Definitions of Social Development
When reviewing Scott and Fuller's work, it's important to start with some key definitions of behavior. The following are the major categories describing individual behavioral patterns.
A behavior pattern is a set of actions combined for a single purpose, such as grooming. There are twelve behavior patterns identified in the family Canidae to which the dog and the wolf belong.
- Investigative behavior:
- sniffing, listening and looking
- Epimeletic behavior:
- Care giving to oneself or others. Grooming, shelter building, feeding
- Et-epimeletic behavior:
- Care soliciting or attention getting. Whining, yelping, tail wagging, licking face or hands, touching with paws
- Allelomimeitc behavior:
- Group behaviors. Walking or running together, howling, lying down together
- Agnostic behavior:
- Conflict. Fighting and predation, chasing, biting, snapping teeth, snarling, barking, wagging tip of tail, herding
- Defense and escape reactions:
- sitting, crouching, running away, yelping, showing teeth, tail between the legs, rolling on back, pawing and extending legs
- Attitudes of dominance:
- forepaws on back, growling, tail erect (may bite neck); standing over dog on ground, growling; standing or walking stiff-legged with tail erect; head down, back arched, tail down; mounting, tail down, neck biting, without pelvic thrusts
- Attitudes of subordination:
- allowing dominant animal to place feet on back, tail erect; tail down; tail between legs, crouching, ears depressed; roll on back legs extended, tail between legs
- Sexual behavior:
- Mounting, clasping, licking
- Eliminative behavior:
- Urination, defecation, sniffing, wandering, nosing the ground, scratching the ground
- Ingestive behavior:
- Eating, lapping, chewing, gnawing
- Miscellaneous motor activities:
- twitching while asleep, stretching, yawning, rolling over (Scott & Fuller: P63)
Additionally, some behavior patterns are closely associated with others in loose relationships called behavioral systems. For example, the investigative behavior pattern is combined with agnostic and ingestive behavior patterns to form a behavioral system whose function is to capture and eat prey. We often call innate behavior, instinct. (reference John Rodriguez - Dog Behavior)
Last modified: Tuesday, 21 June 2011, 1:14 PM