Like master, like dog. You have probably heard before from someone that your dog fits you very well or maybe even, that you look alike. At least to me, it happens very often. However, that dogs sometimes tend to behave like people and they resemble us in many things, has been confirmed also by many scientific studies. And some even hint at the dogs being much similar to us than we had thought.
Dogs behave more like men than like dogs. Does it sound like nonsense to you? It did to me, at first, as well, but then I started to search for research and scientific studies on this topic – and it is true. In course of the evolution process and thousands of years of cohabitation with human, the dogs took over many skills and characteristics.
A relatively extensive summary of all possible research on dog behaviour that resembles the humans has been put together, for example, by the National Geographic magazine. Ethologists say, that dogs can read emotions, are able to express jealousy and allegedly, they might even watch TV with the same interest as us, humans. They say it depends – as in the case of humans – on the programme. It is true, that not a long time ago, my dog managed to watch horse racing on TV for a relatively long time. But they didn’t interest me so I switched to the news and he wasn’t interested in that anymore.
The fact that dogs are very similar to humans, experts for animal behaviour explain by saying it is convenient for them. Since they have been living with us for a long time, they had to learn how to get along and cooperate with us. And this has logically led to them overtaking some of our skills and they’ve started to mirror our ways of behaviour.
An article on one recent research on this topic has lately come out in the Animal Behaviour magazine. Simply put, it dealt with the question whether dogs feel greater affection towards people that are kind to their owners or whether the relation of another human being to their master doesn’t play any role for the dog even in case, that the person offers them a treat.
The experiment with 54 dogs took place in such a manner so that their master pretended that they want to pull out a heavy object from a container. In one case, a passerby helped them, in another, they did not. In both cases, there was a third person present at the experiment, who only observed the whole situation and didn’t intrude at all. Consequently, the scientists inquired, whether the dog would rather take a treat from the neutral observer or from someone who had helped their master to get out the object from the container.
The result? Dogs didn’t prefer either of them and took a treat with the same willingness from both. Nevertheless, in case they were to choose between the neutral observer and someone who hadn’t helped their master with the given task, they unequivocally chose the neutral observer. As if they could sense that someone had denied to help their master? Difficult to say, the scientists argue. Apparently, the experiment has to be repeated in more detail and this dog behaviour has to be researched further. However, it is extraordinary, that a similar experiment with small children had the same results.
Then scientists do believe that dogs are really similar in many aspects to humans (and not to the children only). But I’m afraid that my shelter dog who is a tremendous feeder would still take a treat even from my nemesis :-). However, maybe in the case of my dog it is the proverbial exception that proves the rule.
Kitten Lady describes her activities as kittens’ advocacy and humane education. This all is done by young beautiful Hannah Shaw. She’s a kitten rescuer, spreads the principles of humanity and is an unwavering advocate of animal rights. She decided to...
Several kinds of hedgehog are kept as pets. The most common one is the four-toed hedgehog or an African pygmy hedgehog in other words. This pet which is not very common but is becoming more and more popular can live up to 9 years in captivity and...
More than one artist fell in love with these creatures and looked for inspiration for work in them. One of them was Ernest Hemingway. He is the author of the well-known saying “One cat just leads to another”. He really kept a large number of cats (in...
We have an active and healthy lifestyle. Or at least we try to have. In relation to that, we don’t only think about our own food but also about our dogs’ food. The trend of barfing has already come to the Czech Republic, too. It is a method of feeding...
If you go camping for the first time, it is good to prepare for all various reactions of your furry friend. Do you travel with it by car and by public transport with no problems? Is your dog okay when not sleeping at home, e.g. in a mountain cabin? It...
As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which...
Let us get this straight, what is monoprotein food? It is wet food (i.e. cans and pouches) which contains only one type of meat, muscles and bowels. And why is it better than common wet food?
A meat bomb in a form of a dog paté or can doesn’t have to be only a reward. If you are planning to go on a long hike – to the mountains or to the valley – you can make the use of a dog meat can. Dogs in move, usually when doing any sport outside, need...
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is...
Runner Dion Leonard could talk for hours about the bond which is created between a man and a dog and also about how an unknown Asian crossbreed dog becomes one of the most famous dogs on planet Earth. He bumped into a dog companion at the ultra-trial...
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with...
Cats can also be heroes and put their lives at risk to save someone from risky or life-threatening situations. The first cat hero I will introduce you to is Scarlett. She showed her heroism in the most natural form – she saved her kittens. She took...
