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46-452: All Podengo types are hardy, intelligent and lively dogs, excelling at agility and making fine companions. Loyal and fearless, Podengos are also good house guards and are amenable to training by dog experienced people and those that enjoy primitive (unrefined, "less domesticated") dog behavior. Keen hunting dogs, the Podengo has an affinity for game regardless of size. Typically, the dogs hunt in

92-455: A gestation period of 52 to 60 days, although cases of ten kits being born in a single litter have been reported. Newborn kits weigh around 60 g (2.1 oz), and have fluffy, light brown fur that turns yellowish as they age. They are born blind, and open their eyes at around two weeks of age; they begin to eat meat at four weeks, and emerge from the den shortly after. Corsac foxes reach sexual maturity within 9 to 10 months and reproduce in

138-501: A pack with their handler following. When game is found, they kill and retrieve it, or flush it towards the hunter to be shot. Each size category traditionally hunts game appropriate to their size and temperament. (Pequeno: rabbits ; Medio: rabbits and wild boar ; Grande: deer and wild boar). The Portuguese Podengo is bred in three size varieties, the Large, Medium and Small (in Portuguese

184-400: A culture within wolf packs, and this is passed on to the offspring by the elders of the group.  Pups learn something from each member of the pack and attain the vital social skills required to create powerful bonds upon which the wolf's societal structure relies. Animals that typically predominate over others are associated with the term alpha . Among pack-living wolves, alpha wolves are

230-440: A member of the wolf pack; the weak are supported by the efforts of stronger wolves, and higher-ranking individuals enjoy better and larger kills than could be taken on their own. Protection is granted by sheer number, and larger, more plentiful territory can be won and sustained. Care and protection of the young are shared, and knowledge can be passed down through generations, creating a unique culture within each group The pack

276-413: A number of scent glands , some of which produce pungent odors, although not so extreme as those found in some other Vulpes species. The glands are found in the anal region, above the base of the tail, and on the paws and cheeks. Corsac foxes are reported to bark during hunting or when threatening rivals, and to use higher pitch yelps or chirps as alarm calls or social greetings. Corsac foxes live in

322-426: A pack is, the less status of alpha is likely to be obtained through fighting, and young wolves instead leave the pack to find a mate and produce offspring of their own. Larger or less-nuclear packs may operate differently and possess more complex and flexible social structures. In the case of other wild canids, the alpha male may not have exclusive access to the alpha female; moreover, other pack members may guard

368-417: A reflection of the relationships they present in the pack, reflecting any tension, cooperation, and competition present. Tensions are noted to become higher around breeding season. This is due to increased opportunities for reproduction. Individuals challenge the group hierarchy to gain better-quality mates. This leads to greater intraspecific competition and rising tensions. Female wolves are known for being

414-502: A single year. It is also known as the steppe fox . The word "corsac" is derived from the Russian name for the animal, "korsák" (корса́к), derived ultimately from Turkic "karsak". The Corsac fox is a medium-sized fox, with a head and body length of 45 to 65 cm (18 to 26 in), and a tail 19 to 35 cm (7.5 to 13.8 in) long. Adults weigh from 1.6 to 3.2 kilograms (3.5 to 7.1 lb). It has grey to yellowish fur over much of

460-443: A wolf an alpha is usually no more appropriate than referring to a human parent or a doe deer as an alpha . Any parent is dominant to its young offspring, so alpha adds no information. Why not refer to an alpha female as the female parent , the breeding female , the matriarch , or simply the mother ? Such a designation emphasizes not the animal's dominant status, which is trivial information, but its role as pack progenitor, which

506-480: Is a collaborative venture – all members contribute to their development. In times of scarcity, the breeding pair will often prioritise the care of the pups and preferentially feed the youngest wolves first. Despite this committed involvement, pup mortality is high, with researchers citing that only roughly 30% survive their first year of life. Those who survive, however, grow up with the added advantage of being surrounded by numerous caretakers and teachers. There exists

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552-435: Is critical information. The one use we may still want to reserve for alpha is in the relatively few large wolf packs comprised of multiple litters. ... In such cases, the older breeders are probably dominant to the younger breeders and perhaps can more appropriately be called the alphas . ... The point here is not so much the terminology but what the terminology falsely implies: a rigid, force-based dominance hierarchy. One of

598-497: Is low. Natural predators of the corsac fox include gray wolf , Eurasian eagle-owl , eagles , and (rarely, for pups) the upland buzzard . Golden eagles are major predators, with 38% of remains found belonging to the corsac fox at a golden eagle nest in Mongolia. The Corsac fox is a nocturnal and nomadic hunter of the steppes. It does not have a defended territory , and unlike some foxes, sometimes forms packs . Diurnal activity

644-466: Is more common at times when kits need to be fed and when food is scarce, as during the winter. Because it cannot hunt in deep snow, it either shelters in dens during harsh weather, or, in the northern parts of its range, it migrates up to 600 km (370 mi) south in the winter. It has been reported to follow herds of local antelope, relying on them to compress the snow as they pass. It digs its own dens, which are generally shallow, but also takes over

690-405: Is not necessarily equal. The majority of wolves are known for dispersing from their birth pack; this makes measuring attachment behavior within the packs difficult. There are cases in which wolves leave their pack, typically when accompanying siblings of the same sex. This behaviour is suggested to be adaptive, which will benefit pack mates in future conflicts. All individuals benefit from being

736-490: Is present to breed with all males. African wild dogs are not territorial , and hunt cooperatively in their packs. For example, they will run down large game and tear it apart with their pack. They also cooperate in caring for wounded, sick, and young pack members. Gray wolves ( Canis lupus ) tend to live in packs that consist of adult parents and their offspring of the last two or three years. The adult parents are usually unrelated, and other unrelated wolves may sometimes join

782-451: Is typically a nuclear family unit. It often consists of 5–10 (though in areas of high prey abundance can be up to 30) mostly related individuals, specifically consisting of a typically unrelated breeding pair also known as the alphas, their offspring, and occasionally a handful of other wolves which can be related or not. Membership may be fluid and is subject to change. Outside wolves may be shunned or, more rarely, accepted, depending on

828-426: Is very important in a pack. Canine packs are led by a breeding pair , consisting of the alpha male and alpha female . African wild dogs ( Lycaon pictus ) live and hunt in packs . Males assist in raising the pups, and stay with their pack for life. The females leave their birth pack at approximately 2.5 years old to join another pack without females. Males outnumber the females in a pack. Typically, only one female

874-518: The Ibizan Hound , it often jumps above the prey before landing on or near it to flush it out of dense brush, rock crevices or burrows. It will dig if necessary to flush prey. The Pequeno (small) was also developed for flushing rabbits from cover. It is also a good mouser. Pack (canine) A pack is a social group of conspecific canines . The number of members in a pack and their social behavior varies from species to species. Social structure

920-495: The maternity den used by the alpha female; as with the African wild dog , Lycaon pictus . As dominant roles may be deemed normal among social species with extended parenting, it has been suggested that the additional term alpha is not required merely to describe dominance due to its ubiquity but should be reserved for where they are the predominant pack progenitor. For instance, wolf biologist L. David Mech stated: ...calling

966-748: The steppes and semidesert of central and northeast Asia . They are found throughout Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , and Turkmenistan , and through all except the northernmost regions of Mongolia . In the south, their range extends into the more northern parts of Iran , Tajikistan , Kyrgyzstan , Afghanistan , and China , and they can also be found in neighbouring regions of Russia . Three subspecies are currently recognised: These foxes inhabit open grassy steppes and semideserts, and avoid dense vegetation and mountainous regions. True deserts with drifting sands are also avoided, as are snowfields more than about 15 cm (6 in) deep. Corsac foxes generally stay far away from human disturbances. As an adaption to

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1012-445: The 2001 book How to Speak Dog , "You are the alpha dog... You must communicate that you are the pack leader and dominant". It has been suggested that the use of such techniques may have more to do with human psychology than with dog behavior; "dominance hierarchies and dominance disputes and testing are a fundamental characteristic of all social groups... But perhaps only we humans learn to use punishment primarily to gain for ourselves

1058-650: The Grande, Medio and Pequeno). According to the Clube Português de Canicultura 's breed standard states the Large stands 55 to 70 centimetres (22 to 28 in) at the withers and healthy adults weigh 20 to 30 kilograms (44 to 66 lb), the Medium stands 40 to 54 centimetres (16 to 21 in) at the withers and healthy adults weigh 16 to 20 kilograms (35 to 44 lb), and the Small stands 20 to 30 centimetres (7.9 to 11.8 in) at

1104-638: The arid climate in which they live, corsac foxes can forego food and water for extended periods of time. The corsac fox is an opportunistic forager and hunter. Its diet varies throughout its range, but consists foremost of small and medium-sized vertebrates, insects and small rodents, such as voles , gerbils , jerboas , hamsters , and ground squirrels . It also feeds opportunistically on larger prey including hares and pikas . It scavenges for carrion and human refuse as well. Although predominantly carnivorous, it occasionally eats fruit and other vegetation, especially during winter when availability of animal prey

1150-422: The behaviour of captive packs consisting of unrelated individuals, while in nature a pack is usually made up of members of a family. The term alpha was popularised as early as 1976 in the dog training book How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend (Monks of New Skete), which introduced the idea of the alpha roll , a technique for punishing unwanted dog behaviours. Psychologist and dog trainer Stanley Coren wrote in

1196-453: The body, with paler underparts and pale markings on the mouth, chin, and throat. During the winter, the coat becomes much thicker and silkier in texture, and is straw-grey in colour, with a darker line running down the back. For a fox, it has small teeth and a wide skull. One source claims that this species can climb trees and has been domesticated in the past. It is reported to have keen eyesight and hearing and an acute sense of smell. It has

1242-795: The breeding pair and their current young. They occasionally cooperate in larger packs to hunt big game, but rarely hunt animals larger than a small, young antelope . Black-backed jackals are not typically considered 'aggressive' towards larger animals but tend to be wary of humans. However, they will become aggressive if they feel threatened, in order to defend the boundaries of their territories. The Ethiopian wolf ( Canis simensis ) pack members hunt for rodents alone, and come together mainly to defend their territory from rival packs. Corsac foxes sometimes form packs, unlike some other fox species. Wolves are recognized for creating cooperative relationships within their pack structure, which significantly influence their interactions with one another, perhaps as

1288-437: The burrows of other animals, such as marmots , ground squirrels, or badgers . Dens may have several entrances, but are usually less than 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) deep. The burrow is shared between the social packs, with several dens and connecting holes, which resemble "corsac cities". They are excellent climbers, but are rather slow runners and could be caught easily by a dog. While they are reported to be nocturnal in

1334-430: The corsac fox is often hunted with trained domestic dogs, saker falcons , and golden eagles , as well as caught with traps set at burrow entrances, leghold traps, and firearms. In the late 19th century, up to 10,000 foxes were killed annually for pelt trade. The general population remains healthy, however, as the corsac fox has proven to be able to withstand great hunting pressures, and their habitats remain intact due to

1380-515: The early Pleistocene . Fossils of corsac foxes date back to the mid-Pleistocene, and show the species once reached as far west as Switzerland, and as far south as Crimea . Very recent subfossil remains dating to 3000 to 1000 B.C.E. have in found in the Crimea and 0 to 1500 B.C.E. in the Donev River Basin in the northern Black Sea region. Fossils of the corsac fox have been recovered from

1426-551: The famous Denisova Cave , known for being the type locality of the Denisova hominins . The major threat posed to the corsac fox is poaching, as it is a valuable fur-bearing species and has been harvested by humans since the Bronze Age for subsistence and commercial purposes. It is a slow runner and therefore easily caught by hunters; the population has been reduced in areas where it has been heavily hunted for its fur. Traditionally,

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1472-514: The genetic parents of most cubs in the pack. Such access to mating females creates strong selective pressure for intra-sex competition. Wolves show deference to the alpha pair in their pack by allowing them to allocate the distribution of food, typically preferentially feeding the youngest wolves. Wolves use eye contact and posture as an indicator of dominance or submission, which are largely age-based; these postures are rare except concerning food, as described previously. The smaller and more nuclear

1518-420: The low human population density in its range. Other threats include overgrazing by livestock and landscape development; the decline of marmots may also impact the species in some areas, as it often uses marmot burrows as daytime resting locations. The other main threat is natural disasters, which can cause the numbers of foxes to drop 90% in some areas, but the population often recovers quickly. As of 2014 ,

1564-402: The main initiators of affiliative interactions, though a small percentage of males will initiate affiliative interactions. The omega male is not a target of any affiliative interaction. In other studies, researchers have separated the most dominant wolf from the most subordinate wolves. It was recorded that the dominant wolf spent less time sleeping and showed more behavioural stress compared to

1610-407: The matriarch and patriarch of the family. It was previously believed to be common for an aging or sick alpha to be replaced by one of their offspring, but more recent studies have shown this incestuous behaviour to be very rare. The importance of the alpha is rivalled only by that of the pups. The fundamental purpose of the pack is the successful production of offspring, and so raising the litter

1656-403: The most persistent but disputed theories in dog training literature is the idea of the alpha wolf , an individual gray wolf who uses body language and, when needed, physical force to maintain dominance within the wolf pack. The idea was first reported in early wolf research. It was subsequently adopted by dog trainers. Later research has disputed the theory, pointing out that it was based on

1702-400: The omega wolf. The dominant wolf was reported to rest in the section of his enclosure closest to his pack. Furthermore, researchers noted that younger, more subordinate wolves appear to have less attachment to their pack compared to their higher-ranking compatriots. Cooperation is essential for tasks such as hunting and protecting the young, though the level of attachment present in the pack

1748-459: The owner's everyday life. Corsac fox The corsac fox ( Vulpes corsac ), also known simply as a corsac , is a medium-sized fox found in steppes , semi-deserts and deserts in Central Asia , ranging into Mongolia and northern China . Since 2004, it has been classified as least concern by IUCN , but populations fluctuate significantly, and numbers can drop tenfold within

1794-458: The pack cannot supply sufficient food. These lone wolves may then attempt to join an existing wolf pack or, more commonly, find a mate and begin a new pack family as the alphas. Within the wolf pack, the breeding pair or the dominant breeding pair (in packs with multiple breeders), often referred to in familiar language as the "alpha pair" or the "alpha wolves", are typically the members of the family unit which breed and produce offspring; they are

1840-513: The pack. Wolves usually hunt in packs, but they hunt alone in the spring and summer months when plenty of prey is available. They are found in both Eurasia and North America . Black-backed jackals ( Canis mesomelas ) in Southern and Eastern Africa and coyotes ( Canis latrans ) in North America have a single long-term mate. As such, they usually hunt alone or in pairs. A pack consists of

1886-449: The reward of being dominant. Most leading veterinary and animal behaviour associations and most contemporary trainers would agree to advocate the use of rewards to teach commands and encourage good communication between owners and their pets. Many modern practices dictate the abandonment of outdated "pack" methods. Some canine behaviourists suggest that kind, efficient training uses games to teach commands which can be utilised to benefit

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1932-563: The second year of life. They live up to 9 years in the wild. The corsac fox is one species within a holarctic clade of foxes that also includes the red fox , the swift fox and the Arctic fox , all of which it resembles. However, the closest related species to the corsac fox is probably the Tibetan sand fox . The immediate ancestor of the corsac fox is believed to be the extinct species Vulpes praecorsac , which lived in central Europe during

1978-482: The specific circumstances. Genetic variability can become limited within such an interrelated group, and so conditions for gene flow must exist. Outside wolves can provide these opportunities. A pack may accept another wolf into their group if it is a distant relative, if reproduction rates are low due to the loss or infertility of an alpha, or if their numbers are significantly reduced. Characterisation of wolves into dominance hierarchies of alpha, beta, and omega

2024-570: The wild, in captivity they are very active during the day. The mating season starts in January and ends in March. Males will initially fight for access to females, but eventually establish a monogamous bond, and assist in the raising of their young. The mother initially creates a birthing den, which is sometimes shared with other pregnant females, but moves her young to new burrows several times after they are born. Typically, two to six young are born after

2070-415: The withers and healthy adults weigh 4 to 6 kilograms (8.8 to 13.2 lb). The Grande (large) was developed for deer and wild boar hunting . It will exhaust and hold down the prey and await the hunter's gun. The Grande is now very rare in its home country. The Medio (medium) was developed for rabbit chasing, flushing, hunting and retrieval. Its hunting style includes catlike stalking and, similar to

2116-585: Was based on behavioural studies of unrelated wolves in captivity, and this assemblage largely does not apply to natural wolf packs, which are familial units. These singular outside wolves, often referred to as lone wolves, are vulnerable to food scarcity and territorial attacks and generally comprise less than 15% of the total wolf population. Lone wolves usually result from sexually mature offspring leaving their parental pack, though may also occur if harassed subordinates chose to disperse. In times of prey scarcity, low-ranking wolves may choose to go off on their own if

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