THELast July last, a tourist leaves for a tour of the glacier above Saas-Pee, in Switzerland. To accompany him there is a tiny companion: a chihuahua. A false step and man ends up in a crevassefrom which fortunately he manages to ask for help with a Walkie Talkie. But the rescuers struggle to identify the hole, the surface of the glacier is enormous. Then, they see from the helicopter Something that moves near a rock: it’s the chihuahualeft near the crevasse. His help was fundamental. The chronicles have always been full of stories, always. Small acts of ordinary heroism attesting to the link between man and dog.
The ethologist Clive Dl Wynne: “Love is written in the DNA of dogs”
Anyone who has one knows well: there is something special in this relationship. Sometimes it seems that Our four -legged friend can read us in thought, even scrutinize our soul. It has a thousand ways to express the affection and desire for an emotional bond with its human reference is so strong that it is contagious: it is difficult to escape the love of a dog.
Love is the key word, with all due respect to the scientists who contest the idea of anthropomorphizing an animalattributing a human emotion. The English ethologist Clive Dl Wynne thinks differently. Founder and director of the Canine Science Collaborator at Arizona State University, for years he has been carrying out experiments and research. The result of this path is condensed in the book Dog is love. Because your dog cannot help you love you (Feltrinelli), which leads us by the hand to the extraordinary result to which it has come: Our dogs really love us, they have this ability in their genetic code.
Professor Clive Wynne poses for a portrait with a group of puppies at the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo by Deanna Dent/Asu Now
August 26 is World Dog Day, the opportunity to get to know him better
It is not a hypothesis, there is scientific evidence that confirm it. “Being loved by a dog is a great privilege, perhaps one of the most beautiful of life,” writes Wynne. World Dog Day is dedicated to our inseparable four -legged friends, which is celebrated on August 26th. To the English ends we asked some questions about the relationship that binds us to them.
When did the coexistence between man and dog begin?
«About twenty thousand years ago, during the last glacial era, a tribe of wolves began to approach people. At the time, most of the globe was covered with ice, but there were small bags in which humans and other animals could survive. This forced our ancestors and those of dogs to stay in close contact: this is how a profound friendship began ».
Are they our best friends because they are smarter than other species and understand us better?
“I don’t think they are such because they have special intelligence, but for emotional ability. Specifically, they have an exceptional ability to tighten strong bonds of friendship with members of other species. They are certainly sensitive to human actions, but I believe that it depends on the closeness to people and their dependence on us for everything that matters in their lives ».
The cover of the book of Professor Clive Dl Wynne
What is the smartest dog he has ever met?
“Without a doubt Chaser, a border collie who knew the name of over a thousand objects (his human had trained her to associate words with things, as in a game, ed.)”.
Can you recognize your animal’s mood from the movement of the tail, or from its “facial” expressions, as some experts say?
«From the movement of the tail and the whole body. However, I suggest you strive to observe your four -legged friend, rather than trust the experts of experts on the different postures ».
Are they sensitive to human emotions?
«Most of them are extremely sensitive to people’s feelings. If you pretend to cry (and you don’t have to be a test actor) your dog will come to you to see what happens ».
In the book he says that the heart of the dog and his human synchronize when they find together. What happens in the brain instead when they look into the eyes?
“Although they do not exist studies that directly analyze the brain of people and dogs when they look into the eyes, we know that the levels of oxytocin, the hormone of love, increase both in dogs and in humans when they look at each other”.
From his studies, there is a genetic basis that explains their hypersocievable behavior.
«Genetics is certainly an important component in the way they are able to form such strong emotional ties with people. A study in which I participated discovered mutations in their genes which, when they occur in people, lead to a rare condition called “Williams-Beuren syndrome”. Those who are hit have an exceptionally affectionate character, just like our dogs ».
Genetics aside, how important is the environment in which the puppy grows?
«The genes only determine a potential, but an adequate environment is needed so that an animal develops a particular ability or personality. To love people, puppies must be exposed to humans in the first months of life. Some experiments conducted in the sixties, which we would never repeat today, have held puppies away from people for the first 14 weeks of life and have shown that it was impossible to tame those specimens once reached adulthood ».
Everyone has his own personality. How can we know if he loves physical contact and pampering?
“It’s very easy. Interact gently and observe as it reacts. Most love a certain degree of physical contact, but not everyone appreciate to be raised from the ground and pampered. However, each dog is different and the only way to know is to try it ».
His family adopted Benji from a kennel. She says it was he who chose you … how is it possible?
«Science does not know. Many have felt the same feeling, but we don’t know why it happens. I suspect that it depends on the smell. The animal could simply find the smell of a certain person attractive. But it’s just a hypothesis. “
How can you push them to obey? With punishments?
«Unlike what some believe, they don’t need to obey it. If they have the opportunity, they wish to get along with the masters. They simply need a little time and space to understand how to coexist at the best. The need to resort to force is a rarity. Usually bite and praise are enough ».
What is the worst mistake that can be made with a dog?
«There are brutal behaviors so obvious that I don’t think I need to list them. But you can be cruel even without realizing it. The most serious error of this kind is the condemnation to solitude. We welcome dogs in our life because we love their sociable nature. But then we can’t recognize that it is valid for both. Just like isolation is torture for a human being, so being closed at home alone for 10 or 12 hours a day is torture for a dog ».
Thoroughbred or mestizo from the kennel: your choice?
«I am a big fan of the mixed breeds. However, I must confess that our new dog, Ginger, is a retired racing greyhound, and we love them very well “
More services are needed to bring Fido on vacation
Like every summer, the dilemma is proposed: “And the dog?”. According to a recent SWG search for Mars, 45 percent of the owners decide to leave them at home, while aware of giving up a presence that would enrich the holidays.
Planing a holiday with your dog is not always easy. According to a search for SWG for Mars, 45 percent of pet owners start, it means leaving them at home. For many reasons: there are organizational problems, the structures willing to welcome them are few, it is complicated to travel by planetrain and ship with a pet. And, once you arrive at your destination, it is difficult to plan a visit to an attraction by bringing it below. Yet his presence on vacation represents for 24 percent of the interviewees something indispensable, an opportunity for fun (17 percent) and a way to feel good (17 percent). THE dogs are part of our life, and many owners would like more accessible services, Clear information and simpler transport solutions. In order to avoid leaving them home, entrusting them to someone or pensions.