The Myth of the Alpha Wolf

Re:The Myth of the Alpha Wolf by throwawaaarrgh on Saturday March 25, 2023 @03:12PM (#35306010)

Wolves are significantly different from dogs. They don't form bonds with humans or other species, they aren't dependent on humans for food, they're true carnivores, they're better problem solvers than dogs, they have smaller litters once a year, their packs are more cohesive family units, they're shy, they don't play past the juvenile stage. Wolves and Dogs are like a Hell's Angel and an actor playing a Hell's Angel.

You don't have to fear wolf attacks because we just aren't something they are familiar with, but if they're really hungry they'd have no qualms over turning a couple humans into lunch, and you can't just scare them off.

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Re:The Myth of the Alpha Wolf by AlbertCory on Saturday March 25, 2023 @04:24PM (#35306915)

There's a famous experiment I just saw on Nature again, where two puppies, one dog and one wolf, both raised identically around humans, are given a test:

Find the treat that the human points at. The dog puppy follows the cue, while the wolf does not.

That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the wolf, but it's genetically less likely to defer and learn from the human.

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Re:The Myth of the Alpha Wolf by pxc on Saturday March 25, 2023 @04:52PM (#35307211)

I've seen similar research that shows the converse, as well: wolves are more likely than dogs to learn how to solve puzzles by watching other canines work the puzzles.

It was in some dog documentary on Netflix. Wish I could remember the name!

Anyway I think that tendency to attune to us, generalized to other contexts, is part of what makes dogs so wonderful. It's not just a matter of being able to direct them explicitly, but the fact that they're interested in what we're doing, how we're feeling, what we want, etc.

All of that varies with each individual dog, of course. But it's obvious that generally, wolves and humans aren't as fit for each other as dogs and humans are.

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Re:The Myth of the Alpha Wolf by AlbertCory on Saturday March 25, 2023 @05:44PM (#35307757)

Yeah. I'd love to go on a wolf-watching trip, like I did a grizzly-watching trip on Kodiak Island. We made dogs out of wolves via selective breeding, albeit not always consciously.

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Re:The Myth of the Alpha Wolf by stormfather on Saturday March 25, 2023 @06:13PM (#35308005)

Ah so the dogs have instruction fine tuning.

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