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Advantages Of Being A Canine

Still stuck on the thought that some breeds are just born ready to fight?

Maybe it’s time to rethink that common misconception again. New studies have shown that dog breed is just a minor (well, very minor) factor when determining general overall aggressiveness and impulsiveness. What’s more is that a recent survey showed that a dog who tended to show aggression towards one certain type of person (i.e. part of family, stranger, or visitor) didn’t show any at all towards other groups.

For example, you would think that most likely a dog who snapped at his own family would be aggressive towards other unknown humans, but that’s not the case. That just shows that a dog’s impulsiveness stems from upbringing and teaching. Also, a dog who went through some sort of obedience training was 1 ½ times less likely to attack, but a dog who was punished physically or with harsh methods was 2 times as likely to react towards strangers and 3 times as likely to retaliate against their own masters.

All that further supports the counter-theory that dog behavior really truly reflects upon their upbringing and treatment.

Did you know that dogs can tell when you’re sad, happy, lonely, worried, or in any other state of emotion?

Recent discoveries point in favor of the strongly supported theory that both dogs and humans can sense each other’s emotional displays. A new study conducted by part of the Hungarian Academy of Scientists tested 11 dogs and 22 humans for response to emotional stimuli. They put them through a battery of tests which were audio recordings of dogs and humans. So they basically experienced sounds such as laughing, crying, and whining.

Each participant tended to react better to sounds of their own respective species, but both dogs and humans were able to discern what the sounds meant. A brain scanner also revealed that the area of the brain that reacted was related to the sound being played, and it further showed that humans and canines use the same neurological mechanisms to process social info. Pretty intriguing finding, huh?

Ok, I know the title seems really harsh and misleading, but it’s just a fact of life.

Researchers have been testing for a long time now the different memory capacities and functions in all kinds of animals. Humans, on one hand, have an extremely adept short-term and arbitrary memory capacity. Other animals including dogs though, don’t retain as much of the kind of information you want them to. They are more finely-tuned and trained to memorize the facts they need for survival.

If it only pertains to social and emotional aspects of life, their brains most likely throw that stuff (*their brains would also consider it useless crap) out. So your dog definitely remembers that you are a vital part of his survival and are a loving member of his family, but he probably won’t remember that specific time when you took him out for dinner. Anyways, all that fancy talk should be taken with a grain of salt since memory is such a diverse and deep subject.

What do you think? Does this make you feel different about your pup?

Do you think that we humans love our dogs as much as our own children?

It might be the assumed notion, since a lot of places in the world seem to support this opinion, but it turns out that on a deeper level our true love lies with our child. A study showed that our brains react with the same amount of stimulation when shown pictures of our kids and our dogs, but the crucial difference is that the area of the brain that is in charge of feel-good chemicals released when we experience true love is reserved for our children.

We just don’t really feel that same kind of affection towards our pets/dogs. The bond might be strong, but it’s never as strong as the one we have with our own flesh and blood. Don’t worry though, your dog might not even love you that much either. Studies also show that most dogs show affection because we give them love and food and shelter, not because of any true emotional attachment on the pup’s part. So yeah, don’t fret about this subject too much.

Did you know that recent studies have shown that dogs can be either optimistic or pessimistic?

Yup, these terms aren’t just for humans anymore. Recent advances in science have shown that usually the more anxiety your dog shows when you’re away (i.e. tearing up carpets, destroying shoes, etc.) means the more pessimism your dog tends to feel.

Before, people used to think that dogs were mostly happy in their outlook on life, but man were we wrong! So it’s obviously not just all flowers and unicorns for dogs now; they actually have greater depth than just raw feelings and emotions. So for all of you cat people who thought that dogs were dumb or superficial, take that!

That is precisely why, as you all know, dogs will always be man’s best friend.

A lot of people somehow think that the dog breed you own shows a little bit of what your character is like, which is sometimes very true.

In this cool Buzzfeed video, a group of people get together to discuss which dog owners are sassy, rich, cool, hippie-ish, or even attractive. First and foremost, they start off with your basic golden retriever. The first words that come to mind are stable, married, and family, which is pretty reasonable. They move onto the labs, and they think that a girl/guy with a Lab is solid and definitely a keeper.

Australian shepherds, however, seem rare and rebellious to them, while dalmatians are for the wealthy, affluent bunch. Next, a woman with a husky would most likely be classy and elegant, while a man with a husky would be an alpha-male, radiating power and sexiness all around. Finally, pitbull male owners would be “great in bed” while mutt owners are almost always adventurous, cool, and definitely keepers.

Dr. Roger Mugford, animal psychologist, suggests that your dog could very well be your best matchmaker

In this video recording of a BBC News article many would find intriguing, Dr. Roger Mugford, animal psychologist, suggests that your dog could very well be your best matchmaker. He states that new research says dogs are very good readers of emotion and human character, and that they can learn to interpret human facial expression and personality.

They also are good judges of things dealing with affection and love. He also then goes on to say that the chemical composition in our body changes when we have certain emotional fluctuations, and that some dogs can also smell that. In other words, the age-old saying that dogs can smell fear or any other feelings may in fact be correct.

So the next time your dog doesn’t take too kindly to your date, you may want to look into that. It’s trying to protect you from someone that might not complement your personality.