Of all the creatures on earth, have you ever wondered why humans and dogs seem to really get each other? Dogs really enjoy being with us. They appear to read our moods and our motives. They are forgiving of our worst transgressions. Their love is...unconditional. I've always found it interesting that dog lovers are willing to bring a dog into their life even knowing it will end in tragedy. Since dogs live about 12 years, it is almost guaranteed they will predecease their owners. Yet...we are willing to bring new dogs into our homes over and over again knowing the story will never end happily. We find the tradeoff is worth the ultimate sadness. I have always said we don't deserve dogs. How is it that such magnificent loving animals are available to us when, in too many cases, we don't reciprocate with the same level of affection? With all of that being said, there is actually science behind why dogs and humans coexist so warmly. First and foremost, dogs and humans are both social creatures. Both species want (need) to be in the presence of others. We are able to fill that social need for dogs and dogs are, to a great extent, able to fill that need for us. Dogs are keenly able to read our body language; that's why they know when we're in a bad mood, happy, tired, etc. almost the moment they see us. They've learned this by living with humans for roughly 20,000 years. They do a lot better job of reading our body language than we do of reading theirs. Interestingly, the similarities between human and canine body language are extensive. You might be surprised to learn that dogs' brains are similar to humans and their hormones and neurotransmitters are also similar. In short, they appear to be hardwired to think and have emotions similar to humans. This is demonstrated by the fact that many psychopharmaceutical drugs (i.e., drugs that affect mental status or state) used effectively in humans are exactly the same ones used in dogs. Dogs get our attention in some of the same ways as humans get our attention. They do things such as touching us with their paws, barking or vocalizing at us and trying to initiate play with us. All of these things are done in an effort to engage with us. Whenever humans want to engage with another human they look directly at that person. Notice the direct eye contact your dog has with you the next time he or she is attempting to engage with you. Dogs are territorial, just like humans. While it is no longer accepted that our dogs see themselves as a member of some kind of wolf pack where the owner is the "alpha" wolf, they definitely identify with members of their human family as well as the physical home they live in. In short, they understand who their "family" is and what the territorial arrangements are for their "family". Oxytocin. The I'm-in-love and feel-good hormone found in both humans and dogs. Studies show oxytocin levels go up in both humans and dogs when they interact. This is a biochemical process that is essentially out of everyone's control. To a great extent, we can't help but love our dogs and vice versa. We can't have an article about dog and human interaction without a word about domestication. Because dogs have lived with us for 20,000 years, they have become domesticated. This simply means they have biologically evolved and adapted to living with humans - it's in their DNA. Puppies don't have to be taught to work with and coexist with humans; it's biological. Dogs come out of the womb predisposed to interacting with and cohabitating successfully with humans. A newborn wolf would not be expected to automatically grow up and happily live with humans, they aren't a domesticated species. We're fortunate to have dogs in our lives. Appreciate the fact it took many millennia for dogs and humans to get to the point where we happily and almost seamlessly exist side by side. https://www.usadogbehavior.com/blog/20201020why-do-humans-and-dog-get-along-so-well
2020-10-20 11:11:11
Scott Sheaffer
For centuries, dog breeders have been shaping the way the world's canines look and behave. Turns out, that meddling in doggy evolution has sculpted the pups' brains, too. A team of researchers scanned the brains of 62 purebred dogs representing 33 breeds. They used MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, to map the shapes of brain structures. Their results show that dog brains are not all alike. The shapes of various brain regions can differ broadly by the breed. The research may guide future studies on how brain structure relates to behavior. The new findings appeared September 2 in the Journal of Neuroscience. Erin Hecht studies brain evolution at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. She was part of the team that conducted the new study. The distinct brain shapes were not simply due to the breed's different head shapes, the team found. Nor were differences due to the size of the dogs' brains or bodies. Instead, Hecht and her colleagues conclude, humans' selective breeding of their dogs have shaped the animals' brains, bit by bit. The dogs were scanned at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the University of Georgia at Athens. This study was not designed to directly link brain shape to behavior. But the results do offer some hints. Some parts of the brain varied more than others. Smell and taste regions, for instance, varied a lot between breeds. Those areas may support specialized behaviors that often serve people, earlier studies have suggested. Such behaviors include hunting by smell, guarding and providing companionship. The authors assumed the dogs in the study were all pets. Working dogs undergo extensive training for specialized jobs, such as herding sheep, finding bombs or guiding the blind. It's possible that such highly trained dogs might have even more distinct brains. https://www.snexplores.org/article/dog-breeds-different-brain-shapes-humans#:~:text=A%20team%20of%20researchers%20scanned,differ%20broadly%20by%20the%20breed.
2019-09-30 05:45:00
Laura Sanders
Kayla Fratt greets a driver as he hauls his boat toward one of three boat ramps in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park. "Can my dog check your boat?" she asks. "He's looking for zebra mussels." The driver, curious, agrees. He and his family climb out of the car, asking Fratt questions as Barley, a border collie, goes to work. Barley sniffs his way around the boat, while Fratt tells the family about zebra mussels. Native to Russia and Ukraine, the mussels have cropped up in lakes around the world. They're small. Adults are usually the size of a fingernail. But they reproduce in massive numbers, clinging to and gumming up drainage pipes, power plants, waterways and more. Zebra mussels eat the algae that native mussels and other aquatic animals need to survive. Without food, the native species die off. Meanwhile, the zebra mussels continue to spread. They're what scientists call an invasive species. The only way to fight these mussels is to stop their tiny larvae from hitching a ride to new places. But those larvae, about as big as the width of two human hairs laid side by side, are tough to spot. They get into the tiny crevices of boats and motors, hiding until they reach a new lake. There they float free, starting a new infestation. Barley's tail starts a slow, sweeping wag. He closes his mouth and sniffs more intently. He senses something. When he locates it, he lies down with his nose pointing to the spot. Fratt inspects the area closely and pulls out a hidden vial. The vial contains zebra mussels. She had planted it on the boat while Barley was working. It's a super big deal and fortunately rare to find zebra mussels during a boat inspection, Fratt says. The vial will help keep Barley's nose homed into the target scent. Fratt pulls a squeaky ball from a bag and throws it to the dog for a vigorous round of play. Fratt and Barley are key members of Working Dogs for Conservation, or WD4C. The Montana-based organization trains dogs to help with conservation projects. These programs include searching for invasive species like the zebra mussels and tracking rare and endangered animals. Some WD4C dogs live in Africa, where they help park rangers fight wildlife poaching, the illegal killing of wild animals. These dogs aren't ordinary pets. Some started out as service or military dogs and didn't do well in those lines of work. Most detection dogs did start off as pets, Fratt says. But they're "ball crazy" and full of energy. And that can be too much for some owners to handle. "The dogs tend to end up in the shelter a lot," she says. The reason: "Because they're so high energy and go go go." That boundless energy often isn't a good fit for pet owners, Fratt says. But it's ideal for a detection dog. A ball is the perfect reward. It's easy for the person who works with the dog, its handler, to carry. A ball can't spoil the way food treats might. And ball-crazy dogs will do almost anything to get that reward. That makes them easy to train. These dogs learn that when they smell a certain scent, they get to play with their ball. Each dog is trained to detect specific odors. It might be those zebra mussels. Or it could be the poop from a certain species of animal or the animal itself. It might even be plants or plant parts. All are organisms that can be easy for people to miss without some help. https://www.snexplores.org/article/conservation-is-going-to-the-dogs#:~:text=The%20Montana%2Dbased%20organization%20trains,illegal%20killing%20of%20wild%20animals.
2017-04-02 06:25:00
Alison Pearce Stevens
Dogs are great, they provide us with love, companionship and are always there when we need them. But did you know there's far more to dogs than meets the eye? We all know dogs have been man's best friend' for thousands of years, but there's loads more to our four-legged friends which makes them really amazing. We've put together some of our favourite canine facts so you can learn a little more about your pooch. 1. Their sense of smell is at least 40x better than ours. The area of cells in the brain that detect different smells is around 40 times larger in dogs than humans. This means that your dog can pick up on way more smells than we ever could. This is why dogs are often used to sniff out people, drugs and even money! 2. Some have such good noses they can sniff out medical problems. Yup, medical detection dogs are a thing. Because their sense of smell is so great, some dogs can be trained to sniff out medical conditions. They are used to diagnose a particular condition or to alert their owners if they need more medication. 3. Dogs can sniff at the same time as breathing. Dogs rely a lot on their sense of smell to find food, potential dangers, and friends, so needless to say they sniff a lot. Their noses are designed so smells can stay in their nose while air can move in and out of their lungs at the same time, which means they can breathe freely and still work out what that smell is! 4. Some dogs are incredible swimmers. So, not all dogs like water, but the ones that do tend to be pretty good swimmers (but again, not all are so always keep an eye on your dog in case they decide to take a dip out and about). Newfoundlands are so good in the water that for years they've been used as water rescue dogs. 5. Some are fast and could even beat a cheetah! Most dogs could easily outrun a human, they're built to run and chase! The fastest breed of dog by far, though, is the Greyhound. These speedy sight hounds can reach a top speed of 45mph within seconds of starting to run 'But how does this beat a cheetah?' we hear you ask. Well, while a cheetah can get up to almost 70mph, they can only keep this going for around 30 seconds. Greyhounds, on the other hand, could easily run at speeds in excess of 35mph for seven miles. So despite the cheetah's head start, they'd soon overtake! 6. Dogs don't sweat like we do. While dogs do sweat, don't expect them to be getting damp armpits any time soon. Where humans sweat watery liquid to cool down, dogs produce a pheromone laden oily substance that us humans can't detect (dogs know it's there because of that great sense of smell). The only place that dogs sweat like us is on their paws, so instead they pant to cool down. This is why it's so important to keep your dog cool on those warmer days to make it easier on them. 7. Your dog could be left or right-pawed. There have been a few studies around this and it turns out that just like us, dogs have a preferred hand (well, paw) to lead with. You can find out whether your dog is left or right-pawed by giving them their favourite toy or interactive game and seeing which paw they use to help them first. 8. Along with their noses, their hearing is super sensitive. We all know dogs can hear much higher frequencies than us, but did you know they can also hear further? Generally, dogs can hear much softer sounds than we can, so they can hear things that are much further away. This is another trait that makes them great search and rescue dogs. While they will mainly use their nose for tracking, their hearing can also be a real help (especially as they get closer to whatever they are looking for!). 9. Dogs have 18 muscles controlling their ears. If you have a dog, you might notice that their ears move around a lot. They actually have around 18 muscles responsible for moving their ears. These help them to change the direction of their ears slightly to hear noises around them better, and play a really big part in telling us how our dogs are feeling. A lot of a dog's body language is expressed through what their ears are doing so a dog's ears are vital in helping them communicate both with us and other dogs. 10. Dogs are about as intelligent as a two-year-old. Studies have shown that dogs can learn over 100 words and gestures, which puts their intelligence and understanding of us on a par with a two year old. However, dogs are much easier to train than a two year old! They're used for all sorts of jobs, from military roles to assistance dogs, because they're both clever and extremely loyal animals. https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/10-amazing-facts-about-dogs
2020-06-20 10:10:00
Mair
Dogs first snuggled up with people in Central Asia. That's the conclusion of a new study looking at genetic diversity in these popular pets. Earlier findings had suggested dogs were first tamed elsewhere. Laura Shannon works at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. As an evolutionary geneticist, she studies how traits in a species have changed over enormous spans of time. For the new study, Shannon joined an international team. "We have a large dataset," she says, which allowed their team "to sample dogs from all over the world." In all, they looked at DNA from nearly 5,000 dogs. Most were purebreds. But more than 500 were free roaming dogs living in villages around the world. Such "village dogs" make up the majority of dogs worldwide. Dogs from Central Asia harbored the greatest diversity in their genes. "As you move out from Central Asia, we see a decrease in diversity," Shannon says. That suggests people must have begun taming wild canines into pets near to lands now known as Nepal and Mongolia. The researchers shared their findings October 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Some genes in a starting species will be lost as animals are tamed, Shannon explains. Why? Only a fraction of the original group of tamed or domesticated dogs would have moved along with people to new areas. These dogs would have possessed just some of the genes present in the dogs they had left behind. Similar to how the neck on a soda bottle restricts the amount of liquid that gets through, the frontier dogs would bring only some of their community's genes with them into a new area. Earlier research had suggested that dog domestication occurred in a host of places. These included Europe, the Middle East, China, Siberia and North Africa. But many of these studies examined a limited type of genes. For instance, some looked at those in mitochondrial (My-tow-KON-dree-ul) DNA. These are genes that can be inherited only from the mother. Others looked only at the genes present as part of the Y chromosome that males get from their dads. Still other studies may have focused on autosomal (Aw-tow-SOAM-ul) DNA. This type holds genes other than those on sex chromosomes (the X or Y types). The new study considered genes from each type of DNA, Shannon says. "That let us get the most complete picture we could." But these data all came from living animals. A lack of ancient DNA has led some critics to question the new study's conclusions. Robert Wayne of the University of California, Los Angeles, is among them. Wayne, an evolutionary biologist, is concerned that this study's findings don't match up with those from earlier ones. Moreover, he argues that diversity patterns in living dogs might not be a foolproof map of domestication events in ancient times. Ancient DNA could provide more insight into where wild canines were first tamed into dogs, Shannon agrees. Still, she believes, the new study will add to a global effort using many genetic techniques to investigate where the efforts to domesticate dogs and wolves first took hold. Studying domestication patterns adds to the human story, too, she says. "Studying the history of organisms that we use and breed, and that we've had an effect on, tells us about history as well as culture and human migration." https://www.snexplores.org/article/new-site-where-wild-canines-became-dogs
2015-10-29 06:00:00
Chris Samoray