Dr Ian Dunbar's UK tour 2024

Dr Dunbar spent ten years researching canine sex differences in behaviour and the development of social hierarchies. At the time, 'dominance hierarchies' were a hot topic. The UC Berkeley dog study searched for instances of physical 'domination' and 'alpha dogs' but instead, observed hardly any dog fights, and that found that most of the growling and squabbles were among middle-ranking, insecure, male dogs. Growing up together (with next to no human intervention), the dogs developed an extremely sophisticated social structure and by and large, lived in group harmony. True 'top dogs' were cool & confident and seldom threatened or fought; they don't need to.

This seminar gives the nitty-gritty on how socialised dogs develop peaceful and stable social hierarchies from puppyhood to adulthood, with no fights that cause injury. Via genetic, and especially, SOCIAL heredity, i.e., the potent influence from people and adult dogs as teachers. Canine social structure is extremely sophisticated; each interaction and each relationship is unique.

You'll Learn about:

• The importance of representative observation.

• How male and female dogs develop and act differently.

• Male hierarchies, female hierarchies, male-female interactions, and female amendments to male hierarchical law.

• Development of hierarchies in puppies: teat appropriation, non-stop play-fighting, intra-litter and inter-litter puppy fights, and dyadic, triadic, and group interactions. 

• Puppy-adult interactions, including, 'puppy license to misbehave' and developmental nolo contendere. Certainly, mental 'dominance' is involved but physically, there is simply no contest between a pup and an adult and hence, no need for physical force. (Of course, unsocialised adult, companion dogs may inflict damage because they lack social savvy and bite inhibition, normally acquired during puppyhood.)

• Adult dogs as teachers — so unbelievably cool!

• The complexity of cooperative social structure — special friendships, allegiances, sharing, and individual animosities. 

• The sheer power of social heredity, e.g., a Great Dane pup growing up with Yorkies,  cross fostering golden and bull terrier puppies, and my son, Jamie.

• The crucial importance of play, especially play-fighting, play-biting, 'atmosphere cues', good and bad play-groups, i.e., the pros and cons of same-age/size and variable-age/size play-groups.