In relationships with people as well as with other dogs there is sometimes an issue with what the pecking order is supposed to be. With a pack there is always a very linear hierarchy which means that Animal A is always dominant over Animal B and so forth. There are many dogs that organize themselves into these kinds of ranking systems as well; however there are some groups of dogs which have specific orders as well. The packs are always organized so that there is always an alpha and a beta, at the very bottom there is the omega. Many people also think that dominance is all about aggression and that this practice is all about trying to fend off other wolves. Nothing could be further from the truth; it is a social system that we are going to discuss. Dogs are much more than tamed wolves and people should realize this.
The Structure of Wolf Hierarchies
Wolves are looked at many times in captive groups and this often means that they are not looked at in their natural surroundings. However one thing that is important for people to realize is that their societies are in fact much more complicated than you might imagine. Most wolf packs do have an alpha that is the strongest and the most aggressive dog, but this is something that has formed in many ways over time. The packs are much more complicated than might be imagined by many of the societies.
One thing that many people do not realize is that the societies are much more fluid than has been realized in the past and that means that wolves have the ability to rise in influence and also to shrink in influence and this is not based on strength or on aggressiveness. Wolves are family groups that are arranged by rank with the older and more mature wolves at the top and the younger ones at the bottom. This means that relationships are much more complex than had been thought before when it came to observing wolf behavior. In addition to that there is always a large mix of personalities just like you would find in a human family. If the conditions are very stressful, for example when there is a lack of food, there are many sides that may come out when there will be conflict, but these times are few and far between as there is normally plenty for all to go around.
How are Dogs Different than Wolves?
Dogs have only been domesticated for around 10,000 years and the difference in them and wolves has only been apparent for around the last 14,000 years and for that reason there are many changes that have taken place but there are still points that will always remain the same.
- Dogs want to bond with people and that means that there is a very large dependence that is had on their parents and on their human owners, dogs not are less self-reliant and need the help of their owners to do some of the things that wolves used to do on their own.
- Most wild dogs also do not have packs like wolves do and that means that they usually hunt alone and live alone.
- Wolves hunt together and do everything together, in addition to that they also are monogamous and dogs are not. Female dogs that are in heat will mate with many male partners in one heat cycle.
- Feral dogs also do not work together to raise all of their puppies as wolves do. Members of a wolf pack will work together to raise one little of pups and will protect them with their live, this is not the case with dogs as they are usually leaving the mother alone to raise the pups.
Although there are many kinds of similarities that exist in the species of wolves and dogs, it is very apparent that the dogs in domestication have gotten many different characteristics which have greatly redefined who they are and what they do. For that reason, it is almost impossible to compare these animals as anything other than long lost distant cousins. Dogs have truly taken on the nature of their human counterparts and have been working for a long time to spend time with their human masters and to bond with them. This means that the distinct difference in these animals is due to their difference in raising and lineage.
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