Your enemy's enemy is your dog, scientists find

Your enemy's enemy is your dog, scientists find

Research appears to show dogs will snub people who are mean to their owners

Agence-France Presse
Friday 12 June 2015 01.46 EDT

Dogs do not like people who are mean to their owners, Japanese researchers said Friday, and will refuse food offered by people who have snubbed their master.

The findings reveal that canines have the capacity to cooperate socially – a characteristic found in a relatively small number of species, including humans and some other primates.

Researchers led by Kazuo Fujita, a professor of comparative cognition at Kyoto University, tested three groups of 18 dogs using role plays in which their owners needed to open a box.

In all three groups, the owner was accompanied by two people whom the dog did not know.

In the first group, the owner sought assistance from one of the other people, who actively refused to help.

More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/12/your-enemys-enemy-is-your-dog-scientists-find

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