According to scientists, wolves raised by humans cooperate as well with their caretakers as pet dogs do. This suggests that domestication did not necessarily lead to reduced aggression or enhanced cognitive abilities in dogs.
In a study published last week in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, researchers Friederike Range and Sarah Marshall-Pescini from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna questioned whether dogs are truly less aggressive and demonstrate more advanced social thinking skills than modern wolves, thereby challenging some fundamental principles of dog domestication.
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They first noted that previous studies comparing pet dogs and wild wolves were not truly suitable. Instead, it is better to examine the group dynamics of wolf packs and free-ranging dog packs.
Through this comparison, they found that there is less aggression within wolf packs. Additionally, wolves are “highly dependent on a cohesive and functional pack structure that allows them to successfully hunt, defend their territory, and raise pups,” the researchers wrote. In contrast, free-ranging dogs do not tend to cooperate as much with each other and often forage alone or hoard food resources for themselves.
They also cited another recent study in which researchers raised wolves and dogs in a controlled environment from birth to adulthood, then tested how the animals reacted to and cooperated with humans. While it was assumed that wolves would still be more aggressive than dogs, this was not necessarily the case.
“A study testing physical restraint in wolf and dog puppies revealed that while wolves attempted to bite more frequently at three months of age, no differences in bite attempts appeared at later ages,” the researchers wrote.
“Only in tests involving access to resources did four of the 16 wolves consistently show aggression toward humans, while none of the 11 dogs did. Studies using a threatening approach from a stranger found more avoidance behavior in adult wolves than in dogs and more occurrences of aggression in pet dogs,” they added.
And when it comes to cooperation with humans, wolves raised by humans may actually match or even surpass dogs in a variety of tasks. “Human-socialized wolves outperform dogs in following human gaze and perform similarly when begging from an attentive versus inattentive human,” the scientists noted.
Source: Trends in Cognitive Sciences. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
