English[edit]
Apparently originating from the southern United States,[1] the phrase may refer to a hunting dog that refuses to do its job.
Is Your Dog Really a Hunter?
You may think your dog is a great hunter when you watch him chase some squirrels or when he points at some nearby birds, but when he gets into your trash can to eat some of your leftovers, you may think hes more of a scavenger. So, are dogs really hunters or are they more like scavengers?
If we look at the fact that the dog is a subspecies of the gray wolf, we may readily assume he must be a hunter. Yet, we cannot ignore the fact that the dog evolved from the wolf more than 11,000 years ago and co-evolved alongside humans since then. So, to obtain a verdict to this query, several factors must be held into account. For starters, and for the sake of clarity, lets first discuss the differences between hunters and scavengers.
How is a hunter made and how is the act of hunting itself defined? A hunter is any animal or person who pursues any living animals for the purpose of eating flesh or for recreation purposes. Obviously, humans are perhaps the only species that can sometimes hunt just for the fun of it, considering that when dogs look like they hunt out of fun, often do so mainly out of instinct. Its almost a reflex, the dog sees a fast movement and without even thinking, its ears prick up and in a split second hes into the frenzy of the chase. Canine play indeed often entails elements of hunting such as stalking, pouncing, and shaking toys with side-to-side head movements. Many dogs then go in for the final kill by removing the “entrails” of their stuffed toys.
Common hunting animals that come to mind are those who hunt with other members of their species (pack hunters) such as wolves, lions and hyenas. On the other hand, many other animals also hunt alone such as tigers, leopards and bears. Regardless of their hunting style, these animals must be crafted in such as way as so to be successful in survival. They must be fast, have good reflexes, be capable of tracking down their prey and have weapons to bring in the kill such as sharp teeth and sharp claws.
And what about scavengers? Scavengers are animals that feed on dead animals or other food left behind that is found nearby their habitats. Common types of scavengers that come to mind are vultures and raccoon. However, common hunting animals such as hyenas, lions, tigers and wolves, may also scavenge if presented with the opportunity. So if wolves, which are a dogs ancestors, are normally pack hunters, but resort to scavenging when given the opportunity, where do dogs stand? Cast your vote below, and then come back to reading the next paragraph.
A Step Back in Time Reveals an Insight
So we know that wolves are pack hunters and that they will resort to scavenging given the opportunity. At this point, we may wonder where do dogs stand? After all, despite dogs sharing many similar traits with wolves, they also have many differences that set them apart. To better understand this, lets take a brief look into doggy evolution.
Biologist Raymond Coppinger, who has extensively studied the evolution of modern dogs, believes that the story about humans taking wolf pups from their dens and welcoming them into their homes is “nothing more than a romantic fairy tale. “ Despite many people trying to raise wolves in their homes, the wolf remains a tamed animal whereas a dog is a domesticated one. Coppinger explains: I don’t care how tame wolves are, try to take their bone away or fool around with them when they’re in a courtship performance, and you could die right there on the spot.
So if humans didnt domesticate dogs, how did modern dogs evolve from wolves? Raymond Coppinger believes that the wolves ultimately domesticated themselves approximately 15,000 years at the end of the Ice-Age when humans started living in villages for extended periods of time and started producing waste possibly scattered around the homes or left in designated dumps. Such leftovers most likely attracted the unwanted rats, pigeons, cockroaches and…the occasional wolf, which as mentioned before, is for the most part a hunter but will resort to scavenge given the opportunity.
The wolves who were less hesitant—basically, those most likely to have shorter flight distances (those who seemed less concerned about being closer to humans) survived and passed down this behavior trait to all successive generations. Soon, more and more wolves were more comfortable being around humans. Its unclear if these proto-dogs were significantly smarter or just exceptionally lazy . . .
Further studies seem to support Coppingers belief that dogs became domesticated from sticking around human settlements as agriculture started blooming. A recent study published in Nature found that the ability to digest starches was likely a part of the evolution from wolf to dog. Indeed, it appears that dogs possess special genes responsible for digesting starches, which sets them apart from wolves. The same process appears to have happened in humans as farming started to evolve. Even humans evolved to better digest starches. “This is a striking sign of parallel evolution,” claims Lindblad-Toh, a geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden.
Robert Wayne, a geneticist at the University of California, agrees that starch metabolism could have played an important role in adaptation for dogs but he thinks it most likely developed after behavioral changes took place when humans first took dogs in, back in time when they hunted large game.
Another possible explanation is that the dogs ancestor trailed along when humans hunted with arrows and bows in hopes of scavenging on the waste pile. Then, when humans discovered agriculture, the dog’s ancestor could finally give up roaming and hunting and make the dumpsters of villages their permanent habitat. In order to do this, the fear parts of his brain had to be already somewhat changed. At the same time, humans likely selectively allowed only the most docile dogs to survive since any dog demonstrating aggression likely was killed. Since this proto-dog no longer needed to walk far, his body no longer had to be fit as before; therefore, his skeletons, muscles and brain started adjusting to sedentary life. Since he no longer needed to use his teeth to kill, his jaws and teeth became smaller and so did his head and his brain, explains Alexandra Semyonova, author of book The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs.
Deer Hunting With Hounds Two Does Down!! Kill Shot| 2019/2020 Deer Season
Dogs are our friends, guardians, and, at one time, providers. Dogs and their owners hunted together 20,000 years ago, and some continue to do so today. Man no longer depends on wild game for survival, but hunting still has a place in the modern world. While agricultural improvements and the domestication of livestock lessened our dependence on hunting for survival, in its place, hunting for sport evolved. Even though hunting can be a controversial subject, there are many man-dog partnerships that participate in the sport in a respectful, responsible fashion that strengthens their bond.