Dog may be man's best friend, but a new study shows that man may be a dog's best friend, too. Researchers have revealed that a dog's need for a human is the same as a child's need for a parent.
Domestic dogs have been closely associated with humans for about 15,000 years, though some studies seem to reveal that the domestic dog arose even earlier--about 33,000 years ago. It's thought that dogs first arose in China and the Middle East, domesticated in order to act as hunters and watchers. Since then, the dog has evolved into 339 different breeds--and those are the only the ones recognized by the World Canine Organization. These days, dogs are so well adapted to living with people that in many cases the owner replaces conspecifics and assumes the role of its main social partner.
In order to examine this crucial bond between humans and dogs, the researchers tested dogs in three conditions. They watched the canineswhile their owner was absent, while their owner was silent and while their owner was encouraging. They also did a second experiment where they replaced the dog's owner. In the end, the researchers found a type of attachment that is strikingly similar to what is found in human children.
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