Iplay,
Nice response and thank you. I see where you are coming from and I appreciate that.
My questions don't revolve around trained or disciplined dogs. They are about what a natural dog is and does. Dogs in the wild vs domestic dogs that are not trained to follow human rules. And we can't train out all bad behaviors even from the most docile domestic dogs. So just what is the difference? How close are they to being the same? How can we find out? Who knows that we can ask?
I have dogs too, and they are trained. I am more curious about Sandy and who she naturally is. We are also training her within reason and her abilities. This training not only makes her more sociable, but makes her safer, as it would any dog. However, I am not working on a long term plan to make her a house pet or a working dog. I am curious as to what she does and who she is and if she can be a good citizen in our world instead of a "killing machine". The most important lesson from this is can a wild dog be domestic?
If I introduce her to humans and take the need to kill to eat problem away, how will she react? The opposite could be done to domestic dogs, I suppose. Nearly starve them and throw them in with a litter of coyotes at 3 days old and see what you get. Probably a wary hunter that is afraid of humans. Even domestic dogs that live in homes can pack up and kill deer or threaten neighbors.
So the question about loving one and not the other is bigger than the ability to love them because they are highly disciplined. It's a question about the species as a whole. Some are "wild' And some are "domestic. They have fascinating natural traits and personalities and methods and needs. These show intelligence and intention. Those things bring about respect or dislike from us. The important thing to me in this case is, are "domestic" dogs different than "wild coyotes" and, if so, how and why. Can we work with those differences or are they too dangerous or stupid or unfriendly or messy or impossible to train, etc. Before we can know these things we have to see who they are in a similar setting and take away the circumstances that would make ANY dog act wild and crazy.
Remember too, I fell into this situation and we only acted to save a dying infant nearly frozen and abandoned in the desert. Later we began to realize what we had and what we had taken on. I'm not a trained behaviorist, I don't have approved facilities, the experiment can end at any time, etc. But, I am also curious, resourceful and care about dogs on a level that doesn't require them to pay their way. I know that I will never answer any of these questions adequately by learning from hearsay or myth. Many so called experts have completely differing opinions. I am ready to take action if the whole deal goes south at any time. And I keep going because, at this point, Sandy is a fine little animal that has a lot of energy and a good nature. She's interesting. She fits in and is not dangerous.
My other dogs are under control all the time and are not allowed to inconvenience anyone.
And finally, my curiosity and my satisfaction in this endeavor doesn't hinge on Sandy's ability to strictly be a good citizen and not inconvenience me by playing keep-away. Her ability to have a sense of humor, want to play with me in the morning, give very warm greetings, demonstrate submission, demonstrate ownership, develop strategies to accomplish what she wants and her ability to learn our schedule and fit herself into a natural setting here, is VERY important in learning who she is and who coyotes might be. Training is important and a lot of it is going on that doesn't necessarily pertain to normal working dog or domestic dog habits. I have limited her normal training because she may not be here long. I cut her some slack with some behaviors that should not turn into habits in the long run.
