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k, I like to try to figure out how the social structure operates in my dogs. The two of them definitely have a vast unspoken (unbarked?) language, and one we're not privy to most of the time. Little things like glances mean a lot to them.
And then there's the humping. At night the humping begins. I have one boy dog and one girl dog, but it does't really matter; they're both "fixed", and humping amongst dogs is really showing domination.
But how sophisticated is it, really - because sometimes we play a game where I put my hand under a blanket and attack them, the hidden threat under the blankets. They love the game, but one of the things they try to do with the hidden threat is to hump it. Now, if there really was a hidden threat, of course you wouldn't want to hump it, you'd want to disable it at least.
To me this says that their pack behavior is instinctive and their urge to attack to disable or kill has been bred out of them. (Which is sorta what you want in a pet.)
On the other hand, the other question it brings up is how much of OUR behavior is biologically built-in. Like the handshake. Certainly the act of shaking a hand is learned, and cultural. But I wouldn't be surprised if there is an instinct to touch someone physically when you greet them - and the handshake is how we've culturally adapted.
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