Episode 391 – The Canine Ballgame

Studies of owned dogs and free-roaming dogs (FRD) have been quite small considering the variety in breeding and habitats in the domestic dog population. And addressing the many factors that contribute to free-roaming dog populations unfortunately requires a lot more than finding a drug that neutralizes the effects of testosterone to some degree.  For the record and once again, remember that testosterone doesn’t cause aggression. What it does, in addition to its many beneficial physiological effects in males and females, is enable males to get more glucose/energy to their muscles faster. What a specific dog does when this occurs is a function of multiple factors, not the least of which is the animal’s fitness in that particular physical and mental environment. Consequently, it didn’t surprise me that Zeuterin didn’t decrease aggression in a FRD population and I question whether another drug, Calchorin/calcium chloride,will achieve that either.

In addition to the other factors mentioned in this podcast, there also are cultural differences related to human and canine populations. For example, a fair number of people in the U. S. perceive the FRD population symbolically. To them these are all abandoned pets looking for a good home in suburbia. Meanwhile those in other cultures may perceive these dogs as belonging to a separate population with which they have co-existed for hundreds and even thousands of years.

And the same is true of cats. This article describes the basic ethological factors that must be addressed to control a free-roaming cat population, regardless of what sterilization method is used. And many of these considerations also apply to free-roaming dogs. Addressing these requires a lot more long-term commitment to solving the problem than currently exists.