Lexicon

Vocabulary for integrative dog theory. 

 

Anthropomorphism  — The attribution of human  characteristics,  behaviors, or motivations to non-human animals.

Bullmastiff — A large breed of dog originally from England, developed to protect private estates against poachers.

Cetecea — Purely aquatic, mostly marine, mammals — including whales, dolphins, and poroises, but not pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, walrus, etc).  Among the traits they all share is an unwillingness or inability to learn through negative reinforcement. This observation, combined with the overwhelming success of positive reinforcement in their training, helped lead to the contemporary Positive Reinforcement movement in dog- and horse- training.  

Coprophagia — Eating of feces.

Ethology — The study of animal behavior.

Molosser — The common ancestor to many contemporary dogs, characterized by large bones, blocky heads, and pendant ears. For the most part, these are large dogs, such as the English Mastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux, and the Great Pyrenees, but Boxers and Pugs are also descendants of the Molosser.   

Mutualism — A symbiotic biological relationship in which both organisms benefit from the association, such as bees and flowering plants, sea anemones and clownfish, or humans and dogs.

Neotony — The physiological or psychological retention of juvenile characteristics in adults, as in the appearance and behavior of dogs compared to wolves,  or the human ability to tolerate lactose.

Opposition reflex — The natural tendency in most mammals (including dogs and humans) to push back when being pushed, and to pull away when being pulled.

Parasitism — A symbiotic biological relationship in which only one organism (the parasite) benefits from the relationship, and in which the other organism (the host) is harmed, such as fleas and their hosts, tapeworms and their hosts, or ticks and their hosts.

Zoonosis — A disease which can be passed to humans from animals. Examples include rabies, avian flu, and salmonella. Most zoonoses are very rare in industrialized nations, and most come from ingestion of animal meat more often than casual contact.