Dogs truly like us

Dog owners claim that their pets can feel their sorrow, and the researchers at the John Hopkins University have now come to the same conclusion. Not only can a dog sense when its owner is disturbed, it will also do everything in its power to console them.

In a paper published in the journal Learning & Behavior, researchers showed that dogs with strong bonds to their owners hurried to push through a door when they heard their person crying. The experiment involved 34 pet dogs of various breeds and sizes and their owners. Subjects included classic companion dogs like Golden Retrievers and Labradors, small dogs like Shih Tzus and Pugs, and several mixed breeds.

During the task, the researchers measured the dogs’ stress levels. Dogs that were able to push through the door to “rescue” their owners showed less stress, meaning they were upset by the crying, but not too upset to take action.

As for the dogs that didn’t push open the door, it wasn’t because they didn’t care — it seemed they cared too much. Those dogs showed the most stress and were too troubled by the crying to do anything.

dog

dogs care for owners

Golden Retrievers

Labradors