Selective Pressures and Developmental Environments: Why Do Certain Dogs Act That Way?

 In the beginning of domestication, dogs were bred only for working. Dog breeds always reflect the function for which the dog was originally bred.  Selective pressures were based on the work that dogs did to help humans, and we still classify dog breeds based on the work for which they were originally bred.

Original proto dogs that were recently evolved from wolves and our modern dogs share modal action patterns, or MAPs, which are a behavioral sequence that is indivisible and will run to completion once triggered. We know that behavior is subject to variation between individuals.

Dog breeds exhibit breed-typical behaviors due to selective pressures and developmental environments. Selective pressures including breeding for specific traits such as herding, hunting, guarding, or companionship, shape behavior by favoring dogs with desired characteristics.

Developmental environments including early socialization, training, and environment also play a crucial role in molding breed-typical behaviors. Herding breeds like border collies exhibit innate herding behaviors due to selective breeding while hunting breeds like Labrador retrievers display retrieving instincts honed through selective breeding and training.

Dog behaviorists must understand however that a dog’s breed is not always a good predictor of behavior. It’s more likely that while behavior traits are heritable (passed from parents to offspring), breed alone is not a good predictor of behavior. In other words, you may have a very friendly pug and also a very friendly poodle, but you may also have a border collie that howls a lot and a corgi that also howls a lot.

As an example, I have a personal “stereotype” that golden retrievers are easy to train, eager, intelligent family dogs that are reliable with children, but that probably isn’t as breed-related as it is related to the individual’s parents and their rearing/environment.

Research (Morrill et al 2022) points to the idea that the breed of a dog is more predictive of how the individual will look (color, coat, size, facial features) than how that individual will behave.

If I adopt a Boston terrier, I can be fairly sure that individual will be compact, short-nosed, smooth coated (how it looks). Will it also be easy to train, pleasant, and intelligent (characteristics often attributed to golden retrievers)? Possibly. Will the Boston terrier be very energetic and need lots of exercise (again often attributed to golden retrievers)? Also possible.

In general the breed Boston terrier is a better predictor of how the dog will look than how it will behave, and I admit I agree with the ideas from new research that challenge my own breed biases.

Breed-Typical Task Efficiency

For breed-typical task efficiency, factors such as genetics, temperament, physical attributes (size, strength, agility), and specialized training are crucial. Dogs often excel in tasks specific to their breed.

In general, dogs from the sporting group need lots of exercise, love running and swimming, and are athletic and intelligent. Sporting dogs were originally bred as tracking dogs.

Dogs from the hound group generally have excellent olfaction abilities, and good vision, and have varied activity levels depending on the individual breed.

Working dogs are large, strong, and powerful dogs that are excellent guard, police, or rescue dogs. They are labor-intensive assistants and tend to be large, powerful, and strong.

Terriers tend to be small and loving. They are often not friendly to other animals since they were bred to hunt small animals on farms. This popular group has loving personalities and puppy-like features but is often described as difficult to train.

The toy group has dogs that are smaller than other breeds but have big personalities. They fit comfortably into apartment dwellings and make excellent watchdogs. Some toy dogs like the Chihuahua, who originated from Mexico, are very small but excellent companions that while easily provoked are very loyal to their person.

The herding group is a subsection of the working group. These working dogs excel at herding, and that includes behaviors such as nipping and barking. Known to "require a certain skill set" they are nevertheless some of the most intelligent and endearing dogs-- my favorite group.

Dogs with multiple ancestors are sorted into the non-sporting group.  This group of medium to small dogs is not well defined. This group includes wonderful specimens like the poodle, bulldog, and the Boston terrier.

Precious or Predatory? What is Predatory Drift?

Predatory behavior is the observable display of predatory instinct to chase prey. Predatory behavior has largely been bred out of dogs but it is still seen, for example when a dog fetches, chases cars, sniffs while hunting, or shakes a stuffed animal. Predatory behavior in dogs refers to instinctual behaviors related to hunting, such as stalking, chasing, and capturing prey.

Predatory drift occurs when a dog crosses the line and tunes us out because their instincts take over. Predatory drift is potentially dangerous and can be triggered by pain, excitement, or the fight-or-flight response. Predatory drift occurs when a dog's predatory behavior escalates unexpectedly, leading to potential aggression toward humans or non-prey animals.

The variability of predatory behavior between different dog breeds and individuals within each breed is influenced by genetics, breed history, training, and socialization. Breeds with strong hunting instincts, such as terriers or hounds, may exhibit more pronounced predatory behavior, while breeds with lower prey drive may show less interest in hunting behaviors. Individual experiences, temperament, and environmental factors furthe

Translating Stress Vs Distress in Dogs

Context is critical for understanding stress or displacement behaviors in dogs to accurately assess their well-being and address potential issues. Recognizing stress-related behaviors in dogs is important since they indicate various stressors such as fear, anxiety, discomfort, or overstimulation.

Common mild stress-related behaviors are lip licking, scratching, yawning, sneezing, stretching, tucking their tail, shaking off, or raised hackles.

Indicators of moderate stress include avoidance, heavy panting, wrinkled brow, tongue flicks, lowered tail, whining, behaving cautiously or reluctantly while approaching, or pushing against a person to relieve stress.

Extreme stress behaviors include heavy drooling or frothing, pinched ears, hunched shoulders, lowered head, whale eye, arched back, wrinkled brow, flared whiskers and lumpy whisker bed, dilated pupils in strong light, withdrawing into themselves, belching or passing gas, shrinking away, enlarged facial blood vessels, stiff or braced legs, and trying to escape.

By understanding the context of stress or displacement behaviors, pet parents can identify triggers, reduce stressors, provide comfort and support, and create a safe and calm environment. This proactive approach improves the dog’s quality of life and strengthens the human-dog bond.

What's The Difference?

Stress focuses a dog’s energy and is used to cope with a specific situation. While stress is sometimes positive, distress is always negative. Distress leads to physical and mental issues. Severe distress leads to a decrease in physical health such that the mind and body no longer operate normally.

Stress in dogs refers to the body’s response to a challenge or threat, which can be either positive or negative (distress), leading to increased arousal and physiological changes. Distress specifically refers to negative stress that exceeds the dog’s ability to cope, resulting in emotional or physical strain, often accompanied by behaviors indicating discomfort or anxiety.

Recognizing Stress is Important

Stress and distress are significant aspects of dog behavior, and recognizing stress-related and displacement behaviors is crucial to understanding a dog’s emotional state. Stress focuses a dog’s energy and is used to cope with a specific situation. Stress is the body’s response to a challenge, which can be either positive or negative. Distress specifically refers to negative stress that exceeds the dog’s ability to cope.

Identifying stress behaviors is important because it allows guardians to intervene and alleviate the source of stress. Common stress-related behaviors are anxiety-displacement behaviors like lip/nose licking, yawning, or sneezing, shaking, whale eye, dilated pupils, increased shedding, and certain vocalizations. Panting, drooling, pacing, scratching, sniffing the ground, or sudden disinterest in activities are also examples of stress. These behaviors serve as coping mechanisms for dogs to deal with stressful situations or conflicting emotions.

Fight-or-flight response results in long-term negative consequences if the dog is in this mode often. In a fight-or-flight response, the amygdala tells the pituitary gland to release cortisone, adrenaline, and noradrenaline to assist the dog in handling threatening circumstances. It is important to understand that once in the fight-or-flight response, the dog is no longer in control of their body.

The fight-or-flight response in dogs triggers physiological changes such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, dilation of airways, the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, and redirection of blood flow to muscles for quick action. It prepares dogs to either confront a threat (fight) or flee from it (flight), aiding in survival during perceived danger.

Recognizing the early signs of the fight-or-flight response in dogs allows caregivers to intervene before the dog reaches a heightened state of stress or aggression. By identifying early indicators such as dilated pupils, tense body posture, increased alertness, panting, trembling, or heightened reactivity, we can de-escalate the situation, provide reassurance, and remove or mitigate the source of stress or threat. This reduces the risk of aggressive behavior or emotional distress and maintains a positive and safe environment for the dog and their humans.

Proactive measures can be taken when we understand stress-related and displacement behaviors to provide comfort and support and create a safe and calm environment for our dogs. This improves the dog’s quality of life and strengthens the bond between the dog and their guardian by instilling trust, security, and emotional health. 

Identifying Canine Body Language

 Dog body language related to stress and/or conflict includes yawning, lip licking, rigid body stance or "freezing," turned head, and a closed mouth. When a dog is stressed, they display behaviors such as licking their lips or nose, or yawning or sneezing to displace anxiety. They may shake as if they're wet, display whale eye if they're uncertain, have dilated pupils, or increase shedding.

Body language related to stress and/or conflict includes tense body posture with raised hackles, a furrowed brow, and a closed mouth or lip licking. Dogs may exhibit avoidance behaviors such as turning away, yawning, or attempting to hide. Signs of conflict can include a stiff body, wide eyes, and ears held back or flattened against the head, accompanied by growling or snapping when feeling threatened or uncomfortable.

It's important to know that if a dog enters the physiological process of fight-or-fight, the situation is no longer under the dog's control. Long-term negative consequences are likely if the dog is in fight-or-flight mode often, and being in fight-or-flight is exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally to a dog.

A relaxed and neutral dog has happy, almond-shaped eyes, a slightly open relaxed mouth, and naturally relaxed ears (so understanding your dog's natural ear placement is important). A neutral dog has a happy, relaxed expression, and a slightly open mouth, may display distance-decreasing behaviors, and may have an aimlessly wagging tail that indicates happiness. In a relaxed and neutral dog, you expect to see a loose body posture, relaxed facial muscles with a neutral expression, and ears held in a natural position. The tail may be wagging gently or held in a neutral position, and the dog’s mouth may be slightly open with a relaxed jaw.

A dog displaying offensive, threatening, or aggressive behavior may stare threateningly with direct eye contact expecting you to look away, bared teeth with lips pulled upward aggressively or tense, closed mouth when not snarling or growling, or an aggressive pucker with larger lips, raised ears, leaned-forward posture indicating they my lunge or nip, and their tail may be wagging or held up stiffly to appear larger. An offensive dog may exhibit a stiff body posture, raised hackles along the back, a tense facial expression and exposed teeth, and ears pinned back or forward in an alert position. The tail may be raised high and stiff, or wagging rapidly in a stiff manner.

A dog displaying defensive, threatening, or aggressive behavior may have wide, round eyes indicating fear or distress, and flattened ears indicating fear. A defensive dog may show signs of fear or anxiety, such as cowering, tucking the tail between the legs, and avoiding direct eye contact. The body may be tense, with the head lowered and ears flattened against the head. The dog may also growl or bark defensively while trying to create distance from the perceived threat.