Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

very interesting article!!
enjoy!
{wink} lynette


Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
Man's best friend serves as model for understanding human social behavior

By Jennifer Viegas

Chimpanzees share many of our genes, but dogs have lived with us for so long and undergone so much domestication that they are now serving as a model for understanding human social behavior, according to a new paper.

Cooperation, attachment to people, understanding human verbal and non-verbal communications, and the ability to imitate are just a handful of the social behaviors we share with dogs. They might even think like us at times too, according to the paper, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Advances in the Study of Behavior.

While there is no evidence to support that dogs and humans co-evolved their laundry list of shared behaviors over the past 10,000 to 20,000 years, the researchers believe adapting to the same living conditions during this period may have resulted in the similarities.

Lead author Jozsef Topal explained to Discovery News "that shared environment has led to the emergence of functionally shared behavioral features in dogs and humans and, in some cases, functionally analogous underlying cognitive skills."

Topal, who is based at the Institute for Psychology at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, is one of the world's leading canine researchers. He and his team argue that dogs should serve as the "new chimpanzees" in comparative studies designed to shed light on human uniqueness.

"In my view, pet dogs can be regarded in many respects as 'preverbal infants in canine's clothing,'" he said, adding that many dog-owner relationships mirror human parental bonds with children.

In one of many recent studies conducted by the team, Topal and his colleagues taught both a 16-month-old human child and mature dogs to repeat multiple demonstrated actions on verbal command — "Do it!," shouted in Hungarian.

The actions included turning around in circles, vocalizing, jumping up, jumping over a horizontal rod, putting an object into a container, carrying an object to the owner or parent, and pushing a rod to the floor.

The dogs "performed surprisingly well and at a comparable level to the 16-month-old child," Topal said.

Multiple studies mentioned by the authors also support that dogs exhibit all three primary types of social behavior that humans evolved when they split from chimpanzees 6 million years ago. The first is "sociality," or organization into groups where members are loyal to each other and display reduced aggression.

The second is synchronization, where following shared social rules and even taking on each others emotions helps to strengthen group unity. The researchers, for example, say that, "when approached by an unfamiliar person showing definite signs of friendliness and threat in succession, dogs show rapid changes of emotional and behavioral response in accordance with the human's attitude."

The third is "constructive activity," where individuals within a group cooperate and communicate with each other to achieve goals. Dogs can also distinguish rational from irrational human communications, Topal said.

The scientists additionally believe dogs are good models for human social behavior because studies can compare and contrast domesticated dogs with wolves, and then with humans.

Marc Hauser, a professor and director of the Cognitive Evolution Lab at Harvard University, fully agrees that dogs offer a good model for understanding human behavior.

"The dog has come into its own as a great new model for understanding the mind in general, and the evolution of the human mind in particular," Hauser told Discovery News. "Not only have we lived with dogs for thousands of years, but because of this relationship, we have acted as an agent of selection to modify aspects of their behavior and minds."

"Now, perhaps for the first time, students of animal behavior, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, philosophy and veterinary medicine will unite to provide deeper insights into the evolution of dogs and the evolution of humans," he added. "I for one am very excited about this opportunity, which is why we have followed the lead of other labs, and started our own dog lab!"

© 2009 Discovery Channel

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

I reli have2agree wif u~

Pls do hav a luk at the website here~
U'll b touch to see hw amazing it was~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgjyhKN_35g

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

yes i saw that video before! you're right it's amazing and really touching. it makes me want to cry. dogs are wonderful!!! i'm glad you feel that way about them too.

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

(")[>.^](")

I was AMAZE wen i saw tat video....
I too hav2admit tat i hv tears in my eyes wen i watch tat video..
I felt touch by looking hw te dog save his own kind...
Not even ONE 'so-call-Human' din even STOP....
I mean tats reli terrible...no offense! *im human2* LOLX

Tats is y i alwis tink~

"GOD IS AMAZING"

{mbiggrin}

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

hi
i watches that video before too.
Makes me feel very kasihan bcos i have saw similiar cases too in my hometown.
The dog partner din drag to save his partner because she's dead being hit by car.
He just stay there with her for one whole day under the sun.
So kasihan.
many motor pass by and try to make the dog go away (cos very dangerous)but he refuse.
Then the next day both of them are gone.
Haiz~~~ to think that dog have more heart than human.

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

i saw that before, too. {cry2}

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

yeah..i saw that happened before the dog just sat in the middle of the highway beside its companion who got knocked down..this goes to show how loyal dogs are no matter who it is...

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Haiz~~~ very kasihan{cry}{cry}

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

I have also watch the clips before... can you believe it, i was so touched till my eyes were teary... i do wonder could a human help another human if they were in the same situation like in the video clip...

Points to ponder...

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Nice article, Lynie...

All my life I have had dogs.. and I can attest to the accuracy of that article first hand.

Here's a story of my Rottweiller that sheds some light on how intelligent and conscious dogs are...

My dog, Shadow knew he's not supposed to sleep on the couch because we taught him not to.. so, one day while i was in my room, at about 4 am... i watch on the CCTV and found him sleeping on the couch... I then came out of my room, and when i reached the hall, I found him asleep on the floor...

So, guess what he did? He heard me opening my door, then immediately got off the couch and 'pretended' to be asleep on the floor... now, how much consciousness you need to be able to pull off that kind of misdirection? He obviously couldn't possibly know what CCTV was and as far as he knew, he got away with a crime!! hehe..

That shows you how intelligent dogs are... and I am pretty sure, a lot of animals are as well... remember, we humans are just another type of animal... with a bigger brain, is all...

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

hey! you are right, ezer, about animals being able to misdirect. I hadn't seen it that way until you mentioned it.

Just like your Shadow, my Blackie was taught not to hop up onto the pots and chew the plants. And we've never caught him in the act ever since we taught him......but, we'll find evidences of chewed leaves, branches pulled off, and he'll be around the vicinity, but sitting quietly and looking innocent like as if he's been doing that all the while. {shy}

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Charlene,I'm very familiar with this act {shy}{shy} but the culprits were caught in the act finally. {good}

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

i can never catch the culprit in my home becos i think he hears me as i approach. {ohmygod}

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Haha.. looks like June, you're onto your pets!! hehe.. htye can't get away with anything with your watchful eyes..

Anyways, I pretended i didn't know as well with shadow.. let him think he's outsmarted me.. hehe..

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Yup they can indeed.. I heard that dogs are as conscious as a 4 year old human child.. that's pretty smart and conscious if you ask me..

And if you look at it that way, when peopel are cruel to animals, and kills them, it's equivalent to kiling or torturing a 4 year old child..

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

reminds me about the huge mistake that my dog have done... all my dogs are not allowed to go near my mom's garden...

one day, choco step into the garden... and this huge mistake begin... so many flower he didn't pick to chew... and he pick my mom's favourite flower... i dunno what is it call... but, for sure it's really hard to plant... it will only grew ONE big flower for few days in that ONE year... then choco was get cought doing it and being scolded by my mom real bad...

then the next day, it's shiro's turn... LOL... shiro likes grassy area... and this is what he did... so, after a few minutes... shiro walk very slowly with his head looking at the floor... then sit down beside me... that second, i already know he did something bad... then i look at his paw and confirmed he steps into my mom's garden... LOL... suddenly, my mom shouting : this time, whose fault now...??!! the first reaction when shiro heard my mom's voice, he immediately hide under the table... LOL...

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Yup. And if I could change anything in this world, I would change the attitude of humans towards their 4-legged companions. I guess we all have to do our part and help spread the awareness that animals are sentient beings.

Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Yeah,last time when I was in the early stage rescuing stray cats they fool me several times.But now,I'm the expert {shy}{grin}I know if they have done something wrong they will pretending lying on the floor as nothing happen. Very smart cats.

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

pets are normally expert in pretending{shy}

Re: Dogs (not chimps) most like humans
 

Hahaha, and real cute when they do try hard to pretend. But not all will do that.
I have had pets who would not budge but sat unmoving, eyes shut tight with ears folded backwards, ready to take whatever punishment given - verbal, physical or both. {scared}
Well punishment had to be given and was given lots of extra hugs and love immediately after (for taking the punishment like a 'man'). Sigh!