It's no secret that most owners see their dogs as children - they were taught the first steps, socialization, rules of behavior. Spent countless sleepless nights with their pets. But do dogs also see us as parents?
Every dog owner will proudly point out that his pet is an equal member of the family, however, the question arises whether dogs also feel that way, that is, whether they think they are our children. This question intrigued scientists, so they decided to conduct several experiments and find the answer, writes Pet Magazine.
Dog owners will surely be pleased with the news that the results showed that the answer is yes - dogs really perceive us as parents. Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna were interested in finding out what kind of relationship adult dogs actually have with their owners, and they came up with incredible results.
The "safe base" effect
In order to find out, they used a human theory – the "safe base" effect, that is, the "safety net".
"This theory is characteristic of children who see their parents as a safe base when interacting with other people and the environment. Namely, parents provide children with security when they face new life situations," Austrian scientists explain.
"We all know that little ones cling to their parents or constantly look for them when there is a new face nearby or when they find themselves in a previously unknown situation. It may sound banal, but scientists say that this is exactly the perception of parents in children and that the urge of the little ones to rely on their parents responsible for the proper development of their cognitive functions, as well as for overcoming obstacles in everyday life", from an early age and later in life.
In order to check whether dogs also function in a similar way, the researchers designed several experiments for dogs. In each of them, the dogs had the task of "mastering" an interactive toy or situation, and for successfully completing the task, they would receive a treat. The difference was that sometimes the owners were with them, sometimes they just stood silently in the room, while in other situations they were outside the room where the dog is.
The results showed that the dogs were not interested in food when the owner was not with them, while they performed tasks diligently when the owner was next to them. It was also very interesting to the scientists that they were willing to work hard for the prize even when the owner had his back turned and was disinterested.
The bottom line, according to the researchers, is that dogs just want us to be around them. They also tested these situations in scenarios where there were strangers in the room instead of the owner, in order to check whether the presence of any person was important to them, and almost all dogs were equally disinterested in the tasks if the owner was not with them.
An important part of the study was a test in which the scientists brought dogs into a room containing the clothing of their owners or complete strangers. In almost 100 percent of cases, the dogs smelled their owners and were lying on their belongings or near them.
Just like little ones, dogs also see in us a parent who is the embodiment of security and encouragement when they face new, unknown and challenging life situations, reports Nezavisne.
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