Taming the Wolf

To most people, the fearsome wolf of some fact and much fable seems too far removed from today's domestic dog to suggest anything more than a distant kinship. After all, the vast majority of dogs are gentle and usually crave human companionship. Wolves, on the other hand, are notoriously shy and can be extraordinarily vicious when cornered or confronted. And yet the fact remains: The progenitor of man's best and oldest friend is none other than the legendary creature who still symbolizes all that is wild and unharnessed in the world. And as any dog owner will confirm the wolf within remains amazingly near the surface.

Pack Mentality
Domestic dogs have inherited some of the sensitivity to the pack mentality and hierarchy that help keep the peace in wolf packs. As with wolf pups, the communicative behaviors signifying dominance and submission are often incorporated into dogs' play behavior. Whether a dog on its back is just having fun or is trying to appease dominant dogs would depend on whether this scenario was preceded by play bows or by aggressive threats by standing dogs.

Marking
When it comes to urine marking, trees are a favorite target of both domestic and wild canids. Whereas foxes, coyotes and other wild dogs mark territory to claim the resources within, domestic dogs have no such practical plan. Although some dogs may, in fact, be marking their territory, most simply seek out messages from other dogs — and leave their own in turn — because they enjoy it. An impatient owner who yanks the dog away when he stops to stiff at messages left by other dogs deprives the dog of a major source of pleasure.

Wolves not only mark trees with their urine, but in some cases, they also leave their scent on a recent kill. A message to other wolves to stay clear of their food supply? A signpost to help them return later when they are hungry? Scientists aren't sure of the answer.

Besides the territories they may be marking outside, most dogs have a smaller personal space indoors to which they retreat for security, such as a basket bed. When comfortable in their home environment, well-trained dogs will usually confine their marking behavior to the outside. However, the presence of another dog or the hormonal changes brought on by adolescence may cause a dog to assert itself by urine marking indoors.

Defending Territory
After companionship, security is the main reason people decide to get a dog.

Defending territory or property is the domestic dog's inheritance from its communal-living wolf ancestors — even if there is a trade-off of forest acres and sprawling, open land for a modest family home or car in a parking lot. Depending on the breed and the dog, this protective tendency may range from very intense to completely absent.

When domestic dogs perceive danger and bark out a warning, they are echoing a wolf behavior. Members of a wolf pack sound the alarm together but subordinate wolves, like domestic dogs, typically step back to let the pack leaders handle the active defense. Of course, many dogs bred for their aggressive tendencies, such as the Rottweiler, will actively defend their turf.