Previous experiments have told us that dogs usually approach anything that there master points at, and a simple cue is all it takes. The relationship between dogs and their owners are based primarily on gestures since that is the main form of communication. But when the cues get inconsistent and when the dogs can’t keep up with what their masters are trying to tell them, they get nervous and don’t trust their owners.
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Takaoka actually wants to resume the experiment with wolves as they resemble dogs in many ways. This experiment proved that not only are dogs curious about how things work but also observe their owner’s interactions with other people. In certain cases they want to control how other people behave with their master, which is why they are often jumpy when their owners visit new people.
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Dogs usually show if they don’t trust somebody. They wouldn’t take a treat from people who behaved aggressively towards their owners. Especially if they raise their voices or any form of physical altercation is involved. Dogs, in fact, preferred to interact and engage people who helped them or their masters at some point of time. Earning a dog’s trust can be tricky but you’d fare well if you were just yourself and did not attempt anything too sudden.
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Dogs develop depending on their interactions with humans, especially since their intelligence is so keen and observant. "Dogs have more sophisticated social intelligence than we thought. This social intelligence evolved selectively in their long life history with humans,” said Takaoka. John Bradshaw of the University of Bristol said that dogs like it when things go as planned and as they had predicted and don’t respond well to erratic events.
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A study conducted by Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews concluded that dogs are especially observant of new people, especially if they are engaging with their masters. As part of the experiment, dog owners asked 2 groups of strangers for help. The dogs responded well to the group which bonded with their owners and thus categorised them as reliable, since their owners trusted them. And they did not respond to the people who behaved unpleasantly with their masters.
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"Dogs whose owners are inconsistent to them often have behavioural disorders. Dogs are almost information junkies,” Bradshaw said. Dogs, being highly intelligent creatures obviously seek out new information and they are particularly curious about new people they meet or their owners meet. In fact the last part of the experiment can be explained by a dog’s need to learn more about its surroundings.
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