Domestic species are arguably the most intelligent, although perhaps not the most cognitive, species in existence. At the same time that another species Homo sapiens was developing complex social behaviors and organizations the domestic species successfully provided selective pressures that resulted in man becoming dependent upon and the servant of the so called domestic species. Because the domestic species have so successfully applied selective pressure on their servile species, the domestic species exist in numbers far greater, and in an existence far less risky. Zea maize is an example of such a relationship. Maize, which was originally a Mesoamerican species, has successfully colonized all continents except Antarctica. Corn wants for very little. Man destroys its competitors and pathogens, provides it with water and mineral nutrients. Hopefully, the foregoing discussion will convince the reader of the power and ability of selection and genetics to modify animal behavior. My interest in modifying foraging behavior of livestock with selective breeding is an outgrowth of my interest and knowledge of the innate differences in the foraging behavior of dogs. Man, through selective breeding, created numerous dog breeds to serve his purpose by truncating predatory behavior at different stages to create tracking, herding, pointing, retrieving and killing breeds of dogs that specialize in the portion of the innate predatory system emphasized and on the species of prey.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.