Why do dogs understand our body language? The answer in these adorable puppies

Why do dogs understand our body language? The answer in these adorable puppies

A study conducted by the Arizona Canine Cognition Center of around 400 Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies revealed that dogs understand the body language of humans thanks to their genes.

Dogs have extraordinary abilities, including being able to understand human body language with great ease. Scientists have long wondered if this ability was genetic or rather the result of an acquired learning of time. Now, thanks to a study conducted byArizona Canine Cognition Center in collaboration with the Canine Companions for Independence association, the "mystery" has finally been revealed. 





The research, which involved a sample of around 400 Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies, confirmed that dogs' social intelligence is genetic. "Using puppies to answer this question is a great approach" - explains Heidi Parker, geneticist at the Dog Genome Project of the US National Institutes of Health "- Behavior is the Holy Grail of dog genetics."

To get the clearest picture of the dogs' behavior, the researchers decided to focus the study on a group of 375 8 week old Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies. The choice of age was not accidental: they were old enough to take part in the experiment, but young enough to have had very little interaction with people.

But studying hundreds of puppies was no easy feat. “Working with puppies is like having young children,” said Evan MacLean, director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center. - “It's a balance of extraordinarily cute and rewarding moments and frustration drives you to the brink of insanity. There is nothing that cannot be chewed or soiled with urine, including all research equipment, clothing and your body. "

Three tests to study the behavior of puppies 

The researchers put the Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies through three tests. First, they showed the puppies two overturned cups, pointing to the one in which a candy was hidden. In most cases (2/3 of the time) the animals understood the gesture, just like adult dogs do. But, repeating the exercise, they showed no signs of improvement, thus suggesting that they weren't learning the behavior. 

For the second experiment, a researcher spoke for about 30 seconds, using high-pitched sounds and saying a series of phrases to the puppies, including “Hey, baby! Look at you, you are a good puppy ". In this case, the dogs spent an average of 6 seconds staring at the person talking to them. Such eye contact is rare among mammals and is an important basis for social interaction with people.



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For the final test, the researchers taught the puppies to find food hidden in a plastic container, then sealed it with a lid. Unlike adult dogs, who usually give up after a few seconds asking humans for help, the puppies in question have rarely looked to scientists for help. "Pups appear to be sensitive to humans receiving information, but they don't seem to know they can solicit our help," MacLean explains. 

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To confirm that the behaviors were indeed genetic, the researchers analyzed their pedigrees to see the level of correlation between the different dogs. They then compared that correlation with the dogs' performance in the various tests. And it turned out that about 43% of the variation in performance was due to their own genetics. 

But the scientific study carried out by the Arizona Canine Cognition Center does not stop there and could soon be replicated with other dog breeds as well. Additionally, MacLean and his team of researchers are ready to analyze the entire genome of the puppies that took part in the three tests to shed further light on the dogs' incredible abilities. 


Fonte: Science/Facebook

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