
You Will not Believe How Close Dogs are to Humans
Introduction
Dog owners across the world know how well dogs can communicate their emotions in a way that is readily understandable by humans. This is not by chance or mere coincidence, as growing scientific evidence suggests that canines have evolved to develop significant communication skills and traits that are very similar to human behaviour.
Ever since canines were domesticated through a mutually beneficial relationship between early humans and wolves, we have both developed an intimate psychological bond and understanding that is reflected in our evolutionary history and mental development.
Imitation and Communication
As humans, we naturally learn to adapt to new environments and situations by observing how others behave and imitating their behaviour. This phenomenon is not limited to observing other people, as we have evolved and adapted by imitating animal behaviour as well.
The same route has been taken during the evolution of canines, and today, dogs display an intuitive ability to understand and comprehend human emotions and behaviour, and to mimic them as well.
Anyone with a pet dog knows how hard it is to resist when our dog makes those lovely puppy eyes!
Research suggests that dogs can mimic facial expressions and to understand and recognize them in humans.
Dogs also display the natural ability to recognize human behaviour patterns and categorize humans among friendly and unfriendly categories!
Emotions and Empathy
Scientific research has proven that dogs are capable of practising and feeling empathy, which can grow into more complex emotions such as love, care, kindness, and gentleness.
In the same way, dogs experience complex emotions such as jealousy, happiness, and sadness. They can develop a set of preferences over time, proving that they are capable of complex neurological processes and emotions that we humans often consider to be restricted to our species.
Dogs are also able to recognize different voice patterns, being able to distinguish between sounds of distress and happiness in a controlled blind study conducted recently.
With all these fantastic facts piling up, we can indeed say with complete evidence that dogs are much more like humans than we previously thought! That is why it is essential to take care of a pup with the same consideration that we give to other people. Ensuring a proper diet with high quality and nutritious dog food, offering good quality treats such as the Hypro Premium Tasty Chews, and occasionally rewarding your pup with a new toy is a great way to create a good quality of life for our intelligent companions.