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The Conversation, Melissa Starling, "An expert’s top 5 reasons why dogs can be considered exceptional animals"

siiky

2023/09/01

2023/09/01

2023/09/25

post,psychology

https://theconversation.com/an-experts-top-5-reasons-why-dogs-can-be-considered-exceptional-animals-211832

Dogs are hypersocial

Most fascinatingly, these genetic differences are in the area of the genome associated with hypersociability in people with a genetic condition called Williams-Beuren syndrome. Although people with this syndrome experience negative health effects, they also tend to be very open, engaging and sociable.

Rare Human Syndrome May Explain Why Dogs are So Friendly

gemini://gemi.dev/cgi-bin/wp.cgi/view/en?Williams_syndrome

Dogs are wired to understand us

From an early age, puppies are attracted to human faces. While dogs are as co-operative as wolves, they tend to be submissive towards humans and follow our directions – whereas wolves are bolder and more likely to lead when co-operating with humans.

Early-emerging and highly heritable sensitivity to human communication in dogs

Importance of a species’ socioecology: Wolves outperform dogs in a conspecific cooperation task

For a while it was also thought dogs were particularly attentive to human gestures such as pointing – but recent research suggests many domestic species and some wild animal species can also follow pointing.

Old and New Approaches to Animal Cognition: There Is Not “One Cognition”

Dogs come in countless shapes and sizes

For dogs, this huge variation might mean they have more to learn than other animals when it comes to understanding their own kind. For example, owners of herding breed dogs may find their dog a bit confused, or even defensive, when meeting a very different short-faced breed such as a bulldog.
For us, it means we should appreciate how the size and shape of dogs can influence their behaviour and experiences. For instance, dogs with longer noses have sharper vision, while dogs with a lighter build tend to be more energetic and fearful.

Associations between Domestic-Dog Morphology and Behaviour Scores in the Dog Mentality Assessment

Dogs form deep emotional bonds

Dogs can help us be our best selves

They can even help children learn to read and alleviate anxiety.

Supporting Young Readers: A Mixed-Methods Study of Their Literacy, Behaviour, and Perceptions When Reading Aloud to Dogs or Adults

Can Dog-Assisted Intervention Decrease Anxiety Level and Autonomic Agitation in Patients with Anxiety Disorders?

Although assisting humans with their emotional problems can be a difficult task for such an emotionally sensitive species, research suggests the right dogs can rise to the task if their workload is managed carefully.

Welfare considerations: Salivary cortisol concentrations on frequency of therapy dog visits in an outpatient hospital setting: A pilot study