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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) evaluated around 120 dogs from three large breeds from Europe and Asia bred to be gentle around sheep and children but vicious when confronting wolves. The four-year study was carried out by the USDA's National Wildlife Research Center and tested how these dogs did guarding livestock against wolves and coyotes in the western US.
[...] Young and her colleagues zeroed in on areas where dogs had been bred to protect livestock from wolves and brown bears. They selected three breeds for the study: Cao de Gado Transmontanos, originally from the mountains of Portugal; Karakachans, bred by nomadic shepherds in Bulgaria; and Kangals, developed to guard livestock in Turkey. The dogs were gathered as puppies and sent to the U.S., where they were used to guard 65 herds of sheep in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon.
Another finding was that when the owner and the dogs had a closer bond, the dogs performed their jobs much better. Something that might not be commonly realized in areas where they are kept exclusively for companionship or entertainment is that the different breeds of dogs are bred to gravitate to and specialize in particular activities: they have jobs they like doing.
From The Scientist : The Breeds of Guard Dogs that Best Protect Livestock: Study (2018)
and The Associated Press : Imported guard dogs deployed as part of US wolf-sheep study (2018)
and Agri-Pulse : Got wolves? USDA brings on the big dogs (2014).
(Score: 2) by Arik on Wednesday March 14 2018, @04:29AM (13 children)
Reality imitates bad jokes, yet again.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 5, Funny) by ilPapa on Wednesday March 14 2018, @05:48AM (11 children)
I know, right? Biologists who study animal behavior are known for being greedy and money grubbing. That's why they went into that field in the first place - to make a quick buck.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Wednesday March 14 2018, @06:03AM (10 children)
Now, I'll grant it has the benefit of being funny, but that's the only good thing about it. You missed the point entirely.
It's not that academics are money grubbing greed-heads, but that they are relatively privileged people, who can easily wind up spending what seems an absurdly large amount of money to confirm what the people getting paid absurdly small amounts of money to do real work in a given field already know.
For example, just one among many, that yes, sheep dogs really do protect sheep.
It's just one of the little absurdities of what we call 'civilization.' Noticing it is hardly a slight to academics, nor could I insult them without insulting myself. But academics worth of the title are aware of their sometimes paradoxical position, and wouldn't take offense at the observation.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 5, Informative) by ilPapa on Wednesday March 14 2018, @06:34AM (1 child)
If you think scientists are "relatively privileged people", you don't know any. Forget the effort it takes to get a PhD in a STEM field, but then you work as a post-doc or research assistant for less than minimum wage, go for years without any kind of benefits, put up with horrible working conditions, have to teach knuckleheaded undergrads and CS majors, and then maybe you work your way up to an adjunct position where you make poverty-level wages and still have no fucking benefits. It takes maybe three or four adjunct positions to make enough money to pay rent and buy food. Then, you are expected to publish to keep your miserable little existence going. The only jobs are one year contracts (at most) and you just arrive at some research institution in time to start sending out your resume again.
In my day (I'm a retired academic), it was different. We were privileged, especially those of us in the Humanities. Man, I had a tenure track position at age 24 and didn't have to worry about anything but banging coeds until I got married six years later. I get a nice pension, people call me doctor and I still get to travel as a fellow and occasionally lecture and act like a big shot. Because I was one of the last of my breed. Nowadays, academia is almost as fucked up as the tech sector. Those gravy days are over.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Wednesday March 14 2018, @03:56PM
But academics are still nowhere near the bottom of the pyramid. I know truck drivers, mechanics, farmers, also not the bottom of the pyramid, but a little closer. From that point of view academics look pretty privileged. Yeah, the initial education thing is a bit of a pain but it has its benefits. In my experience most academics undervalue and under-utilise the non-monetary compensations. Travel, for instance. I'm not horribly up to date myself but I did a lot of travel, often the department wanted to be able to "show the flag" so to speak, to claim attendance at events that are important to the field, but people didn't want to go. Can you believe that? People were too busy to go to Rome, or to Milan, or to Berlin, or whatever. Too much of a hassle to pack a bag. Reasonable expenses paid. It's true, we flew in the cheapest seats, and if we wanted fancy motels or fancy restaurants we would need to spend our own money, but a lot of people could still only dream of going at all. I felt quite privileged. A modern mandarin.
Alas, I have no doubt that you're right the environment has gotten worse in that sector, as it seems to do everywhere.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ilPapa on Wednesday March 14 2018, @06:42AM (6 children)
You know what, Arik? You seem like a decent sort. We're arguing over piddly shit. Let's call it bygones and be friends.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:47AM (3 children)
Yeah, Arik's a decent sort.
He can even put together a coherent argument now and again.
Once you get past the rabid anti-semitism, misogyny and islamophobia, he's a really nice guy.
But don't take my word for it. Check out his posting history [soylentnews.org].
Then again, maybe you're up for that stuff too. In which case, I hope you live near each other so you can have drinks together. Good times!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @08:53PM (1 child)
Not a troll. Read his posting history.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday March 15 2018, @02:22AM
HAND.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 15 2018, @01:31AM
Islamophobia? So - you're either a mooslim, or a self loathing white SJW.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @02:30PM (1 child)
This is by a wide margin the least likely post I expected to see on the internet.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday March 14 2018, @03:26PM
Haven't been on the Internet long, 'eh?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by termigator on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:58PM
I always find it amusing that folks who tout the value of science are ready to shit on the scientific process. A lot that "we think we know" does not always reflect the truth. Sometimes "no duh" is not "no duh". The scientific method exists to help up confirm or deny what we think we know.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Osamabobama on Wednesday March 14 2018, @05:17PM
Here's the joke, for those new to the internet. (Of course, there are many versions...)
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.