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Wolves found to be better at problem-solving task than domesticated dogs

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entrement said:
The subject isn't so much about intelligence but about the amazing link between humans and dogs that domestication created. Dogs would be absolutely helpless in the wild.
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Aren't there packs of feral dogs in Detroit because they were left behind? I'm not saying all dogs would be incapable of surviving, but I think a majority would.
 
entrement said:
The subject isn't so much about intelligence but about the amazing link between humans and dogs that domestication created. Dogs would be absolutely helpless in the wild.
Click to expand...

That may be true, but some dogs might survive in the wild. We have wild dogs over here which is living/staying in the woods that seems like thriving..
 
entrement said:
The subject isn't so much about intelligence but about the amazing link between humans and dogs that domestication created. Dogs would be absolutely helpless in the wild.
Click to expand...

No way. They're one of the few animals who can sniff out food, defecate and urinate all on their own from a ridiculously early age. Just look at the dominance of the dingo or african wild dog in the wild. If tomorrow humans were completely gone, hundreds of millions of dogs would have the capability to become feral and become wild and still maintain their hunting and wolf instincts while still maintaining their smart temperaments.

Human raised dogs would be useless in the wild, just like zoo animals and other non-wild animals struggle to adapt to nature and wild life.
 
Dogs aren't stupid for the most part, but you can look in the eyes of an animal like a wolf and see there is quite a bit more going on there.
 
Madness said:
No way. They're one of the few animals who can sniff out food, defecate and urinate all on their own from a ridiculously early age. Just look at the dominance of the dingo or african wild dog in the wild. If tomorrow humans were completely gone, hundreds of millions of dogs would have the capability to become feral and become wild and still maintain their hunting and wolf instincts while still maintaining their smart temperaments.

Human raised dogs would be useless in the wild, just like zoo animals and other non-wild animals struggle to adapt to nature and wild life.
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Long hair breeds would die. Look up what happens to their hair without maintainance.

It's an interesting hypothesis, but the animals you named are totally wild, not really comparable.
 
entrement said:
Long hair breeds would die. Look up what happens to their hair without maintainance.

It's an interesting hypothesis, but the animals you named are totally wild, not really comparable.
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Well obviously natural selection would kill off several breeds, it's why when you see street dogs in other countries, most have short hair, long snouts. I'm not saying a pack of pugs would be able to survive in the wild per se. Also, you said the domestic dog would be essentially helpless in the wild. The domestic dog is still a vicious predator, which, if free from human intervention, can again regain it's ability to function in the wild. My point being, at some point, dingos, African wild dogs, and others were domesticated dogs who have adapted to the wild over the centuries now. You mean to tell me tomorrow, without humans, the thousands of huskies in Alaska wouldn't become feral and wild and start hunting and forming packs again? Just read up on feral dogs, various packs that act very much like their wolf ancestors.
 
water_wendi said:
VZutNOO.gif
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metalgearsolid2.gif
 
Madness said:
Well obviously natural selection would kill off several breeds, it's why when you see street dogs in other countries, most have short hair, long snouts. I'm not saying a pack of pugs would be able to survive in the wild per se. Also, you said the domestic dog would be essentially helpless in the wild. The domestic dog is still a vicious predator, which, if free from human intervention, can again regain it's ability to function in the wild. My point being, at some point, dingos, African wild dogs, and others were domesticated dogs who have adapted to the wild over the centuries now. You mean to tell me tomorrow, without humans, the thousands of huskies in Alaska wouldn't become feral and wild and start hunting and forming packs again?
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I don't know. It's a very interesting hypothesis. Can't test it out due to ethics.

I would think that without humans they may survive, especially since we've killed of many off the puma variations. I think it's 50/50.

I would actually think that wolves would make a comeback given the human absence. Wolves would probably give dogs a hard time.

I wish this was a video game lol. Like an ecological version of Civ.
 
animlboogy said:
Big chunks of the world have roving dog packs, including neglected parts of the first world. it isn't some theory we can't test.

If they were in areas with wolves, wolves would likely be more successful and kill many dogs just by default. Wolves also spend a lot of time killing other wolves over territory.
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Curious. What do they eat?

Is there a nature doc on them?

I'm sure they're also hardier breeds, not French poodles or chihuahuas lol.
 
animlboogy said:
Garbage. Vermin. Corpses. Sometimes larger animals. Other dogs.

Like someone else mentioned, not all breeds are for for it. You see a pack of feral dogs, it probably has no flat nosed breeds, nor long haired ones. Size doesn't always seem to matter, just survivability. Feral chihuahuas are definitely a thing, that is a vicious and independent breed despite the size. A few small dog breeds like Jack Russells have the same thing going; those were bred to hunt and to kill vermin independently on farms, so they tend to do pretty well. Flat nosed, lethargic breeds like French Bulldog, not so much.
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I guess that what I mean, it seems these wild dogs are dependent on human ecology--garbage and corpses.

What I mean is throwing dogs in the wilderness.

But even using hypotheticals, it would make sense, since dogs are territorial and sticking to human made structures would make more sense.
 
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

All these dog gifs are killing me
 
entrement said:
This is another study. A more recent one. Just how science works. You do multiple studies.
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Well 'found' implies new to me. This sounds like it's reinforcing, or new evidence confirms what was previously proposed/accepted. I'm probably not using science rules (tm) right, but as a wolf fanboy this is old-news.
 
NoblesseOblige said:
Well 'found' implies new to me. This sounds like it's reinforcing, or new evidence confirms what was previously proposed/accepted. I'm probably not using science rules (tm) right, but as a wolf fanboy this is old-news.
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Looks like the variable in this study is how they persist at tasks. So while the hypothesis is that wolves may be smarter dogs, they're looking at specific areas of intelligence now, with problem solving being a component studied here.

Yeah, wolves are magnificent creatures. I was looking at NatGeo doc last night. The group dynamics are amazing.
 
Madness said:
Well obviously natural selection would kill off several breeds, it's why when you see street dogs in other countries, most have short hair, long snouts. I'm not saying a pack of pugs would be able to survive in the wild per se. Also, you said the domestic dog would be essentially helpless in the wild. The domestic dog is still a vicious predator, which, if free from human intervention, can again regain it's ability to function in the wild. My point being, at some point, dingos, African wild dogs, and others were domesticated dogs who have adapted to the wild over the centuries now. You mean to tell me tomorrow, without humans, the thousands of huskies in Alaska wouldn't become feral and wild and start hunting and forming packs again? Just read up on feral dogs, various packs that act very much like their wolf ancestors.
Click to expand...

African Wild dogs are in an entirely different genus from wolves/dogs and were never domesticated.
 
This thread made me realize that dog gifs are not as cool or cute as cat ones.

Dogs are on the losing team in pretty much everything.
 
entrement said:
Yeah, wolves are magnificent creatures. I was looking at NatGeo doc last night. The group dynamics are amazing.
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Did the documentary still refer to the mating pair as 'alpha'? I usually cringe when hearing that in recent documentaries because it's an old misunderstanding that refuses to die. In the wild wolf packs are just family units, with a parent breeding pair, and the rest are their children. The idea of 'Alpha' comes from captivity or rare occurrences in nature in which several groupings are forced into a smaller range.

(source)
 
NoblesseOblige said:
Did the documentary still refer to the mating pair as 'alpha'? I usually cringe when hearing that in recent documentaries because it's an old misunderstanding that refuses to die. In the wild wolf packs are just family units, with a parent breeding pair, and the rest are their children. The idea of 'Alpha' comes from captivity or rare occurrences in nature in which several groupings are forced into a smaller range.

(source)
Click to expand...

They did. It was on Youtube, so no idea the date as that was just the upload date.
 
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