Page 29 - Aruba Today 18 April 2015
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SCIENCESaturday 18 April 2015
Those puppy eyes can help a dog bond with owner
MALCOLM RITTER new research involved in oxytocin levels. Similarly, experiment with wolves. Another experiment with
AP Science Writer 30 owners and their dogs. dogs that gazed longer The animals were paired dogs found they looked at
NEW YORK (AP) — Oh, Oxytocin levels in the got a hormone boost, with people who had their owners longer if they
those puppy eyes. urine of both species were too. That’s evidently in re- raised them, although not were given doses of oxy-
Just by gazing at their sampled before and after sponse to being touched as pets. The difference tocin, and that the hor-
owners, dogs can trig- mone’s levels then went
ger a response in their In this Friday, March 6, 2015 file photo, a Welsh corgi competes in the ring with its owner on the up in their owners. But
masters’ brains that helps second day of Crufts dog show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. these results appeared
them bond, a study says. only in female dogs; the
And owners can do a simi- Associated Press reason isn’t clear.
lar trick in return, research- An oxytocin researcher
ers found. the owners and their dogs by their owners during the suggests dogs started not connected to the
This two-way street evi- spent a half-hour togeth- session, one of the study gazing at owners as a so- study said previous work
dently began when dogs er. authors, Takefumi Kikusui cial strategy when they had provided bits of evi-
were domesticated long Analysis showed that own- of Azabu University near became domesticated, dence that the hormone
ago, because it helped ers whose dogs looked at Tokyo, said in an email. rather than inheriting it plays a role in bonding
the two species connect, them longer in the first five No such result appeared from their wolf ancestors, between species, but
the Japanese researchers minutes had bigger boosts when researchers tried the researchers said. that the new work is more
say. comprehensive.
As canine psychology ex- “It makes very good
perts Evan MacLean and sense,” said C. Sue Carter,
Brian Hare of Duke Univer- who directs the Kinsey In-
sity wrote in a commen- stitute at Indiana Univer-
tary on the work, “When sity.
your dog is staring at you, But Clive Wynne of Ari-
she may not just be after zona State University, a
your sandwich.” psychologist who studies
The new work is the first interaction between dogs
to present a biological and people, said he thinks
mechanism for bonding the link to domestication
across species, said re- is “barking up the wrong
searcher Larry Young of tree.” The study doesn’t
Emory University. provide convincing evi-
Neither he nor the Duke dence for that, he said.
scientists were involved in Emory’s Young, who stud-
the study, which is report- ies bonding behavior,
ed in a paper from Japan said the relationship be-
released Thursday by the tween people and dogs is
journal Science. special. Human love can
The brain response is an lose its initial exhilaration
increase in levels of a over time, he said, but he
hormone called oxyto- hasn’t seen that with the
cin. Studies in people dogs he has owned for 10
and animals indicate this years.
substance promotes so- “When I come home from
cial bonding, such as be- work every day, they are
tween parent and infant just as excited to see me
or between two lovers. now as they were when I
One experiment in the got them,” Young said.q
SCIENCESaturday 18 April 2015
Those puppy eyes can help a dog bond with owner
MALCOLM RITTER new research involved in oxytocin levels. Similarly, experiment with wolves. Another experiment with
AP Science Writer 30 owners and their dogs. dogs that gazed longer The animals were paired dogs found they looked at
NEW YORK (AP) — Oh, Oxytocin levels in the got a hormone boost, with people who had their owners longer if they
those puppy eyes. urine of both species were too. That’s evidently in re- raised them, although not were given doses of oxy-
Just by gazing at their sampled before and after sponse to being touched as pets. The difference tocin, and that the hor-
owners, dogs can trig- mone’s levels then went
ger a response in their In this Friday, March 6, 2015 file photo, a Welsh corgi competes in the ring with its owner on the up in their owners. But
masters’ brains that helps second day of Crufts dog show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. these results appeared
them bond, a study says. only in female dogs; the
And owners can do a simi- Associated Press reason isn’t clear.
lar trick in return, research- An oxytocin researcher
ers found. the owners and their dogs by their owners during the suggests dogs started not connected to the
This two-way street evi- spent a half-hour togeth- session, one of the study gazing at owners as a so- study said previous work
dently began when dogs er. authors, Takefumi Kikusui cial strategy when they had provided bits of evi-
were domesticated long Analysis showed that own- of Azabu University near became domesticated, dence that the hormone
ago, because it helped ers whose dogs looked at Tokyo, said in an email. rather than inheriting it plays a role in bonding
the two species connect, them longer in the first five No such result appeared from their wolf ancestors, between species, but
the Japanese researchers minutes had bigger boosts when researchers tried the researchers said. that the new work is more
say. comprehensive.
As canine psychology ex- “It makes very good
perts Evan MacLean and sense,” said C. Sue Carter,
Brian Hare of Duke Univer- who directs the Kinsey In-
sity wrote in a commen- stitute at Indiana Univer-
tary on the work, “When sity.
your dog is staring at you, But Clive Wynne of Ari-
she may not just be after zona State University, a
your sandwich.” psychologist who studies
The new work is the first interaction between dogs
to present a biological and people, said he thinks
mechanism for bonding the link to domestication
across species, said re- is “barking up the wrong
searcher Larry Young of tree.” The study doesn’t
Emory University. provide convincing evi-
Neither he nor the Duke dence for that, he said.
scientists were involved in Emory’s Young, who stud-
the study, which is report- ies bonding behavior,
ed in a paper from Japan said the relationship be-
released Thursday by the tween people and dogs is
journal Science. special. Human love can
The brain response is an lose its initial exhilaration
increase in levels of a over time, he said, but he
hormone called oxyto- hasn’t seen that with the
cin. Studies in people dogs he has owned for 10
and animals indicate this years.
substance promotes so- “When I come home from
cial bonding, such as be- work every day, they are
tween parent and infant just as excited to see me
or between two lovers. now as they were when I
One experiment in the got them,” Young said.q
