History of Dogs?? or maybe Wolves???Written by Moses Chia
ORIGIN Do you know that adorable little puppy you bought home last week could possibly be a descendent of a wolf? It may well be true! In fact, many theorists believe that wolf is direct ancestors of domestic dog. Nevertheless, there are just as many who argue that it seems impossible to have over 400 varieties of dogs descended from just one species. -Anatomically, make-up molecules of wolf over centuries have remained unchanged, and research revealed that DNA of wolf and dog are almost identical! The general pattern of dogs’ skeleton is still very similar to those of wolves in terms of their components, but significant changes can be detected, most obviously in shape of skull and length of some of limb bones. The divergence in physical appearance could possibly be result of mutation or even during cross breeding. Today, breeds such as Alaskan malamute still retain a strong affinity with wolf, in terms of their facial appearance and underlying skull structure. -Behaviorally, both dogs and wolves bury bones; turn in circles before settling down for sleep; howl at moon and frequently leg lift to mark territory. Both gestation periods is 63 days each, and birth and development of their young is also almost identical -Structurally, dogs and wolves are also extremely similar. Both also live in a pack-like hierarchal system where they are comfortable with a top dog, or Alpha role model. With regards to domestic dogs, Alpha (leader) role should belong to owner they live with. Whatever theory, it isn’t difficult to spot similarities between dog and wolf. Although, in some cases, appearance of domestic dog has diverged significantly from that of its “suspected” ancestor, most dogs still retain many of traits of their ancestor. Man’s Best Friend Early cave drawings show us that wild dogs and wolfs were with humans even in prehistoric time. One of earliest documentations of man and canine was noted more than 12 000 years ago on an ancient site in Egypt when fossilized remains of a man and a small puppy were found in a grave in hugging position. Although, it is doubtful whether puppy was that of dog or wolf, this is not an important issue. Today, Scientists recognize and agree that process of domestication of dog has existed for 14 000 years, however they are not in agreement as to how domestication occurred: -Some believe that man adopted offspring of wolf and through natural selection chose to keep those that were less aggressive and that craftily begged for food.
| | Barking Problems: Train your dog to stop barking!Written by Moses Chia
All dogs bark, it’s their way to communicate a message. Dog barks for various reasons: to greet, to alert, out of boredom, to attract attention or when they are excited. Although some barking from is acceptable, too much barking is certainly annoying, especially for your neighbors and eventually leading to complains. The easiest way to stop a problematic barker is to control his barking while you are at home: 1. Set up a situation where your dog will always bark. For example, you can ask someone to ring your doorbell or knock on your door. 2. When your dog charges to door and start to bark loudly, approach your dog, grab his collar and give command “quiet” – no shouting please, it doesn’t help. 3. If he stops barking, praise and reward. He’s a genius and deserves it. 4. When he continues barking, close his mouth with your hand, wrap your fingers around his muzzle – use both hands if needed, and give command for him to keep quiet. Praise if he stops. Most dogs would be able to learn “quiet” command with repeated training like this. Set up similar situations to "lure" your dog to bark and repeat training whenever possible. If you happen to own a hard-core persistent barker, use this method:
|
