Dogs are wonderful animals, but a curious research establishes that they reach their maximum beauty around 8-10 weeks and for as long as they are weaned, they appear in a different light that makes them appear even prettier to our eyes.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himI dogs they are wonderful animals, but a curious research establishes that they reach their maximum beauty around 8-10 weeks and for all the time they are weaned, they appear in a different light that makes them appear even prettier to our eyes.
Not that there was a need for a study to tell us, but it is singular that Clive Wynne, Professor of psychology and director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, has conducted such a particular study that it aims to better understand the relationship between humans and animals.
According to Wynne and colleagues, there are one billion stray dogs in the world. Observing their behavior on the streets of the Bahamas, the researcher concluded that despite their apparent independence, these dogs need humans to survive.
The question that has arisen is: what would prompt a person to intervene to help these dogs? One of the factors seems to be their beauty, understood in a subjective sense as 'cuteness'. So the team decided to understand if there is indeed a connection between weaning, which is the most vulnerable period in a dog's life, and the relationship with humans.
A systematic review
The study was conducted through photographs of puppies of three races (Jack Russell, Cane Corso and White Swiss Shepherds) taken at different moments in their lives. Fifty-one participants were asked to rank the photographs according to the one that caught their attention the most.
Thus it was found that the attractiveness to puppies is low at birth, peaks at around 10 weeks, and then gradually decreases. Specifically, the Cane Corso reached maximum cuteness at 6,3 weeks of age, Jack Russell terriers at 7,7 weeks of age, and herders at 8,3 weeks of age. Obviously taking into account that only 51 people participated in the study.
"At around seven or eight weeks of age, puppies are ready for independence and that's when they become more attractive to humans," Wynne said in the study.
According to the team, the findings offer some nuances of the relationship between humans and dogs. We made friends with them because they are faithful, intelligent, they keep us company, but they are not the only reasons.
“I think dog intelligence is not the key issue. It seems to me that the dog has something quite special because he is always ready to make friends with someone, ”continues the researcher.
The fact that puppies are the most attractive during weaning suggests that dogs have evolved specifically to rely on human care. The findings are also reinforced by previous research involving wolves.
“Man's best friend probably modified his sociable nature to please us. But this relationship is also the basis of their existence, ”says Wynne.
The team will now continue their research showing videos of puppies at different times to see if this thesis can actually be corroborated further.
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- Beautiful photos of animal moms with their babies
- When a puppy dog or cat arrives in the family
- 25 cutest puppies ever
Dominella Trunfio
