Bond between Dogs and Humans

Good Article

Bond

Re: Bond between Dogs and Humans

Very interesting!

"The study, involving 22 dogs and their owners, rewarded the animals with food after playing with toys. Whether the owner was encouraging or silent had little effect on the animal's motivation to earn a few treats. However, when placed with a stranger, the dogs were much less motivated than when their owners were in the room. As a result, specialists concluded that the owner's presence is important if the animals are to behave in a confident manner, similar to that of a child's tendencies when their parents are nearby. "

I noticed this with my dogs early on when we were actively training them. So I would encourage friends, coworkers, children, strangers to give them commands. I thought - if they ever get lost and need to respond to a stranger in an emergency to get them out of traffic or some other dangerous situation - I want them to be able to respond no matter who it is.

But they really do listen a lot better when its me giving the commands.