Wolf-Dog-Human: The old Triangle

The old triangle: Wolves, dogs and humans - all characterized by cooperation and complex cognition.
Wolves are the ancestors of dogs and live in packs whereas dogs developed a special relationship with humans.

This relationship is based on

1. a shared evolution of dogs and men during domestication, and
2. each dog's individual development in the human environment.

The role of dogs

Wolves in the form of dogs were companions over much of the human evolutionary history and cultural development.

Dogs have adapted to, and have been bred and trained for many different purposes. They are important

• social companions
• to guard the house
• to assist disabled people, hunters, policemen.

This indicates a high degree of flexibility, adaptability and cooperative abilities.

Adaptation and domestication

All dogs have originated from wolves. Through a process of domestication they have adapted to live among people.

Still, it remains unknown whether and to what degree, they still think in a wolf-like way or in exactly which way their problem solving, learning skills and cooperative dispositions with humans have changed in comparison with wolves.

Many assume that dogs have lost some cognitive skills and independent problem solving abilities because they manage to engage humans as assistants and trouble shooters. This contrasts with wolves, which still have to cope with the challenges of the wilderness.

Others, however, belief that dogs are not much worse in their physical insight than wolves, but domestication made them more sensitive to humans than wolves ever could be. Consequently their behavior is more often determined by human behavior than by their attendance to, and reasoning on, physical causality.

Understanding Wolves and Dogs

Although at present, our understanding of dog behavior is rapidly increasing, the complimentary wolf data are largely lacking.

The main goal of our project is thus to try to collect these data and in particular, to understand which role the social relationships within wolves or dogs and between them and humans has on their cognitive and cooperative development and performance.

The results of our studies will hopefully also help to

• put dog training on a firm scientific basis,
• provide a better understanding of human-dog companionship, and
• support educated decisions in the area of animal assisted therapy.