Why dogs are man's best friend – they were born to understand us

Our favourite pet is in tune with our feelings in a way no other species can replicate. Photo / 123RF

An unspoken bond of understanding exists between a dog and its owner, and it is unlike anything else in the natural world, scientists have found.

A study has proved that dogs are in tune with human emotions and movements like no other species, and they have this ability at birth.

The only explanation for this, researchers say, is the building of a special bond between the two species from more than 12,000 years of domestication.

The research, from Duke University in North Carolina, looked at the difference in behaviour between wolf puppies and infant dogs.

A total of 88 animals (44 dogs and 37 wolves - none older than 18 weeks) were studied.

The wolf puppies were from the Wildlife Science Centre in Minnesota, where keepers fed them by hand and spent 24 hours a day with them.

In contrast, the dogs were left in their litter with their siblings and mother and had minimal contact with people.

All then underwent the same tests to determine how they responded to human clues and behaviour.

Researchers hid a treat in one of two bowls and gave each puppy a clue to help them find the food.

The gesture varied by trial, including a pointed finger, a glance in the direction of the food, and putting a small wooden block next to the correct bowl.

The dog puppies were twice as likely to get it right than wolf puppies of the same age.

Seventeen of the 31 dogs consistently went to the right bowl, whereas none of the wolves performed better than random chance.

The researchers also reported that the domestic dogs went to the right bowl at the first time of asking, proving they need no training to help them comprehend human instructions.

"Dogs are born with this innate ability to understand that we're communicating with them and we're trying to co-operate with them," said study author Hannah Salomons, a doctoral student at Duke.

Dogs have innate bond with humans going back more than 12,000 years, the study showed. Photo / 123RF

Exactly how humans and dogs came to live in harmony remains unknown, with various theories proposed.

However, the research leader, Proffesor Brian Hare, said the study was strong evidence for the "domestication hypothesis".

This states that hunter-gatherers living more than 12,000 years ago encountered wolves and allowed some to eat the leftovers from their kills.

Only the most timid of the predators were tolerated and this meant that, over generations, only the most docile, human-friendly wolves were fed and reproduced more successfully.

Eventually, a lineage of wolves emerged which were attuned to human behaviour and the two species slowly became closer and more co-dependent.

"It is something they are really born prepared to do," said Hare.

"This study really solidifies the evidence that the social genius of dogs is a product of domestication."

The research is published in the journal Current Biology.