The Science of Dogs
Without a doubt, dogs are more loyal than most of the humans. In fact, when your dog hears you laughing or crying, they interpret your crying as another dog whining. According to animal psychologists dogs are as smart as a two year old human. Also, petting a dog can trigger the release of the bonding hormone Oxytocin In humans. Feeling that fur can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
One might think that providing food and shelter is what makes a dog so loyal. But, your dog still loves you when you return from a long vacation and you have not been feeding them during that time.
An experiment held by ScienceDirect on canine behaviour, where they presented dogs with their owner’s scent, a scent of a stranger and the scent of food. The study hypothesised that since smell is important to dogs, this way it would be best to understand the dog's brain. The experiment showed that dogs react more strongly to the scent of their owners. Also, the part of the brain associated with enjoyment and positive emotions lit up when they were given their owner’s scent. This behavior may be associated with love.
According to scientific studies, dogs are descended from wolves, which man once kept them as guards. This reciprocal relationship remains in your dog’s genes and their loyalty is a by-product of it.
