engleski

Patterns of carnivores’ communication and potential significance for domestic dogs

Animals communicate to convey information that can influence the behaviour of other animals. Information can be communicated as visual, tactile, vocal, olfactory or seismic signals. Research investigating the applied approach of animal communication tends to utilize knowledge acquired in recent decades. Therefore, the present review paper describes the modalities of communication in carnivores and gives a glimpse into the communicative world of domestic dog (Canis familiaris). In the order Carnivora both social and solitary species can be found, although they are predominantly solitary. Living with humans has greatly influenced dogs’ social lives and their social organisation does not resemble the organisational level of highly social wolves. Dogs communicate more with humans than with conspecifics. For carnivores the evolutionary development of vocalisation may be influenced by their social background or the species habitat. The vocal communication of dogs consists of many different sounds, such as barking, groaning, growling, grunting, hissing, howling, mewing, panting, puffing, screaming, tooth snapping, chattering, whining, and yelping. Visual communication can include eye contact, facial expressions, ear position, tail position, fur position, body postures and movements. Nevertheless, for many dog breeds the possibility to communicate precisely is lost due to an extreme diversity in morphological characters and paedomorphosis. Olfactory signals may include urine and faecal droppings, ground scratching, anal sac secretions, general body odour, the rubbing of certain body areas on a specific object, and rolling in noxious-smelling substances. Male urination can mostly be considered as scent marking. General body odour is a product of glands on the dog’s feet, head, and anal region, the upper surface of the base of the tail and between the hind legs. Social investigatory behaviour between dogs is directed towards those body areas. The research confirms the importance of olfactory communication for canids, while new research into vocalisation is bringing exciting results. Additionally, further research that investigates not only dog-dog communication, but also dog--human communication, and vice versa, may represent an intriguing new approach that may highly influence our understanding of dog-owner relationship.

Communication; Carnivora; Dog; Shelter

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