The Evolution of Social Behavior in Dogs and Wolves

Patterns of social behavior in the Family Canidae appear tobe conservative traits in evolution. Darwin's concept of sexualselection may be broadened to "social selection," includingall factors in the social environment which exert selectionpressure. In a highly social species, the social environmenttends to be stable, generation after generation, accountingfor the stability of social behavioral patterns. The evolutionof social behavior is also related to development, with differentand sometimes opposite selection pressures acting at differentperiods in life. Some myths and misconceptions regarding dog-wolfbehavior are described, and some problems for future researchoutlined.