How Dogs Got Their Groove: The Impact of Domestication
Domestication was a key player in scripting the modern behaviors observed in dogs today. Dogs are naturally adaptive creatures, well-tuned to thrive in anthropogenic environments – places that are significantly influenced or altered by human activities.
This just doesn’t appear overnight; rather, it’s the result of a transformative journey from being wild canines to becoming ‘man’s best friend.’
Dog domestication brought necessary changes like minimal fear and low aggression towards humans, which were essential traits for a harmonious cohabitation.
It’s compelling to look back and see that the aggressive wolf ancestry slowly changed into a friendly attitude, steering the course of dog evolution.
Sociability and Communication: The Keys to Dogs’ Success
One of the most recognizable trademarks of dogs is their sociability, which is undeniably one of their secret weapons for success in a human-centric world. But let’s delve a little further.
Dogs have not just adapted to be around humans but through evolution, they have developed a unique interspecific social competence.
It means they can interact and cooperate not just within their species but also with us humans. These cooperative and communicative skills are tailor-made for human interaction, making dogs undeniably the best companions.
The Power of Eye Contact in Dog-Human Bonding
Ever gazed into a dog’s eyes and felt a connection? Well, that’s no coincidence. A crucial element of their sociability lies in their acute ability to maintain eye contact – a key factor in dog-human communication.
Interestingly, dogs have been observed to use eye contact more liberally than their wild counterparts like wolves or dingoes.
The fact that these loving pets hold our gaze for longer makes it clear there’s more to this than just a leisurely stare. It’s a purposeful tool they use to bond with the human pack, further reflecting the level to which domestication has honed their social skills.
Domestication and Dogs
- Domestication shaped modern dog behavior.
- Low fear and aggression towards humans were essential for dog domestication.
- Dogs’ sociability is key to their success in human environments.
- Dogs are naturally adapted to anthropogenic environments.
Dog’s Love Language: Eye Contact and Oxytocin
Dogs, even at a young age of five weeks, have an uncanny ability to develop and maintain eye contact with humans. It isn’t just a simple gaze; it’s rather a show of affection, of deep emotional bonding that goes beyond just companionship.
Scientific research conducted by Nagasawa et al. reveals that during this spellbinding interaction, the levels of oxytocin, dubbed as the “love hormone”, significantly increase.
This hormone is widely known for its role in facilitating the bond between mothers and their babies during breastfeeding, but it also performs the same crucial function when it comes to human-dog interactions.
Dogs and humans have a mutualistic relationship, each reinforcing the other’s oxytocin production in what can be described as a positive feedback loop. It’s an enigmatic phenomenon that instead of fading, strengthens the bond over time.
‘Be silly, be energetic, be selfless, be resilient, be compassionate, be forgiving, be loyal, and lovely. Be Doglike.’ (Ron Schmidt)
Unique Canine Bonds Distinct From Other Animals
While many animal species form bonds with caregivers or other animals of their kind, the bond dogs form with humans is quite unique.
The manifestation of this difference can be observed through their closest cousins, the wolves.
Despite sharing the same lineage, wolves do not experience an oxytocin increase similar to dogs when engaging with caregivers.
This perhaps highlights the distinct evolutionary path of dogs, one that has led them to form an intrinsic deep social bond with their owners, which is palpable in their expressive eyes.
They truly become an integral part of our lives, mirroring our emotions on their innocent faces, and creating memories that last a lifetime.
Dog-Owner Attachments in Dog Domestication
The Ainsworth Strange Situation Procedure, a method commonly used to evaluate attachment relationships in humans, specifically between parents and children, was used in a study conducted by Topál and his team.
This tactic was used to assess and gain insights into dog-owner attachments, essentially dog-human relationships. This was quite interesting as it revealed that dogs indeed use their owners as a secure base.
This is to say, dogs rely on their owners for security and familiarity in an unfamiliar setting. They’re more comfortable exploring when their humans are around.
Dogs also show an exceptional capability when it comes to understanding human referential gestures, such as pointing.
This ability to interpret human cues is markedly utilised by dogs to find hidden food, demonstrating their learned dependence on human interaction. Interestingly, hand-reared wolves, dogs’ wild ancestors, do not demonstrate similar attachment patterns.
Dogs’ ability to understand, interpret, and react appropriately to human cues and gestures is a product of domestication and co-habitation.
Understanding of Pointing in Dogs
Pointing is a universal human gesture, so widely used and understood that even infants grasp its meaning. Dogs interpret various pointing gestures, including finger pointing, elbow pointing, and even foot pointing. This is typically measured and analyzed using object-choice tests.
These tests are designed to assess a dog’s comprehension of referential gestures, like pointing.
In these tests, an object of interest (like a toy or food) is hidden, and the dog has to rely on the examiner’s referential gesture (such as pointing) to find it.
Dogs not only understand the purpose of pointing but also can extrapolate from various forms of pointing, showcasing their exceptional adaptive learning capabilities.
Overall, these studies demonstrate the significant role of communication and understanding in the bond between humans and dogs.
Dogs outperform chimpanzees and even wolves, although the latter can learn with enough training and socialization.
However, dogs’ understanding of gestures is not just about local enhancement; they can even discern correctly in the face of misleading cues. It’s proposed that dogs’ comprehension might even reflect an understanding of the sender’s intent. Other research however indicates that dogs do not have such understanding of others’ beliefs and intents, or a “theory of mind” that would allow it.
Dogs’ Communication with Humans Using Signals
Dogs have their unique ways of engaging humans for communication. They use a mixture of attention-seeking and directing signals.
Worsley and O’Hara’s research identified 19 intentional signals used by dogs.
One of the common gestures dogs employ for communication is gaze alternation.
In fact, dogs show more gaze alternations in problem-solving situations. They also indicate hidden object locations more when their owner is absent. These characteristics link back to our first topic – dogs’ innate ability to understand gestures.