When asking “do dogs think humans are dogs?” canine sight is the first thing to look at
There are a lot of different kinds of dogs out there. Big ones and small ones. Dogs that are so fluffy they look like big teddy bears (looking at you Chow Chows), and others that are completely hairless (Xoloitzcuintli is a good example.) And as humans, we’re pretty good at knowing which falls into that dog category.
As it turns out, so are dogs. Even towering Great Danes can probably look at a Chihuahua and know that it’s a dog and not a large rodent. How do we know? A 2013 Scientific American study found that dogs can differentiate between dogs and other animals in lab settings. Even when shown pictures of animals and doggos they’ve never seen before, dogs can pick out the picture of a dog.
So, if dogs can pick out pictures of other dogs, it’s very unlikely that they would look at humans and place them in the same category.
Do Dogs See Us As Parents?
According to research led by Lisa Horn, pet dogs have become closely affiliated with people for over 15,000 years. Several studies show that dogs usually love people more than other dogs, and they see their owners as their families. They often rely on humans for protection, affection, and everything they need every day.
Dogs have adapted to how people live. They develop a special relationship with their owners, similar to how children and parents bond with each other. An aspect of their connection is the “secure base effect.” This concept is also present in parent-child relationships.
Lisa Horn from Vetmeduni’s Messerli Research Institute examined pups’ reactions under three conditions: silent owner, absent owner, and encouraging owner. She found that dogs can be less enthusiastic about getting food rewards from strangers or when their owners are not around. Moreover, they will not become motivated when you remain silent and do not encourage them to get treats from you.
Dogs only feel happy and eager when they are with their owners and when you boost their energy to interact with you. They tend to feel more attached to their owners. In this case, they also get separation anxiety, like how people feel sad whenever they need to go away from their families.
Many researchers, scientists, and experts have undergone various studies to find concrete answers to “how do dogs see us” and “what do dogs see us as.” Fortunately, some of them succeeded and managed to provide information.
First, the Animal Cognition Scientists from Emory University conducted a neuroimaging study to measure dogs’ natural responses to different smells of familiar and unknown people and dogs. Their study signifies that only the dog owner’s scent activates the dog’s caudate nucleus or the reward center of the pup’s brain. It further shows that dogs prioritize and recognize their owners’ smell over other scents.
On the other hand, a study from Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest examined the canine brain activity relating to human and dog sounds. They prepared different voices, barks, sighs, grunts, and other noises from various people and pups. As they went through their research analysis, they found that the way humans and dogs process vocal sounds is similar.
For instance, joyful sounds light up humans’ and dogs’ auditory cortex. It indicates that there might be a deep communication system in the owner-pet bond due for this reason.
If you ever think, “do dogs think we are their parents,” Attila Andics, a neuroscientist, stated that dogs usually interact with their owners similar to how babies do with their parents. They often run to their owners whenever they feel scared or worried because they feel safe and protected. He also added that canines are the only non-primate animals seeking eye contact from people.
Indeed, dogs consider people as their family. However, a study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital Research also proved that dogs make people happy. In their research, they prepared photos of dogs and children to measure the human brain activity in mothers. They showed the s to moms and concluded that both photos activated brain regions relating to emotions, affiliation, reward, social interaction, and visual processing.
People can help their dogs recognize their owners in two different ways. The first one is about the dog’s nature, and the other is about the owner’s nurturing. Read ahead to know the difference between the two.
Generally, dogs look more to humans than they do to other dogs. They often recognize their owners through domestication and spending time with them. In essence, they are naturally dependent on humans.
Dogs also have a natural ability to memorize their owners. In a research from the University of Mexico, the dogs’ brains light up upon seeing their owners’ photos. This study also explained that pups could remember their owners’ facial expressions, body language, gestures, smell, voice, and everything connected to their identity.
A team of scientists from Oregon State University also researched wolves and dogs relating to their genetics. It showed that only the dogs became besotted with people because they have genes similar to William syndrome, a developmental disorder making people over-friendly. In conclusion, dogs naturally like befriending people, and they will recognize them once they become close.
In this case, owners can guarantee that their dogs will recognize them as time passes.
Aside from the dog’s nature, its environment also affects its behavior and recognition of its owners. The way owners behave and treat these pets also affects their dogs’ perception of things. Your actions can significantly motivate or encourage your pup to act correctly or wrongfully.
A dog’s owner can have the ability to shape a pet’s attitude. You can teach it, and it will teach you how to interact with other people. It can also know how to eat, manipulate objects, and how everything works inside your household.
In this case, you can build a positive relationship with your dog to let it recognize you over time. Since these pets can remember and adapt to things, you can train and socialize with them to develop a stronger, healthier bond between your pets and yourself. Eventually, they can continue recognizing you as their owner once they get used to your identity and presence.
How to stimulate your dog’s brain
Dogs need mental stimulation to stay happy and healthy. Giving them ample opportunities to exercise their minds can help keep them mentally sharp and prevent cognitive decline as they get older. It can also help avoid unwanted behaviors.
There are lots of ways to enrich your dogs environment and encourage them to use their brain. For instance, offer them puzzle toys to play with, hide treats around the house for them to find, or set up an obstacle course with jumps and tunnels for them to navigate. You can also teach your dog new tricks like giving high fives, shaking hands, speaking, dancing, rolling over, or playing dead.
Your dog will be thinking, “Wow, this is so fun. I really love my human.”
The information presented in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute or substitute for the advice of your veterinarian.
Do Dogs View Humans As Dogs? ( Sounds Weird )
Humans and dogs have coexisted for thousands of years. In fact, some scientists believe that the co-evolution of humans and dogs is one of the things that allowed early humans to survive and thrive to produce the humans of today.
But whilst we know a lot more about our canine companions than ‘Ugg’ the Caveman, the way they think is still a mystery. Why do dogs stick to humans? Do dogs love us? Or think we’re their parents? Do they know we’re not dogs? We’re going to take a look at what we know about the human-dog bond and the way dogs think.