Researchers plan to extend this study to wolves, a close relative of dogs, to explore whether this ability is unique to domesticated animals.
Dog’s Empathy
Dogs also appear to monitor their owners’ social interactions. Another experiment involved strangers asking for help on the street. Afterward, those who assisted the dog’s owner attempted to feed the dog.
The results were intriguing—dogs willingly accepted food from those who had helped their owners. Surprisingly, they also accepted food from neutral bystanders who had not interfered. However, they outright rejected food from individuals who had been rude or aggressive toward their owners.
Moreover, dogs can interpret human gestures and facial expressions. A study published in Biology Letters by the British Royal Society found that dogs can discern emotions based on our tone of voice and facial cues.
They are the only non-human species capable of recognizing both joy and anger in humans. “Our research demonstrates that dogs integrate multiple sensory inputs to form a coherent understanding of human and canine emotions,” explains Kun Guo, a researcher at the University of Lincoln.
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