The behavioral basis of canine–human friendship

68 the responses of prey toward clear, overt threat. However, threat can also be covert and ambiguous. The information primacy hypothesis argues that animals in complex environments may reduce environmental uncertainty through investigation. Information gathering may be especially important when ambiguous threat is close to a necessary resource. We studied the investigatory behaviors of 7 pairs of captive coyotes toward ambiguous threat within their ‘‘territories.’’ The threat consisted of recent anthropogenic activity that was associated with both foraging and nonforaging locations. At foraging locations, 2 distinct responses were observed. Five animals thoroughly investigated sites of human activity and subsequently fed there, whereas 9 animals neither investigated these locations nor fed. Nonforaging locations were seldom investigated by any animal. Individuals in pairs did not necessarily behave similarly. From these results, we suggest that coyote behavior with regard to ambiguous threat at foraging locations may be qualified as either proactive or reactive. When the proactive cohort of coyotes was prevented from investigating anthropogenic activity, foraging ceased altogether. This study is the first that provides evidence suggesting that canids gather information for cognitive inference about covert threat. Key words: behavioral syndromes; Canis latrans; cognition; coyote; information gathering 41 THE BEHAVIORAL BASIS OF CANINE–HUMAN FRIENDSHIP James A. Serpell* University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society *Corresponding author: [email protected] The quality of any canine–human relationship is determined by the behavior and interactions of both participantsddog and human. This presentation will focus on the dog side of the equation. It is known from previous studies that people’s attachments to their dogs are affected by their perceptions of the animal’s behavior. Behavioral compatibility between dogs and their owners has also been shown to influence the level of psychological benefit and social support that owners derive from these relationships. Finally, it is well established that behavioral problems constitute the single most important factor predisposing people to disown their dogs, either by surrendering them to animal shelters, abandoning them, or otherwise disposing of them. Using the results of a previously validated on-line survey of behavior among a population of approximately 9000 companion dogs, this presentation will explore further the role that behavior plays in both cementing and disrupting the canine–human bond. Analyses of breed differences in behavior suggest that owners are more tolerant of antisocial or problematic canine behavior when it involves small rather than large-breed dogs. Behavioral comparisons between the more ‘‘primitive’’ and the more ‘‘evolved’’ breeds

Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Vol 4, No 2, March/April 2009 may also help to shed light on the kinds of behavior that are selected against during the process of canine evolution. Key words: dog; behavior; aggression; breed differences; human–animal interaction 42 PLAY LIKE A PUPPY, PLAY LIKE A DOG Erika Bauera,*, Camille Ward.b, Barbara Smutsb a Animal Programs, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Washington, DC b Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan *Corresponding author: [email protected] We explored variation in the use of specific behaviors during dyadic play bouts between like-aged domestic dogs at different stages of development. Dyadic play bouts were videorecorded and coded for several behaviors including play solicitations (play bows), offensive behaviors (forced downs, mounts, chin-overs, full bodyovers, chases), and affiliative/self-handicapping behaviors (muzzle licks, voluntary downs). Bouts were selected for analysis if the paired individuals were in the same stage of development (pups to 2 months, 2-6 month old juveniles, 6-12 month old subadults, 1-3 year old young adults, and mature adults over 3 years). We analyzed variation in the rates of each behavior by developmental stage. A variety of mixed and pure breeds participated. The majority of dyads under 1 year of age were kin; older dyads were non-kin. Sixty-seven dyads were included in this analysis, some during multiple stages of their development. The average rate of play solicitation did not vary significantly by developmental stage (Kruskal-Wallis test: H 5 7.328, NS). All other behaviors were statistically significant using the Kruskal-Wallis test (forced downs: H 5 55.315, P , 0.001; mounts: H 5 85.945, P , 0.001; chin-overs: H 5 15.561, P 5 0.004; full body-overs: H 5 77.919, P , 0.001; chases: H 5 16.205, P 5 0.003; muzzle licks: H 5 12.660, P 5 0.013; voluntary downs: H 5 9.724, P 5 0.045), suggesting that the physical maneuvers dogs use during play vary over the course of their social development. In play between pups, forced downs and full bodyovers occurred at high rates, decreased through later stages, and were rare in mature adults. Mounts and chases followed bell curve patterns, spiking dramatically at the subadult stage. No mounting occurred in pup or mature adult dyads; chasing rates remained above 2 times per 10 minutes through every developmental stage. Chin-over rates were generally low and not observed at all in mature adults. Muzzle licks were displayed primarily between subadults and never observed between mature adults in play. Rates of voluntary downs were relatively constant in pups through young adults, but dropped sharply in the mature adult stage. Play relationships in domestic dogs tend to reflect existing dominance relationships (i.e. asymmetric relationships