interesting inquiry into displacement behaviours. We currently use one term to group all known displacement behaviours, but some may serve a different function to others. #CSF2018
Increase in excited behaviours and decrease in stress-related behaviours the more reward-based dogs’ training is. No difference in optimism, though. #CSF2018
Dogs in New Zealand trained to detect invasive fish in waterways, showed high accuracy at very low concentrations of fish as well as correctly discriminating between target and non-target fish species. #CSF2018
Might dog domestication be a case of epigenetics? Friendly wolves allow pro-social interspecific behaviour, less stress, leads to higher oxytocin, enhancing social cooperation. May explain how the fox experiment progressed so fast. #CSF2018
Dogs trained to lie down rather than do demoed action, then asked to do it when they were lying down automatically. Demo becomes incidental. Dogs could do demoed action about 60% of time, but decline with 1-hr rest over 1-min. #CSF2018
Lab beagles freeze or explore like normal dogs in novel situation. Freezers might be passive copers, but are the exploratory dogs active copers, or not experiencing a stressor in the first place? #CSF2018
How to train dogs to detect an invasive species that isn’t present yet? Dead bugs or bug extract in solvent? Either will work, but extract may be more effective. #CSF2018
Female dogs showed decrease in looking at owner after oxytocin and males showed increase. Also opposite effect has been reported! Need to get dosing right. #CSF2018