The Dog

The Dog: Its Domestication and Behavior by Dr. Michael W. Fox was one of the first and most important studies of hows dogs became domesticated and how that process impacted the behavior we see in our pets today. Written well before (1978) anyone had even thought about the canine genome, this book was a major step forward at the time in our understanding of domestication on behavior. Fox noted that the domestication of dogs influenced the kinds of behavior we see today that is in such contrast to wolves including docility, adaptability, and a reduction of "wild" behavior such as seen in wolves such as aggression and predation. It also clearly resulted in an animal who became quickly dependent on people to survive. This book makes for fascinating reading especially when coupled with the more recent work of modern researchers such as Raymond Coppinger.

The Dog: Its Domestication and Behavior is a Dogwise Classic Ebook originally published in 1978. Titles selected for this series are out-of-print works that are interesting, informative, and historically significant. They are the foundation for our current knowledge and Dogwise Publishing is keeping them alive for today’s dog enthusiasts.