Considering Communication Between Dogs and Their Humans
Assistant professor of Human Animal Interaction and canine cogniton specialist, Dr. Emily Bray, has conducted numerous studies on service dogs and their owners, as well as how quickly puppies bond with humans.
Now, they're discussing a Puppy Pointing study, which in part examines (and confirms) how puppies are genetically predisposed to react with cues from humans. Aside from our verbal commands, such as 'sit' or 'stay', dogs will also respond to points and pitches in voice. Even more, studies such as this are finding that how involved a mother dog is in raising the pup will determine how independent they are from their paired being: this can be beneficial considering more independent dogs can help make decisions for those requiring guidance (for example, a blind individual), while more bonded dogs can provide deeper companionship for those needing higher levels of service support (for example, a veteran with PTSD).
For more on the various studies, as well as common cues dogs give us and their meanings:
Read the Feature and/or Listen to the Full Discussion
Updated: 08/02/24