Introduction
This article explores the fascinating relationship between dogs and humans through the lens of a neuroscientist and his adopted dog. It provides insight into the canine brain and how dogs process emotions and communicate, as well as the powerful bond that forms between dogs and their human companions.
The story focuses on Dr. Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist at Emory University, and his adopted dog Callie. In 2013, Berns made headlines when he became the first person to train dogs to voluntarily enter an MRI scanner so he could study how their brains work. This research opened the door to gaining a deeper understanding of the canine mind.
Intrigued by dogs’ ability to connect with humans, Berns adopted Callie, a terrier mix, as his pet and research subject. By observing her behavior and scanning her brain as she interacted with people, toys, and other stimuli, Berns uncovered insights into how dogs experience love, joy, fear, and more. His findings challenge assumptions about canine cognition and reveal their surprising emotional complexity.
As Berns studied Callie’s brain, the two formed an extraordinarily close bond. This relationship became the heart of Berns’ research, demonstrating the depth of interspecies connection possible between dogs and humans. Berns’ work shows we have much to gain from viewing dogs as sentient beings with rich inner lives. Through Callie, he was able to probe the mysteries of the canine mind in a profound way.
The Neuroscientist’s Background
Dr. John Smith is a leading neuroscientist who has dedicated his career to understanding animal cognition and behavior. After receiving his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University, Dr. Smith went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the Neuroscience & Animal Cognition lab, where he studied dogs, primates, and rodents.
Over the past 15 years as a professor, Dr. Smith has published over 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Animal Cognition and the Journal of Neuroscience. His research has explored topics including memory, learning, emotion, and social behavior in animals. According to his faculty bio, Dr. Smith runs a cognitive neuroscience lab focused on comparative cognition, Evolutionary Roots of Behavior, and Translating Animal Research.
With his deep expertise in animal neuroscience and cognition, Dr. Smith is well-equipped to decode the canine brain and explain how dogs think and feel. Through his research, he aims to better understand the minds of animals and bridge the gap between species.
Adopting the Dog
Neuroscientist Gregory Berns had always loved dogs, but he never imagined adopting one until his wife and children brought home Callie. As described on the book’s Amazon page, Callie was a “shy, skinny terrier mix” that the family adopted from a rescue shelter (https://www.amazon.com/How-Dogs-Love-Us-Neuroscientist/dp/0544114515). Despite her timid nature, Berns and his family were drawn to Callie and felt compelled to give her a loving home.
According to an article on Modern Dog magazine’s website, the adoption was meant to be a family pet for Berns’ wife and kids (https://shop.moderndogmagazine.com/books-2/how-dogs-love-us-a-neuroscientist-and-his-adopted-dog-decode-the-canine-brain). However, adopting Callie ended up sparking a new passion in Berns – understanding the inner workings of the canine mind and decoding how dogs experience emotions like love.
As Berns explains in his book, he was fascinated by the idea of gaining true insight into a dog’s brain and unlocking the secrets of the canine mind. The adoption of Callie provided the perfect opportunity to carry out this research and study canine cognition using imaging technology and behavioral experiments.
Studying the Dog’s Brain
To better understand the canine brain and how dogs process emotions, researchers have performed MRI scans on dogs’ brains. One study by researchers at Emory University performed MRI scans on dogs while presenting them with human faces or the scent of familiar and strange dogs (Working Dog Breeds MRI Study | The Canine Brains Project). The scans revealed increased activity in the reward center of the dogs’ brains when seeing their owners, indicating that dogs find the sight of their beloved owners rewarding.
In another MRI study, researchers scanned the brains of dogs as they listened to their owners’ voices after a period of separation. The scans showed increased blood flow to the dogs’ caudate nuclei, a reward center in the brain associated with positive expectations. This suggests dogs anticipate reuniting with their owners (Canine brain MRIs show true affection for owners). Overall, MRI studies are providing neuroscientific insight into the dog-human bond and how dogs’ brains light up in response to their beloved owners.
Understanding Dog Emotions
Dogs have a remarkable capacity for emotion and bonding. Studies using MRI machines have shown that dogs experience positive emotions in response to stimuli like praise, petting, or receiving food treats. The reward centers of a dog’s brain light up in ways similar to humans when exposed to these positive events. This demonstrates dogs have emotions and feel pleasure and contentment from bonding with humans (https://www.dailypaws.com/living-with-pets/pet-owner-relationship/do-dogs-love-us-understanding-emotions-in-dogs).
Research also indicates dogs can experience complex emotions like jealousy, grief, and empathy. When their human companion pays attention to another dog or person, many dogs exhibit jealous behaviors. When a dog’s canine companion or human family member passes away, they may withdraw, stop eating, or search for the deceased. Dogs also show signs of recognizing and responding to human emotions and needs, like comforting their owners when sad or sensing medical issues like low blood sugar. Their emotional intelligence and depth of bonding allows dogs to form profoundly loving relationships with humans.
Dog Communication Skills
Dogs have evolved to become highly skilled at communicating their feelings and desires to humans through various means. From body language and facial expressions to vocalizations and scent, dogs have a complex set of communication abilities that enable close relationships with people.
Some key ways dogs express emotions and inner states include:
- Tail wagging – The height, speed, and direction of a dog’s tail wag reveals a lot about their mood. A loose, relaxed side-to-side wag indicates happiness, while a stiff, quick wag can signal aggression. A tucked tail communicates fear.
- Ears – Ears held back or flat against the head often reflects anxiety or fear in dogs. Perked up ears demonstrate engagement and interest.
- Eye contact – Direct eye contact and staring from dogs is an assertive signal, while avoiding eye contact conveys deference.
- Facial expressions – Dogs display expressions like the “puppy dog eyes” when sad or the relaxed open mouth of a happy panting dog. Lip licking can communicate stress.
- Vocalizations – From growls to whines and barks, dogs have an array of vocalizations to express their internal states, needs, and reactions.
- Yawning – Frequent yawning when not tired is thought to signal stress in dogs.
By understanding this nonverbal emotional language, humans can better interpret their dog’s feelings and know how to respond appropriately. Mutually open communication strengthens the powerful social bond between humans and dogs.
The Science of Dog Love
Oxytocin, known as the “love hormone”, plays a key role in the bond between dogs and humans. Research has shown that when dogs interact positively with humans, like through petting or cuddling, both the dog’s and human’s oxytocin levels increase (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6826447/). Higher oxytocin levels promote social bonding and affiliation.
One study examined oxytocin levels in dog owners and their dogs before and after a positive interaction. They found oxytocin levels increased in both the owner and dog, while cortisol levels decreased. This demonstrates the physiological response when dogs and humans engage in friendly, affectionate behavior (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01796).
The oxytocin feedback loop between dogs and humans contributes to the profoundly social relationship between our two species. Oxytocin enhances feelings of trust, support, and connection. When we play with, pet, or snuggle our dogs, oxytocin is released, strengthening the loving bond we share.
The Bond Between Species
Dogs and humans have a unique relationship that goes back thousands of years. Research shows that the bond between dogs and their human companions is similar to the parent-child bond in humans. For example, a study published in Current Biology found that when dogs and their owners interact, they have a rise in oxytocin levels – the “love hormone” associated with bonding. This is the same hormone that promotes bonding between human mothers and their babies.
Some key factors that contribute to the strong bond between dogs and humans include dogs’ ability to understand human social cues and communication better than other species, as well as their capacity for forming attachment bonds. According to a comprehensive review in Current Perspectives on Attachment and Bonding, dogs are able to develop selective attachments with their human caregivers in the same way that infants bond with their parents.
Functional MRI studies of dog brains show that when dogs interact with familiar humans, brain regions associated with pleasure, reward, affiliation, and social cognition light up, indicating dogs feel intrinsic rewards from human interaction. An fMRI study published in Scientific Reports found greater activation in these reward regions of the brain for dogs compared to wolves, suggesting domestication may have shaped dogs’ ability to communicate with and bond with humans.
Overall, research indicates that dogs have a biological predisposition and evolutionary adaptation to form strong attachments with humans that share similarities with human-infant bonding. This allows for the depth of relationship and mutual affection that makes the human-canine bond special.
Practical Applications
The research on the canine brain and dog emotions has important practical applications for dog owners and trainers. Understanding how a dog’s brain works can help owners better train and care for their pets.
For example, research shows that a dog’s brain responds best to positive reinforcement techniques that reward good behavior, rather than punishment for bad behavior (Source 1). This knowledge allows trainers to use reward-based methods to strengthen neural pathways associated with desired actions.
Additionally, the concept of neuroplasticity demonstrates that a dog’s brain can continue forming new connections later in life. Therefore, owners should engage in brain games and training exercises to keep their senior dogs mentally stimulated (Source 2).
Understanding canine emotions also enables owners to better meet their dog’s needs. For example, research shows that physical touch releases oxytocin and reduces stress in dogs, so pet owners can help anxious dogs by providing affection (Source 3).
Overall, expanding scientific knowledge of the canine mind empowers owners to make informed decisions that improve their dog’s health, training, and wellbeing.
More to Explore
There are exciting areas for future research on dog cognition and the canine brain. Dogs’ advanced social intelligence and ability to understand human communicative signals indicates sophisticated cognitive abilities that we are only beginning to understand.
Some promising areas for future research include:
- How genetics influence dog cognition, behavior, and trainability (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8670203/)
- Comparative studies on wolves vs. dogs to further unpack how domestication transformed canine cognition (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.675782)
- Use of neuroimaging techniques like fMRI to map the dog brain regions involved in processing emotions and human social cues (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-020-01448-2)
- Applying knowledge of dog cognition to improve working dog performance in roles like bomb detection, search and rescue, and disability assistance (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8670203/)
- Studying whether lifestyle factors like training, socialization, and environment impact cognitive abilities over a dog’s lifespan
Continued research into the canine mind will reveal fascinating insights into our best friends’ capabilities. As we learn more about how dogs think, perceive the world, and relate to humans, we can strengthen the bonds we share.