The "mutual gaze" between dogs and their owners can lead to a bond that is similar to the one between a mother and child, suggests a team of Japanese scientists. Humans also experience the same feelings of affection for their dogs as they might do for their family, they found.
"It can be said that dogs successfully cohabit with humans because they have been successful in adapting the bonding mechanism to relations with humans," explained Dr. Miho Nagasawa, lead author from Azabu University, Japan.
Animal Bites
Animal bites are common in humans. Bites caused by domestic pets are not fatal unless they become infected.
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During the study, dogs were observed for 30 minutes in a room with their owners. The amount of time the dogs made an eye contact with their owners was used to put the dogs into two groups: long gaze and short gaze.
The dogs that gazed at their owners the most saw a significant increase in their oxytocin levels after the experiment. In the second experiment, oxytocin was sprayed onto the nose of some dogs. The dogs were put into a room with their owner and two strangers for 30 minutes.
![Diabetes in Pets]( "Diabetes in Pets")
Pets like cats and dogs suffer from diabetes, which is similar to that in humans. It is treated with insulin injections.
The team discovered that female dogs looked at their owners longer and owners of these dogs released more oxytocin. "The lack of an effect on male dogs could be down to sex differences in the function of oxytocin," the authors wrote. The results show the existence of a continuous bonding loop between humans and dogs driven by oxytocin.
Eye contact between a mother and her baby strengthens their attachment by activating the so-called 'love hormone'-- oxytocin -- in the mother's brain. This drives emotional bonding between parent and offspring by encouraging both nurturing and interactive behaviors. The findings were detailed in the journal Science.
Source: IANS
Diabetes in Pets
Pets like cats and dogs suffer from diabetes, which is similar to that in humans. It is treated with insulin injections.
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The team discovered that female dogs looked at their owners longer and owners of these dogs released more oxytocin. "The lack of an effect on male dogs could be down to sex differences in the function of oxytocin," the authors wrote. The results show the existence of a continuous bonding loop between humans and dogs driven by oxytocin.
Eye contact between a mother and her baby strengthens their attachment by activating the so-called 'love hormone'-- oxytocin -- in the mother's brain. This drives emotional bonding between parent and offspring by encouraging both nurturing and interactive behaviors. The findings were detailed in the journal Science.
Source: IANS
Dogs can Read Human Faces and Find If You are Happy or Mad
Dogs can tell the difference between happy and angry human faces, reveals a new study. This is the first solid evidence that an animal other than humans can identify emotional expressions.
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Wolves, like dogs can be Man's Best Friend, Proves ResearchResearchers said that the social skill did not emerge during domestication, but was already present in wolves. | Advertisement
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