Throughout
history, dog is no doubt man’s best friend. They are the most loyal companions
who will share their happiness with you. And anytime you walk through the door,
you will see them wagging their tails insanely, sometimes overwhelmed with
chaotic excitement. There is of course a scientific reason behind it, and it is
not just because you are the one who feeds them everyday with your own hands.
Let us see why your dogs are happy to see you now.
Using
fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)—while presenting certain items to
the dogs and mapping their response—it was discovered that the temporal lobes
in dog brains lit up "significantly more" when presented with faces
than with objects. That implies that dogs may have the ability to recognize
both human and dog faces. The research conducted at Emory University also shows
that face recognition causes dog brains to activate in the same areas as in
monkey and human brains. These areas are separate from the "reward
areas" in the brain that would usually be triggered by anticipation of
food. This fMRI result may suggest that dogs love their humans, and not just
for food. They simply love the company of humans.
On
further tests, it is also discovered that during abscence and then at rejoining
with the owners, dogs’ behavior is very similar to that observed in children
and mothers in similar situations. The abscence of or the separation from the
owner is not voluntary for the dog as it is always unnatural for a dog to
detach and abandon the pack. And humans are part of their pack, if not the pack
leader. This insane level of happy greeting received by humans from their dogs
is likely due to the fact that dogs do not recognize the possibility of
non-voluntary detachment. Let us now imagine what it is like for a dog to be
alone all day while we are gone. Unlike humans who can spend their being at
home alone with all sorts of gadgets and activities of their choice, dogs will
just sit, yawn, sleep, eat, run around and create chaos in the house. So in
addition of being happy to see their owner, dogs are probably feeling some
relief that they will do something interesting, such as going for a walk and
having someone around. Inviting a dog walker or sending their dogs to daycare
will be a good solution.
However,
a dog’s particular greeting to humans depends on several factors, such as the
dog’s temperament, the personality of the owner, the nature of their
relationship, the level of stress and anxiety, and the dog’s capacity for
self-control. And it is important to note that stress manifests differently in
dogs than it does in humans. Moreover, licking you in the face is also a part
of their social greeting. That way, dogs are trying to taste and smell you in
the attempt to find out where you might have been and what you might have done
during the time when you are not with them. Well, let us call it curiosity.
The
other signs which indicate that the dogs are happy to see their owners are
wagging tails and lifting eyebrows. The behavioral reason for these is that dogs
can express strong social emotions (such as attachment and separation anxiety)
to certain humans, such as their owners. They do not show such reaction for
other things that may excite them, such as toys or food.
Below
are several things that can trigger over-excitement or make your dogs "really" happy to see you:
- Communicating with your dogs through words.
- Treating your dog like a child.
- Your dog is bored.
- Acting like your dog’s playmate, not pack leader.
- Being tense and nervous around your dog.
***
Read our related topics you may find interesting:
Why Dogs Bite People; Why Dogs Love Bones
Via abc7, io9, cesarsway; Photo: Freeimages.com/Kym Parry
Why Dogs Bite People; Why Dogs Love Bones
Via abc7, io9, cesarsway; Photo: Freeimages.com/Kym Parry
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Why Your Dogs Are Happy to See You
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