research

Jul

07

2020

Preschoolers Do Better In Families That Have A Dog

Explorechildren, research

According to a new study published in the journal Pediatric Research, preschoolers who have regular interaction with a family dog in the form of playing with the dog and accompanying the family on walks with the dog, see gains in social and emotional development. These toddlers were thirty percent less likely to have problems with their conduct and difficulties interacting with other children compared to toddlers who live in families who did not have a dog. The interesting thing about this new study is that most of the research on the benefits of people having dogs come from participants who…

Jun

26

2020

By Ellen Britt

Veterinarian Bias Against Fat Dogs And Their Owners

Exploreobesity, research

A fascinating new study published in the International Journal of Obesity has confirmed that fat bias, which has been well documented in physician patient relationships, extends to veterinarians and obese and dogs. The problem that obese or overweight human patients face in the medical system is that physicians and other health care providers tend to look at all their patient’s medical problems as being directly caused by the patient’s weight. They are, in effect, blinded to other causes of the problem and as a result, obese and overweight patients often receive substandard care, including misdiagnosis. The study, spearheaded by Rebecca…

Apr

19

2020

By Ellen Britt

Study Shows Dogs Are Naturally Generous And Love To Share

Exploreresearch

A fascinating study on dogs was published at the end of 2016 in the journal Plos One that clearly demonstrated what is known as prosocial behavior. This is simply defined as a voluntary action that benefits others and was thought to be a uniquely human trait. This study showed that our canine companions are prosocial creatures as well. Here’s how the researchers set this up: The first thing the researchers did was to teach the dogs in the study to touch a token to get a food reward delivered to themselves. After they had mastered that, they were then trained…

Mar

29

2020

By Ellen Britt

Your Dog Knows If You Are A Bad Person

Explorepsychology, research

Most dog owners wouldn’t be surprised to know that their canine companions can sense human emotions. Research shows dogs can recognize the difference between an angry face and a happy face. Now new research from Japan’s Kyoto University shows that dogs can sense when a person is untrustworthy. The researchers based their experiment on the fact that when a human points at something, such as the location of food, a stick or a ball, the dog will go and explore what the person is pointing to. The scientists took 34 dogs and gave them three rounds of pointing. In round…