Dogs are man’s best friend for a reason; they really are friends

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Dogs are known as man’s best friend for a reason. And it’s not just the companionship that canines offer.

Japanese researchers have recently confirmed what many dog already know: that dogs empathize with their owners, especially when the individual is feeling down or perhaps unwell.

Researchers from Azabu University and other institutions conducted a detailed analysis of changes in the heartbeats of canines and their owners to study the animals’ ability to empathize with humans.

Past research has shown that dogs can sense their owners’ emotions. This is based in changes in dog behavior when their owners sport sad expressions. But until now, it was unclear whether canines are able to respond to their owners’ rash of emotions.

The team examined 13 pairs of dogs and their owners. The dog owners, who were advised to sit so they were visible to their pets, were urged to relax or subjected to stress by working out answers to mental arithmetic or explaining technical documents.

The heartbeats of both the dogs and their owners were measured at intervals of 15 seconds, and the behavior of the canines was analyzed based on video footage.

The results showed the relaxing level indicator changed in the same way for both pets and owners in some pairs. The synchronization was more likely to occur when the owner had bonded with her or her pet over a longer period.

Female dogs were found to be likely to show more sympathy than their male counterparts.

“The results seem to reflect the fact that dogs have been living and evolving with humans since ancient times,” said Takefumi Kikusui, an ethology professor at Azabu University who is a member of the team.

The results were published in the Swiss psychology journal Frontiers in Psychology on July 19 at (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01678/full).

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