Studies on dogs gives paws for thought

EVERYONE believes their dog is one-of a kind but have you ever wondered what goes on in your hound’s mind?

Over the last decade, there have been many studies of our furry friends and their behaviour. Scientists have found dogs are capable of people skills and emotional sensitivity, giving them that one-of-a-kind superpower that makes them unique.

Other than pulling off crafty tricks, animal behaviourist Taryn Blyth said some of dogs’ senses are superior to those of humans.

“Dogs have senses that are more heightened than ours, such as their sense of smell and their sense of hearing. A dog may hear a car approach from a long way and so seem to predict when their owner is coming home.

“A dog’s sense of smell is probably one of their most amazing gifts because not only can they detect dangerous things, such as explosives, but they can differentiate between the scents of different people and discern all sorts of things about other dogs (health, age and sex), just from sniffing the scent that other dogs have left behind.

“Dogs, as a species, have evolved

to live closely with people. Unlike wild animals, dogs enjoy being in our company and, in return, we find their presence a source of comfort.

“Dogs share the same basic emotional experiences as humans – joy, pleasure, grief, fear, feelings of connectedness,

frustration and anger.

“Living with us, they become highly sensitive to our emotions, so we often feel they understand us or that they may even try to comfort us when we are feeling anxious or sad,” said Blyth.

Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson

Belinda Abraham said it was important to show dogs affection because it makes them more social pets.

“The socialisation of puppies should start from as young as three weeks. This means breeders should be exposing puppies to positive experiences with people from a very young age.

“Basic obedience training is a must to ensure a dog becomes a socially acceptable pet. A dog that obeys recall and ‘leave it’ commands will be less likely to cause harm to other pets or people. Pet owners should also spend quality time with their dogs because having barriers causes dogs to be frustrated and, with little human contact, dogs will use their instinctive strategies when given freedom, which is to freeze, flee or attack,” said Abraham.

Blyth added allowing dogs to live indoors is one of the best ways you can bond with them. “Having fun with your dogs and providing for their needs is the next thing on the list. We should start involving our dogs in our recreation – like walking, swimming, hiking, picnics – from the time they are young, so they become used to the outside world and are able to participate in many of the same things we enjoy,” said Blyth.

“Doing activities together will strengthen your bond with your dog. We can also engage in positive reinforcement-based training that helps dogs and people to learn and to have lots of fun together. This kind of training really opens lines of communication … between dogs and people.”

| DAVID RITCHIE African DOGS have senses that are more heightened than humans, such as their sense of smell and their sense of hearing. News Agency (ANA)