Fur Type Connected to Canine Behavior

Your dog’s coat may predict temperament

A recent study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science examined English cocker spaniels, drawing connections between the color of their fur and their level of aggressiveness. Other studies have been conducted in the past suggesting that Retrievers can be categorized by their fur type. The current research, headed by Joaquin Perez-Guisado of the University of Cordova, points to the possibility that fur type and color may be an indicator of personality in several breeds.

The research concludes that golden/red English cocker spaniels exhibit the most aggressive and dominant behavior among their peers. Black canines of the same breed were found to be the second most aggressive while parti-colored breeds were found to be the most mild tempered based on a 51 dog study conducted by the Spanish researcher’s team.

Pérez-Guisado commented on the findings, "Maybe the link (to coat color) is due to the fact that the ectoderm (one of the three primary germ cell layers) is where the skin and central nervous system originate in the embryo." He adds that the behavior-fur connection is a process related to genetic coding that takes place early in the dog’s life.

Photo thanks to the Discovery Channel

Talk with the Animals

Humans and canines may share a common method of communication according to a new Applied Animal Behavior Science study conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Budapest. The group studied how well people with varying amounts of dog experience could accurately describe the emotional content of a dog's bark. The barks represented five emotional states: fear, aggressiveness, despair, playfulness and happiness.

Peter Pongracz, the team's leader, discerned that even people with relatively no canine experience could accurately identify a dog's emotional state based on his barking patterns alone. Pongracz suggests that most mammals communicate on the same acoustic level and therefore have the ability to understand one another.

Emotions are expressed in varying degrees of pitch, tone and frequency; lower pitches denoting aggression and higher pitches denoting submission. Pongracz offers an explanation and states, "This relationship could have formed the basis of an evolutionary ritualization process whereby low pitched vocalizations tended to signal aggression because larger animals are more likely to win contests...and high pitched vocalizations became predictors of submission or friendly intent."

Photo thanks to Animal Planet

Weekend Wrap Up

The Joys of Chowing Down

We know we stuffed ourselves this weekend, but how about your pup? Was he living it up eating high off the...Turkey? If so he may be experiencing canine digestive upset, a common ailment this time of year caused by an excess of human food on a delicate palate. Remember while celebrating the holidays to include your pup in the festivities by serving up a specialty doggy snack and avoiding feeding Fido the leftovers.

Click here for helpful holistic recipes and remedies for a pooch's upset stomach.

Photo thanks to the New York Post