DogStudies News

Anyone who has a dog is convinced that the relationship between dog and human is something unique. A close bond, unshakeable, perhaps even love. Dogs are the most popular pets worldwide. But why does the relationship between humans and dogs feel so special? Do dogs really love us? And if so, why? more

MDR features documentation about saved dogs by the animal welfare. More information in German. more

Data from 124 societies shows that dogs’ functions predict their treatment, with closer bonds forming in societies where dogs have multiple roles more

Researchers showed participants videos of human, dog, and macaque pairs to determine how well humans assess social interactions more

Two renowned dog cognition scientists are hunting worldwide for a very rare breed of dog – ones who can identify 20 or more objects by name. more

A study published in Scientific Reports compared dogs’ spontaneous reactions to intentional and unintentional human behavior and found that dogs reacted differently depending on the condition more

Communication history and the principle of least effort guide human communications, but the factors guiding dog communications are highly influenced by their owners more

Basic cooperation skills appear to be shared by dogs and wolves, suggesting that this ability was present in a common ancestor and was not lost during domestication more

The first comprehensive study of the human ability to recognize the facial expressions of dogs suggests this ability is mainly acquired through age and experience and is not an evolutionarily selected trait, and in adults is better in those growing up in dog-positive cultural contexts more

When they don’t have enough information to make an accurate decision, dogs will search for more – similarly to chimpanzees and humans. more

Dogs create a mental representation of objects that they perceive through smell, a new study shows – and are surprised if what they find at the end of the trail differs from what they expected to find. more