As I was trying to find a topic for this week’s blog I came
across an article about dogs. I love dogs more than anything in this world, so
of course it caught my eye. As everyone knows dog are said to be a man’s best
friend. Well there is a reason for this.
Researchers came to believe that the connection was caused
by a hormone called oxytocin. A little background on oxytocin will help one
understand the significance. Oxytocin is a hormone in the body that is believed
to help form social relationships. Oxytocin can change its function due to what
it binds to within the body. The way oxytocin binds causes the variation in dog’s
ability to communicate.
For this experiment they used 60 golden retrievers as test
subjects. Before the experiment was performed the oxytocin level in the dogs
was increased. They did this by taking a DNA swab of the dog’s cheek and
determining where the oxytocin would bind in that specific dog. From there they
sprayed oxytocin in the dog’s nose for the experimental group. For the control group, the same dogs were used
but instead of spraying oxytocin they sprayed salt water. During the experiment
they taught the dogs how to remove a lid from a container with a treat inside.
After the dog completed this, they gave the dogs a container with a lid that
was impossible to open. The point of this test was to see how long it would
take for the dog to seek help from their owner.
The results of the experiment showed that dogs with specific
genetic variant of the receptor for oxytocin reacted more than others. It was
also found that when sprayed with oxytocin the dogs did have an increase in
asking their owners for help during the test from when they were sprayed with
salt water. These results show how much dogs have changed from when they were wild
to when they were domesticated. They know this because they analyzed DNA from
21 wolves and found the same genetic variation.
I think it is truly incredible that they found this
information. This is why dogs love their humans so much. It’s crazy to think
that just one hormone causes such a strong bond between my dog and I. I hope
that they continue to do more research over this topic and see how this varies
to different breeds of dogs.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170918111833.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170918111833.htm
I found your post very interesting! It is quite amazing the bond that a dog and his/her owner can form. Often that bond is formed rather quickly too. It shows the power of hormones. Interestingly, oxytocin is the same hormone in the human body that women have surges of during pregnancy and especially delivery of their baby which creates an instant and lasting connection with their newborn. I am interested to read more about oxytocin and its power to form relationships with animal and owner or between mother and baby and beyond.
ReplyDeleteThus, dogs beat cats yet again. It is interesting how we are put together and we consider our minds to be something complex and our relationships to be unique, but some studies show how much a few hormones are the cause. We have our sleep cycles, or as Dr. Reichert mentioned a hormones that control many attributes of birth.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting how complex our minds are and how simple the soup of hormones is which affect our moods and emotions.
Not crazy about sciencedaily as a source.
ReplyDelete