The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People

by Edited by James Serpell

• ISBN13: 9780521425377
• ISBN10: 0521425379
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-01-26
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

By any standards, dogs are extraordinary animals. They have been part of human society for longer than any other domestic species. They exist in a greater variety of different shapes and sizes, and they occupy a wider ecological niche, from pampered pets and faithful servants to feral scavengers. Even our attitudes to dogs seem to oscillate between extremes. On the one hand, the dog is man's best friend, on the other, he is the despised and degraded outcast. This unique book seeks to expose the real dog beneath the popular stereotypes. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art account of the domestic dog's natural history and behaviour based on scientific and scholarly evidence rather than hearsay. Anyone with a serious interest in Canis familiaris, its evolution, behaviour, and its place in our society will find The Domestic Dog an indispensable and fascinating resource.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	xi
Introduction	1	(6)
James Serpell
I Domestication and evolution
Origins of the dog: domestication and early history	7	(14)
Juliet Clutton-Brock
Evolution of working dogs	21	(30)
Raymond Coppinger
Richard Schneider
II Behaviour and behaviour problems
Genetic aspects of dog behaviour with particular reference to working ability	51	(14)
M. B. Willis
Analysing breed and gender differences in behaviour	65	(14)
Benjamin L. Hart
Early experience and the development of behaviour	79	(24)
James Serpell
J. A. Jagoe
Feeding behaviour of domestic dogs and the role of experience	103	(12)
Chris Thorne
Social and communication behaviour of companion dogs	115	(16)
John W. S. Bradshaw
Helen M. R. Nott
The ethology and epidemiology of canine aggression	131	(8)
Randall Lockwood
Canine behavioural therapy	139	(14)
Roger A. Mugford
Effects of owner personality and attitudes on dog behaviour	153	(8)
Valerie O'Farrell
III Human-dog interactions
Dogs as human companions: a review of the relationship	161	(18)
Lynette A. Hart
The welfare of dogs in human care	179	(20)
Robert Hubrecht
Variation in dog society: between resource dispersion and social flux	199	(18)
D. W. MacDonald
G. M. Carr
Population biology and ecology of feral dogs in central Italy	217	(28)
L. Boitani
F. Francisci
P. Ciucci
G. Andreoli
From paragon to pariah: some reflections on human attitudes to dogs	245	(12)
James Serpell
The hair of the dog	257	(6)
James Serpell
Index	263