Category: Common Problems ¤ Author: Shirley Chong ¤ Title: InterBitch Aggression ¤ From what I've read about the social structures of wolves and coyotes, it seems to me that there is a wide range, from singles being the norm to a (relatively) large pack being the norm. Canids and their behaviour is wonderfully plastic and there are canids in almost every environment on earth. Whether or not there are packs and how large those packs are seems to be a response to environmental conditions. This is the basis of my theory about interbitch aggression. Several years ago (five? six?) when I had this problem in my own pack, I started doing a lot of research and noticed a couple things--that what I could find written about interbitch aggression didn't fit with what -I- was seeing in my own pack and that interdog aggression was generally treated as a gender-transparent problem (which didn't fit with what I was seeing, either!). Mystery resolved when I finally called the U of PA behaviour clinic and spoke to a very nice man whose name I can no longer remember (one of the behaviourists on staff there). He told me that until recently most of the research done on aggression was done with males and ASSUMED to apply to bitches (does this sound familiar, ladies?). And when I told him what I'd observed in my own pack and what was/wasn't effective, he told me that I knew more than most behaviourists did about interbitch aggression. Gee, thanks (this was one time when it did NOT feel good to be told I knew more than someone else ). I have noticed that with dogs, there are breeds and lines within breeds where interbitch aggression is either practically unknown or conversely, is a very predictable problem. One rule of thumb for determining whether something is genetic or not is to look at the frequency of occurance in different breeds--if the overall rate is about the same, it's probably not genetic. If the frequency is different between different breeds, it points to there being some type of genetic factor at work. So that was my first clue--the frequency does vary between breeds. Ask an experienced GSD breeder or owner whether interbitch aggression is a problem in general with GSDs and contrast that answer with the same question to a Golden breeder or owner. I know that there are lines in GSD where interbitch aggression is practically unknown and lines where it is not only known it is EXPECTED (and guess which line of GSD I had???). While dogs are not wolves or coyotes, I know that they must be very similar genetically because wolves and dogs can interbreed and produce fertile offspring--so can coyotes and dogs. So, I started looking at all the research I could find about wolves and coyotes, then I ended up spending many hours observing the wolves and wolf/dog hybrids a local man owns and tracking a coyote pack over a couple months (goes to show you how serious I was, since that activity violated my no-early-mornings, no-bad-weather, no-bugs personal preferences!). Okay, so with a lot of background, here's my theory of interbitch aggression. I believe that it is both genetically and environmentally influenced. I believe that the genes for behaviour ranging from "zero tolerance" to "the more the merrier" exist in the canid gene pool and environment tended to control the expression (in environments that favor large packs, the bitches who can tolerate the presence of other bitches are more successful in reproduction). I think it is the females who decide how large or small a pack is. In the 1800's, the notion that prevailed seemed to be of a male "king" wolf who gathered as many adoring females as possible. This view reflects more on the notions of the observers (which were probably culturally induced) than on the actual behaviour of wolves. So, okay, what does all this have to do with the social behaviour of dogs? Well, for one thing, I think that humans tended to select for dogs that they could live with. And, being humans, what we can live with varies dramatically from person to person and from culture to culture. Behaviour towards other dogs is not at all the same as behaviour towards human beings! So it's very possible to select for a tendency for compliant behaviour towards humans and end up with dogs that do not get along well with other dogs. I think that dogs (as Margie correctly noted) do have an innate (genetic) need for social relationships and that it is an important factor in training them. On the other hand, I don't believe you have to start out with a good relationship firmly established with a particular dog in order to train that dog. As Gary noted, training can establish the relationship. As I have seen over and over, the emotional quality of the relationship doesn't predict the effectiveness of training--the vast majority of my clients adore their dogs (and most of their dogs love them right back) but can't control one or more aspects of the dog's behaviour. Management strategies are a shortcut to living at ease with dogs-- I think it would be possible to shape every aspect of behaviour independently of general management stuff like controlling sleeping spaces, etc, but it would be so time-consuming as to be totally impractical for most people (Victoria, forget babies, -I- need two nannies just for ME! ). I do see too much generalization in management practices, though. The idea that if the human can just become the alpha or leader of the pack, they won't have whatever problem it is they are having with their dog. And that if they are having a particular problem, it means they have to do an entire lifestyle overhaul in order to successfully deal with the problem. Someone asked me how I dealt with living with dogs that I didn't personally enjoy. I like to think that if you could interview those dogs, they would think I loved them. They got their share of petting, treats, attention, massages, etc. The difference being that I had to make a conscious effort to do these things for them, rather than it being more on the level of reflex. What, me spoil a dog? What gives you that idea? The Belgian Princess put that down pillow on her charge card--I had nothing to do with it. And who ordered that extra cheeseburger at MacDonalds ("hold the onions")--you didn't know that black hairy boy dogs can speak in a voice that just happens to sound exactly like mine over a speaker? And I would never, I repeat never, sacrifice my early mornings to brindle puppies, just so they can play with the big dogs while it's still cool enough for the big (hairy) dogs to enjoy playing outside! What's the point of all the above? I dunno. M. Shirley Chong (faint from lack of that vital 7 AM to 11 AM sleep) The Well Mannered Dog