Dogs are more than just pets; they're a member of the family... right? If so, you'd think that they'd want to look after you just as much as you look after them. But, unfortunately, a study has found that this may not be the case.
Dogs won't give food to a human, even if that person gave them some food first, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, have found.
Previous studies have shown that dogs recognise cooperative and uncooperative humans, and that they would help dogs that had helped them previously. So, the team expected to find that their test subjects would put these two things together and show 'reciprocal altruism' —that is, doing a good thing in return — to a human who had given them food first.
This story is from the August 2021 edition of BBC Focus - Science & Technology.
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This story is from the August 2021 edition of BBC Focus - Science & Technology.
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