Dogs really are man's best friend!
It turns out there is likely a deeper meaning to the phrase "man’s best friend," according to a recent study. Performed by researchers Joshua Van Bourg and Clive Wynne from Arizona State University, the study delved into the question of whether or not our canine companions want to save us when we face a potentially dangerous situation. According to what they found, dogs may have an instinctive desire to want to save their human counterparts when they see them in distress.
The study examined the "propensity of pet dogs to actively rescue distressed humans without explicit training" and looked at 60 lovable pooches and their desire to save their owners from harm without any other motivation such as treats, food, or comfort. The dogs all fasted for a period of four hours directly prior to the observation. Each pet’s owner was placed in a box with a lightweight door and the dog's responses tested under the following three conditions:
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Distress test – The owner sat in the box and called for help.
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Food test – An experimenter placed high-value food rewards in the box.
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Reading test – The owner sat in the box and calmly read aloud.
What researchers observed in the dog’s behavior shows that dogs care about their owners on a deeper level than just depending on them for food and shelter.
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Dogs showed more distress when their owners were trapped and calling for help, including visible signs like barking and whining.
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The dogs freed more owners in distress than owners who were reading and relaxing.
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About one-third of the dogs were able to achieve success in both those tests. Two-thirds of the dogs did not open the door for food, and 84 percent overall rescued their owners.
Overall, the dog’s success seemed hindered by experience and ability operating the door apparatus on the boxes needed free owners, rather than by a lack of desire to help. The responses did not demonstrate that the dogs sought out help from others to assist their owners, and one dog showed as much concern for freeing the treats as they did for freeing their owners.
"What's fascinating about this study, is that it shows that dogs really care about their people. Even without training, many dogs will try and rescue people who appear to be in distress -- and when they fail, we can still see how upset they are. The results from the control tests indicate that dogs who fail to rescue their people are unable to understand what to do -- it's not that they don't care about their people,” said Clive Wynne, an ASU professor of psychology and director of the Canine Science Collaboratory.
While the study is not definitive of dogs' behavior and instincts to want to save owners, it does shed some light on the subject and shows that dogs do tend to want to help humans when they exhibit distress symptoms.
Have you ever questioned whether or not Fido would save you? Have you been saved by a dog or witnessed a dog saving or aiding another human in trouble? Sound off in the comments below.