Got back last night after attending a two day conference in Sydney with Ray Coppinger PhD, Ethologist, as the guest speaker. Wow!! What an interesting man. I'll write a "short" summary when I get my head back from wobbling around phenotypes, genotypes, wolves, pack behaviour (he had some interesting things to say about that!), village dogs, intrinsic and extrinsic behaviour, brain development, critical periods, changing size and shape change behaviour! Aargh so much to take in and I loved it!!

Conference was attended by dog trainers, vet behaviourists, vets, shelter workers and any other interested parties to the dog world. Ray has a great sense of humour and punctuated his talks with drawings of dogs he'd was working on like the "flounder dog", followed by "I know where to get you one but they're very expensive"!

I purchased his book there and he's dedicated it, now I just have to read it!!!

Whoo Hoo-I just looked him up-I love this sort of stuff! He sounds like a brainy version of Cesar Milan. Not that there's anything wrong with Cesar-but I love all the science stuff-do please report when it all filters through.

That sounds really interesting, I'd love to hear what you have to say about pack behaviour, and what is extrinsic and intrinsic behaviour, and what's the difference?
What about the genotypes/phenotypes?
Yeah, just tell us all!
:-)

yes tell us all..... i love learning how to understand raz better

yes pack behaviour would be very interesting to learn about

Waiting in anticipation with the write up. I am off to look at what he is all about.

Sorry guys - I've been away for a few days in the Blue Mntns (no Paxy) - shall post pics soon and I'm about to head down to Melbourne for a couple of days. I'm hoping to write up notes while I'm gone so I can share with you!

I just typed out day one's notes and thought I was replying and aaargh they disappeared. *&(%$# I'll try again later!

HAHAHA. Sorry shouldn't laugh, but that has happened to me too many times. I believe that there are creatures in the computer that eat things, must be fraggles that is why you need to defragment your computer. hehe. My own little joke there. Don't worry I have all the patience in the world but still looking forward to it.

[/b]OK - second try now! Here are notes for the first day of the conference. Any errors are mine!

Dog bites are one of the biggest medical expenses in the US.

55,000 people die a year from rabies in Africa & Asia. Diseases carried by dogs can affect endangered animals. Canine distemper affects: wolves, lions, spotted hyenas, African wild dogs, seals, ferrets, leopards, raccoons, giant and red pandas, javelinas, foxes and tigers.

The dog is most popular canid in the world. It is an evolutionary success story – descendant flourishes, ancestor (wolf) becomes extinct. Most dogs are not attached to people at all, except in a loose way. Dogs generally live off debris. Pets are a small proportion of total dogs in the world. There are no stray dogs – they are background population! In some places such as a tropical island there is nowhere for the dog to stray from.

What do they do? (ethologist)

Benefit/Cost Of behaviour measured in calories acquired) > 1 (Of behaviour measured in calories expended)
|
|
Gain food
Reproduce
Escape

If more energy is expended into finding food then getting back from eating it – animal is going to die. Lion chasing a mouse and eating it – not worthwhile for energy expended and calories gained. Costs for a canid include: design (development from foetus), foraging (food and water), reproduction (raising of litter) and hazard avoidance (escaping danger, anxiety). The brain uses 9 x calories than any other organ in body. Therefore if you are perfectly adapted to your environment you can have a smaller brain. Bigger brain means a poorly adapted animal. Five canid species at birth have same size head and brain volume. Wolf has bigger brain as an adult than other canids.

Phenotype – way animal looks
Genotype – way genes look

Phenotype
Adaptation
Complexity = increased or degenerated

Dog can run a marathon everyday. A human can’t. Iditarod = 5 marathons a day for 9 days. How can a dog do that?

Somewhere in the world a dog can do a job better than any other animal in the world.
1. Dog has thicker skin than wolves. Wolf skin tears easily. (reason why not known)
2. Little photoperiodic response. (Estrus response to light). Dogs come into heat any time any place. Tells you dogs are tropical. Equator 12 hrs day and night.
3. Males are not seasonal. (wolves have reproductive regression for most of the year until time of mating)
4. Long Critical Period for social development.

Onset of Hazard Avoidance Behaviours

Wolf --> before 19 days old
Dog --> before 49 days old

Hazard Avoidance – fear period, if it starts early: fear aggressive animal will develop. Cannot tame a wolf starting after 19 days of age.

49 days – average – 7wks
By 8 weeks already starting to show fear periods.
A lot of social development happening at 3 or 4 weeks.

Most socialization is with NOSE early on.
Pick a puppy from a litter and leave a shirt with it at 2 1/2 weeks! Pup forms a bond with the scent before has met you.

Genetically Wild – trying to tame foxes (Russian experiment).
Looked at startle distance = distance run after startled (burning calories – look at the cost)
In the experiment to breed tame foxes they picked a fox with a short startle distance to do the experiment with. Startle distance very short for dogs – low key – they don’t run far after startled.
Because of short startle distance dogs outcompete wildlife scavenging in area. Ie dogs when startled travel less distance away from food scraps so therefore return quicker than wildlife – less calories expended and more gained.

Foxes at 12-15th generation --> foxes looking for people.
Animal is genetically tame. An example of artificial selection simulating natural selection.
20th generation – changes in phenotype –f loppy ears, piebald coats, estrus cycles twice a year.
These foxes are: Genetically Tame and Phylogenetically Bizarre (phylogy – history of species)

Dogs have a symbiotic relationship with people: Dogs stay near people. Symbiosis – living together (meaning). In a village symbiosis is obligatory for a dog. If humans disappeared on earth the dog is in trouble. Eat near people, low startle distance. Dogs would have to evolve back into landscape.
Founder Effects: In any one area the founding animals that populate that area cannot represent the total genetic variety of animals.

Tame (definition): to eat in the presence of humans (adaptation). Village dogs – have space around them. Dog guards their area, keep other dogs away. Competition is between dogs for limited resources. Major cause of death of wild dogs/wolves is starvation or caused by starvation.

Majority of dog’s social behaviour is through it’s nose

So most of the socializing we do early in dog’s life should be through nose.

Food not problem in a village/dump – dogs need water so follow people as they’re given water. Also shade provided by houses.

Dogs can adopt to anything especially during their social period (first 49 days). Goats, sheep. So when sheep go someplace dog goes too. Dogs adopt specific sheep – friends with them. Specific to individual animals (not the whole flock in general). Then do what dogs do which is bark when danger approaches. What they learn in that social period as puppies they carry over to adulthood.

[i]Experiences at 2 ½ - 4 weeks shapes behaviour as an adult dog[i]

People breed dogs.
Phenotype ¬¬¬¬¬-- > genotype
Selectively breed dogs for traits ie colour. Closed books now breeding for genotype.

Pure Breeds – 20th Century phenomenon – sexually isolating animals to obtain a purebreed. If you 500 dogs on book – how many generations before inbreeding = 10. Switch from phenotypic designation to genotypic. Dogs bred for capricious reasons.

SLED DOGS:
1. Morphological shape of the dog. Greyhound looks fast – function of the dog.
2. Behavioural shape of the dog.
3. Morphological shape of the team
4. Behavioural shape of the team.

When you’re building a team you’re looking at the behavioural shape of dog and team as a whole. Size and shape because it’s a function of the dog.

1900 – Alaska Gold Rush and gold in Siberia, dogs were used for transporting things using sleds, carts. Not that many dogs at that time. No malamutes.

Dogs takes on a value = fast, earn money in races.

Dogs taught to be aggressive with food by feeding together in a litter. Feed separately – resources come from you, no need to fight over food.

Dogs run together because other dogs are running! Social facilitation.

Have empathy with your dog – know when to quit.

Most importantly:

[/b]WHAT KIND OF OWNER SHOULD THE DOG GET?
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DOG: WHAT TYPE OF DOG CAN YOU AFFORD TO ENTERTAIN???
[/b]

Awesome, been waiting for this!At last I don't have to pretend I know the difference between Genotypes and Phenotypes. Do you know anywhere online that there is more Ray Coppinger info?

Now, about the dogs adopting single sheep. Funny you say that. Royalla sent me some pics of Jacksy and Princess the baby goat up at her place, apparently they hang together and have a nap in the arvo. Jacksy is a big Nana, but I was suprised-Royalla has seen it, so she can describe the behavior better than me. Why would they just befriend one?

For some reason I can't get the pic's from photobucket on...aarrgghh

I don't know if there's much of his actual stuff online but a lot of the stuff he talked about at the conference is in his book "Dogs" (don't you love that title!!) but on a much more expanded level as you would expect. We did get a new paper from him at the conference but I must admit that I haven't read it all yet.

As for the adoption of animals I'm not sure - watch this! http://s599.photobucket.com/albums/tt75/tl...mumaandbubs.flv

I don't think he's so much adopted it, as it has decided Jacksy is his friend, and he can hang out with him and have a nap with him. Jacksy is a complete Nana though. Anyway, hopefully Royalla can explain it. It all started when Jacksy busted the fence and the goat wandered in with him as I understand it.

OK so now I've finally transcribed Day 2 of the seminar. I've culled some of the information for clarity and for space. There was so much to take in. Again any errors are mine and if you want further explanation ask and I'll try to explain in my limited understanding!

For those not wanting to wade through the notes and want to know what was said about BC behaviour it was to do with their dopamine levels. Dopamine is an excitatory, it stimulates the brain and thus movement. BC's have much higher levels than a livestock guarding breed. As an aside both cocaine and amphetamines have an effect on dopamine levels leading to overstimulation of pleasure pathways in the brain (simplification).


COGNITION

Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone Park. The behaviour of the coyotes in the park changed.

*Pack is an environmental construct. Pack goes to the prey base it is forced to prey on. Wolves in Spain are solitary animals.
*Most social behaviour is an immersion behaviour. How the animal interacts with the environment.
Evolutionary development

Adaptation Ethology

An ethology result – adaptation.
Species typical motor pattern.

Comparitive Psychology – the process of adapting to the Environment – Learning.

Be careful how people use words, which leaning they come from.

Two kinds of behaviour.

Intrinsic behaviour: which is hard wired sterotype motor pattersn. Developmental growth (accommodative growth).

Extrinsic Behaviour: accommodating behaviours, learned behaviours, emergent behaviours.

Analysis of individual behaviours becomes complex.

Intrinsic Behaviour:

Innate
Genetic
Hard wired

Emotional

Remember: A cube behaves like a cube
A ball behaves like a ball

Intrinsic behaviour is shape dependant. A Dachshund can pull a sled but it can’t win a sled dog race, a sled dog can. To find a difference in behaviour look at the shape. Learn comparative anatomy, comparative physiology. Eg Parrot – eating small seed only – cost/benefit

Evolution: change size
Development: change size

To change size automatically changes shape

Change the shape of the dog and it is going to change the behaviour. Increase in size of the dog will lead to increase in heat storage capacity etc.

Evolution: change colour
Development: change colour

To change colour automatically changes shape.
Colour – heat reflective or absorbent.

Ethology is the study of intrinsic behaviour.

Innate
Genetic
Hard wired

Border collies behave like Border Collies.

Ethology: the study of Motor Patterns

It is through the integrated sequences of movement that animals express RULES

Border Collie crouch – integrated sequence of movement.

Ethogram: is an inventory of sequences of motion that expres those rules.

Species specific (typical) behaviour = rules

Species specific (typical) Motor Patterns.

Measurement of Motor Pattern

• Quality: the shape of the behaviour
• Frequency: the number of times behaviour expressed
• Sequence: where in the behavioural repertoire does the motor pattern appear.

Looking at social behaviour those motor patterns are put into sequence sometimes not in the same evolutionary path. Foraging activity with another animal – play not in a foraging sequence. (as in play is an expression of a foraging motor pattern)

Motor Patterns can be divided into 3 groups:

Foraging:

Hunting eyestalkchasebitedissect

Reproductive:
Courtship and copulatory
Parental
Hazard Avoidance:
Alarm calls escape hide
Aggression can be broken into motor patterns
Foraging Motor Pattern Protect food (urinating on food)
Reproductive Motor Pattern protect mates (protection of puppies)
Hazard Avoidance Behaviour  protect self
Aggression for the above behaviours come from different parts of the brain. There is NO aggression part of the brain.

Foraging Motor Patterns:

Wolf
EyeStalkChase Grab Bite Dissect  Eat
Substitutions can be put in – head shake to kill instead of bite

Border collie has a different set of rules – breed specific (Volmar Volmark???)
Mouth open – vomer organ – most scents through mouth
Descendant has same rules as the ancestor.
Inherited from the ancestor 
Analogous Behaviour – same for descendant as ancestor

BC – herding sheep – space between dog and sheep – there is a threshold where it goes from stalk to chase. If the dog works in close – small thresholds.
Some people can work with one and not the other (large or small thresholds in BC’s). Trainer needs to look at where the length of the threshold is. Threshold is part of the rules. When dog is close to threshold put dog down (in a drop).
Choreographing innate motor patterns when herding – putting dog in a location where you get innate behaviour you want.
When you let dog go over the threshold line – dog loses it and trainer gets frustrated.

Breed typical Motor Patterns:

Some dogs – LGD (livestock guarding dogs) don’t have dissect – won’t eat a dead animal if it has no open wound. Is not in their motor pattern to dissect.

Heading Dogs:

BC ORIENT >> EYE >> STALK >> CHASE (grab bite) (kill bite)
Hypertrophied in BC () should not have them considered a fault
These motor patterns are
Stronger than wolf

Outrun = how BC runs around sheep cannot be changed easily – built in set of rules.

Different between breeds – what are the different motor patterns. Pointer or retriever – needs a grab bite but not a kill bite – if it does it’s a hard mouth.

Each breed has a different set of rules
Each breed is a different shape

Dopamine levels in the brain.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter – some neurotransmitters are excitatory, some inhibitors etc. Dopamine is excitatory.
BC has lots of dopamine – always moving
LGD has low levels of dopamine (quiet around sheep no chasing)

If you have it you will behave a certain way.
If you don’t have it you will behave in a different way.

Behaviour Genetics:

Genes only build structures
Chemistry and physics

Wolf howling: the howl is the motor pattern.
Measure: the howl
Quality: shape of the howl
Frequency: no of times
Sequence: measuring the quality of the howl

Signals:

Mammalian Vocalisation:

Sender – receiver
Structure – function
Tonal signals: (tend towards high pitch) – approach - whine
Noisy signals: (tend towards low pitch) – withdraw – growl

Assess signals when we listen to people speak

Noisy signal – bark at passersby
Tonal signal – beagle baying – on the scent – join up

Wolf alarm call – low noisy very short duration.
Dog alarm call – different but similar - dog repeats it over and over and a little longer.

Dog bark – combination of tonal and noisy signals.

Adult female on chain – fear bark – combinative behaviour – can’t escape, approached by a stranger. Threatening and calling for help.

Often find a combination of motor patterns, often animal is in conflict. Important to be able to recognize this.

Often seen in play combination of signals (play bow) – potentially don’t know where behaviour will go.

Often the interval between barks is what you’re listening for. How often and how many repeats.

What you don’t hear is important.

***Spacing between bark often giving you the information you want to know ***

Adult - Alarm calls
Juvenile - Distress calls
Neonate - soliciting calls
Retrieval call: (when pup left alone and wants mother to find it)
Puppy is sender. Onset: at birth. Offset at two months.
Mother is receiver. Onset: after last pup is born (so if mum moves away from first pup she will not fetch it till after last pup is born)
Offset: 13 days later
Motor patterns have onset and offset during the ontogeny (life) of the dog.
Puppy is thermotaxic – turns toward heat. If it can’t find heat will make sound that it’s lost.
Retrieval call varies between species (in rats it happens 2 weeks before birth).
Mother dog won’t retrieve pup in distress after 13 days (some variation is possible). But we’re working on a motor pattern.
Instinct – innate and hard wired. Foraging in puppy – nursing, if puppy doesn’t get on within time limit lose suckling motor pattern. Some moror patterns have to be reinforced as soon as they appear, eg puppy lost behind mum during night – sucking not reinforced, pup can’t nurse.

Hazard avoidance – in a puppy they are mostly vocal – whimpers, whines, hunger. Drop out and never see them after two months.
Two Kinds of Adaptation:

Evolutionary Result:

Intrinsic
Accommodate

The process of adapting to the environment.
Adaptive
Neurological
Development

But the phenotype – the resulting behavioural shape may be modified by accommodation.
Behaviour – genetic, but not intrinsic, but accommodative processes as the animal grows up.
Accommodative processes – may or may not be adaptive in the ontogenetic sense.
Accommodative processes result in the final shape of the organism.
Shape determines behaviour. But not all shape is (exactly) Intrinsic. (desexing young can change shape of skull).
The shape of an animal is epigenetic.
Cannot separate Nature and Nuture

Same number of brain cells as infant to adult. Connections grow 80% during the critical period (change shape and volume). Some intrinsic, some developmental. Volume of brain will depend on what the inputs are. The eye is intrinsic. But what it can see is a result of accommodation. If an animal is brought up with vertical lines – cannot see horizontal lines.

Eyes must see in order to grow. Not as many connections not going to have same ability. Modified in a permanent way. Environment animal raised in: Puppies: how eyes, brain, personalit growing. Nose, ears etc. What are you willing to put into a puppy???? This is why the critical period is so important – if puppy has never seen stairs it cannot cope with stairs.

Social Behaviours in Dogs

No juvenile feeding (as wolves do). One period only of socialization.
Looking at it socially they emerge in different order in different breeds. Different onsets and offsets. What is the sequence they emerge in – different personalities, different times, rules etc.
Dogs don’t get adult behaviours. Critical period of social development goes on forever.

Social behaviour

Wolves don’t pack if scavenging in a dump. No advantage to be in a pack.
Dog is a scavenger no advantage to be in a pack.

COGNITION

What does “intelligence” mean? (regarding dogs)

Answers might be: She learns quickly/smart
She wants to please me
She is playful

Smart = problem solver
Wants = intends to please me
Playful = communicates intention

Can dogs be intelligent?
Are some dogs more intelligent?
Are some breeds of dogs more intelligent than other breeds?
Can you train your dog to do anything?
Breed specialists: Sled dogs to retrieve birds.
Some behaviours are self rewarding so dogs can’t stop. Better to do it regardless of the consequences.
The Experts think intelligence means:
A mental tool kit. (Hauser 2000)
A theory of mind (all the philosophers in the world) – everyone looking at the same spot.
The Mental Tool Kit.
• Object Knowledge – knowing what objects can and can’t do.
• Object Permanence
• Sense of Time
• Counting and cardinality
• Making Maps

Object Knowledge:
Which way did it go? (pretend to throw object) Dog learns direction of hand throwing that object will go that way. Make motion and tend to go in right direction.

Object Permanence:
“Where is your ball?” Must have some idea of what a ball is.
Have 3 buckets and a ball – try to hide ball. Limit to how far a dog can follow a finger point. Humans don’t have object permanence before 41/2 years.
Dogs don’t have it. Can’t do long point or invisible displacement. (Dog trainers should know what the cue is they’re giving their dog).

Sense of Time:
Episodic Memory: Humans can do episodic memory (a before and after events) because we have a language. Doing something and don’t remember the time scale. Dogs are perfectly competent but don’t have an episodic memory of event. Circadian rhythm – waking and eating.

Map Makers:
Lost Dogs – Average dog can’t find its way home from next door! Can any dog make a mental map? No Lassie was a work of fiction. Follow certain clues – smells.

Counting and Cardinality:
Probably not – very little data, no indication.

Do Dogs Have Minds?
Are dog behaviours:

Referential? - sending signals
Self aware? - recognize themselves in mirror
Intentional?

Dennett’s Intentional System Theory (1983)

0 Oder Spot barks reflexively at strangers

1st Order Spot intends to bark at strangers

2nd Order Spot wants to warn people that a stranger is coming

3rd Order Spot wants people to understand that a stranger is coming

4th Order Spot wants people to understand that Spot understands that a stranger is coming.

Spot reacts to novelty – a knee-jerk reaction, but what is his intention? Humans only have syntactic ability. Spot cannot be referential (generalize between categories of strangers). Self awareness has not been tested. No possibility that dogs can be intentional, self-aware or referential.

Inappropriate Stimulus non functional

Play Bow:
Motor pattern: (Marc Bekoff) signal to other animal that the following pattern is play.
- an example of mind – intentional.
Is it a Motor Pattern? No
Partly submissive, partly dominant.

An integrated sequence of movement that expresses RULES.
It is a Social Icon – emergent behaviour.
Play Bow – ritualized motor pattern or is it a Rule?
Combinative Behaviur – animal doesn’t know what to do.
Go back to Bennett’s system.
0 order – Motor patterns are innate.

Deception:
Hank intends to kill a sheep but Hank wants sheep to believe that Hank wants to play? Does Hank have a mind?
Playbow is conflicting motivations.
Hank displays species typical (innate) predatory motor patterns. The sheep does not respond appropriately. Hank performs a play bow indicating he is in conflict. Hank has no mind. Can’t get to the next motor pattern unless the appropriate pattern response.

Are dogs intelligent? Their mental tools are poor.
But are dogs emotional?
Wolves howling: referential or emotional?
Some people use emotional as instinct.

Cognitive Science

Neurobiology - Chemistry
How do experts define emotion?
Emotion is an instinct.
Some emotions are instinct.
Some emotions are cognitive.

Fear: motor pattern that’s instinctive
Arousal? Or Anxiety?
Arousal – emotional, pleasurable (releases endorphins)

Definition of Instinct
Emotions are: Appropriate Motor Pattern Emotion

Neurochemical neuroanotomical neurochemical
Dopamine opiates

Compulsive disorders – stuck in loop, giving pleasure.
Note to remember: Dogs see with their nose, eyes are a movement indicator.