Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
nytimes.com
Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
1–10 of 14 posts
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#2[deleted]
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#3My dogs sneeze a lot when they are really excited or ready to play. I wonder if that's a related behavior.
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#4My dogs sneeze a lot when they are really excited or ready to play. I wonder if that's a related behavior.
Mine too. In fact, I've taught her to do it on command.
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#5> No other social animal has been reported to cast a vote, of sorts, by sneezing, although in humans sneezing may once have expressed a negative opinion, as in, “nothing to sneeze at.”
Does the author really think humans used to sneeze on demand?
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#6> No other social animal has been reported to cast a vote, of sorts, by sneezing, although in humans sneezing may once have expressed a negative opinion, as in, “nothing to sneeze at.” Does the author really think humans used to sneeze on demand?
I can sneeze almost on demand by thinking of specific things. But I agree, even with my 'ability' it is unsuited for communication. Even a grunt would be easier and more nuanced.
Edit: made myself sneeze, took about 7 seconds.
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#7If I was to make a guess I would say they sneeze to clear any odors that may be trapped in their nasal passages, Or to make sure that their passages are clear to sense prey better.
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#8My dogs sneeze a lot when they are really excited or ready to play. I wonder if that's a related behavior.
Same here. The snorting and rallying behavior in the article sounds identical to what our dogs do. (I initially confused it with sneezing, too, but they are clearly snorting sharply.)
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#9It's probably glandular.
Horomones can stimulate reflexes, and conditioned responses to the premise of hunting likely provoke not only an adrenaline response, but other secretions, as part of coordinated psychological and emotional activity at the begining of the fight-or-flight routine.
Sneezing is a reflex, and there's probably some hereditary cross-over in the genetic mix that provides for the complex of neurological signaling.
If there's some interplay with group activity, maybe it's demonstrative of a pattern of emergent evolution for a brand of pheremone to jump the air gap between peers, reinforcing a pattern of hunting success as part of a feedback loop, when combined with the canine sense of smell?
Re: Wild Dogs Sneeze When They Are Ready to Hunt
#10[deleted]