The pheromone seemed to reduce the intensity of avoidance in bitches exposed to ADAPTIL® at all time points. Once the puppies became more demanding for suckling, the bitches started showing rejection signs or aggressive growling, with a peak at weeks seven/eight. ![]() The treatment had an effect on the nursing position: bitches in the ADAPTIL® group nursed more often in a lying (p = 0.007) or sitting position (p = 0.037), whereas for the placebo group, they favoured the standing position (p = 0.011). A switch in nursing position was observed over time: the use of the standing position increased compared to the lying position. All mothering behaviours, such as time of contact, licking and the amount of time dedicated to nursing puppies, decreased gradually from weeks three/four to weeks seven/eight. The well-being of the puppies and the overall relationship with the bitch were assessed using visual analogue scales (VAS) completed by the caregivers. Maternal and puppy behaviours were video-recorded, and at three time points (weeks three/four, weeks five/six and weeks seven/eight) after parturition. Fourteen bitch/litter dyads continuously exposed to ADAPTIL® from the third/fourth weeks until the seventh/eighth weeks postpartum were compared to 11 dyads exposed to a placebo. If there is a conflict over what is optimal for pups and for the nurser in the ultimate sense, behavioral conflict is more likely to be expressed with regard to access to meat, or as conditional tactics dependent on food availability, rather than weaning conflict being controlled by fixed rules in this species.ĪDAPTIL®, a dog-appeasing pheromone, was shown to modify the dam–puppies’ interactions during the neonatal period but could also influence the weaning period. In this group of wolves, weaning mechanisms were a complex function of food delivery by adults, discomfort of the nursing female as pups developed, and declining persistence of pups. Countertactics by pups to obtain milk were not apparent, although the pups developed diverse tactics for obtaining and sharing meat. ![]() Behavioral conflict appeared in the developmental stage (estimated age 7 - 8 weeks) during which pups could feed on opened carcasses. ![]() Variables that increased with age were interbout interval, percentage of suckling bouts terminated by the nurser, and wincing or agonistic actions of the nurser. The following variables declined with age: percentage of suckling bouts initiated by the nurser, persistence by pups, and mean duration of suckling bouts. We observed the weaning process in a habituated wild wolf pack (Canis lupus) on Ellesmere Island, Canada, from estimated ages 5 through 10 weeks (including a continuous record for 192 h). If behavioral mechanisms controlling suckling have been shaped by parent-offspring conflict in the ultimate sense, then proximate behavioral determinants of conflict should occur throughout lactation, with greatest intensity in the terminal phase, and offspring should have tactics for overcoming parental resistance.
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