4 ms·

I have not the academic studies to support it, but I have personally witnessed many occasions where mother animals teach their offspring how to behave in contex

I have not the academic studies to support it, but I have personally witnessed many occasions where mother animals teach their offspring how to behave in context, as well as externally introduced animals influencing the relatively "indigent" population. Cats and dogs, I mean. Cats and dogs both can and sometimes learn behavior from other animals that were in a place first, and from newly introduced ones. I wonder sometimes if there are certain instinctual behaviors "unlocked" in some way. I have a cat raised from infancy without other cats (an unsanctioned rescue that I eye-dropper fed and wet wiped to the point of self-sufficiency); she never purred in my presence for 6 years, but seems to have learned purring from an adult cat temporarily introduced into our home for a few months. That other cat is gone, but now my cat purrs frequently. Dogs do similar - they learn behaviors from all influences, and behaviors learned from other dogs (and other animals) seem to be more "sticky" than treat/avoidance training strategies.

jamiek88 3y ago
My current dogs were largely trained by a dog they haven’t met and that died before they were born. The current elder lady learned how to behave from the elder gentleman who died six years ago. He was very well behaved, slightly deaf and blind so didn’t bark at door bells and other dogs barking etc and had a lovely calm but playful nature. He raised the rescue puppy we got. She in turn has raised the other two rescues we ended up with. We now have another dog who is 16 and with us for essentially extended hospice and he was raised ‘outside of the culture’ and it’s obvious! Even now the other dogs correct him and he is mildly conforming but mostly very stubborn and well, an old man!
- adolph 3y ago
  Your's and the parent's story makes me wonder if dogs are best socialized among humans in intergenerational clusters of dogs. For all the dog parks there are I have a feeling from many dogs I and my dogs meet on the street that there is an epidemic of dog loneliness much that that spoken of regarding humans.

jamiek88 3y ago

My current dogs were largely trained by a dog they haven’t met and that died before they were born. The current elder lady learned how to behave from the elder gentleman who died six years ago. He was very well behaved, slightly deaf and blind so didn’t bark at door bells and other dogs barking etc and had a lovely calm but playful nature. He raised the rescue puppy we got. She in turn has raised the other two rescues we ended up with. We now have another dog who is 16 and with us for essentially extended hospice and he was raised ‘outside of the culture’ and it’s obvious! Even now the other dogs correct him and he is mildly conforming but mostly very stubborn and well, an old man!

adolph 3y ago
Your's and the parent's story makes me wonder if dogs are best socialized among humans in intergenerational clusters of dogs. For all the dog parks there are I have a feeling from many dogs I and my dogs meet on the street that there is an epidemic of dog loneliness much that that spoken of regarding humans.