Dogs' Bonds With Humans Grow Stronger, Can Predict 'Human Behavior'

Dogs understand humans far better than previously believed and can predict human behavior, Abertay University in Dundee researchers found.

So now along with dogs being man's best friends, they can also be their shrinks! Not only can this domestic animal predict your behavior, it also knows what you're thinking. Spooky huh!

Abertay University in Dundee researchers conducted a study to measure the additional characteristics and traits dogs may have evolved after spending thousands of years living alongside man, reports Daily Mail.

The researchers predict that as time goes by dogs will get "smarter." Their advanced cognitive development will allow them to run small household chores without being trained or told to so do. This includes fetching the daily newspaper, fetching his dish during food time, among other stuff.

"As dogs have become domesticated, one of the abilities that have been selected for is attending to human behavior," The Telegraph quoted Clare Cunningham, the leader of this project as saying. "As they get to know particular humans, they pay more attention to them and this may mean they can read, and even predict human behavior with more efficiency as familiarity grows."

Results of the study led researchers to conclude that the DNA of dogs and not the extent of training is responsible for the animal's cognitive development. Twenty four dogs were monitored in the study. They all belonged to different "trained" categories including highly trained, house trained pets and abandoned dogs from a shelter. Researchers monitored the dogs' responses to visual clues like humans pointing or gazing in the direction the dog was supposed to move

Contrary to previous assumptions that shelter dogs have the least cognitive development because they are untrained, they performed just as well as their trained counterparts.   

"This work does provide support for the presence of an evolved adaptation to exploit social cues provided by humans that can be augmented by familiarity with the cue giver," Business Standard quoted the authors as saying. "However, additional joint activity as experienced in an intensive training regime does not seem to increase accuracy in following human-given cues,"

In a previous study titled "Dogs Are People, Too" conducted by Gregory Berns, it was discovered that a dog's awareness level is similar to that of a human child's. In fact, dogs use the same part of the brain that humans do to "feel" things around them, according to NY Times.

Recently, a dog-breed controversy took the nation by storm. The Breed Specific Legislation proposed a law banning the presence of aggressive dogs in public places. The aim of this law was to protect community residents, keeping them safe from overly violent animals. The White House released an official press statement opposing this law, calling it a "bad idea."

The statement referred to an earlier Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that revealed among 238 fatalities, "Pit Bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of these deaths." However, since fatal attacks represent such a small proportion of dog-bite incidents, the statement pointed out that this data "should not be the primary factor driving public policy concerning dangerous dogs."

Nancy Perry, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' senior vice president said that the breed ban may have some unintended negative consequences. According to Perry, homeowners are not going to back down from buying such notorious dog breeds. Alternatively, to avoid detection, they're bound to restrict their dog's outdoor exercise and may even neglect veterinary care.