The emotional benefits of the relationship between humans and dogs, has led the latter to hold the title of the greatest known evolutionary success, among all the domestic species that surround us.
Dogs, with their powerful abilities to understand us, have conquered all corners of the planet where people live, even sneaking into our beds and sofas.
A canid that domesticated itself
It is well known that the dog and the wolf have evolved from a common ancestor. The dog, Canis lupus familiaris , is so similar to the wolf at the molecular level that it is considered a subspecies of the wolf.
Comparatively, the wolf , considered a vermin for decades, was massacred by man to the brink of extinction . In contrast, the dog , expands throughout the globe, becoming considered another member of the family . How did you get it?
Sifting: the step prior to domestication
Sifting is when a wild species begins to feel safe in the presence of humans. Thus shortening its flight distance.
This is visible in the cities, with the pigeons and more recently with the sparrows, which if you are not careful they eat you directly from your plate, on the summer terraces of some bar.
The fact that people feed pigeons, sparrows, swans or any other animal voluntarily and almost as a hobby, is simply because they make us feel good.
Raymond and Lorna Coppinger, in their book, “Dogs”, describe how humans who began to have contact with the most ancient dogs, would do so for the well-being that seeing how dogs feed on their remains and waste would produce them , without supposing direct competition. This is how the dogs were screened.
Social coevolution between humans and dogs
Both dogs and humans live in groups and therefore share brain structures present in social mammals: the oxytocin system .
The oxytocin system, a common structure in the brain of dogs and humans
Oxytocin is known as the hormone responsible for love and affection . It also acts as a neurotransmitter in our brain, giving us a feeling of well-being . With this, there is no doubt that oxytocin is a “shot of pleasure” that makes us feel good.
Oxytocin as a hormone of affection
Oxytocin in social mammals appeared with an adaptive purpose by providing security to offspring and improving their survival. This is so, because the production of oxytocin triggers social cohesion between individuals and the search for protection against a possible threat.
Oxytocin as a well-being neurotransmitter
The production of oxytocin reduces the level of pain, produces calm and well-being. In addition, it has been shown to reduce stress and regulate anxiety.
Dogs and humans producing oxytocin
Today it is known that not only humans secrete oxytocin when we fall in love, or when we have a child… Dogs and their guardians secrete oxytocin when they exchange caresses and physical contact, but also when they simply look at each other.
Dogs that help people with affective disorders
The system is developed with the first human reference we have. When a child is a victim of abuse, the development of the oxytocin system is inhibited, which can lead to difficulties in establishing personal emotional ties in the future.
This inhibition does not affect us with dogs
This is why dogs can help us so much when it comes to:
- develop emotions
- develop social skills
- Improve our mental health
But, how do we carry our relationship with dogs?
Studies and years of experience have taught me that the relationship between different people and their dogs is different. Not only our personality influences, but also our circumstances.
The 3 main relational patterns that we can find between people and their dogs are:
- Amensalism : when the dog is harmed from the relationship with the human. These are the cases of physical and emotional abuse, but also when we anthropomorphize excessively, reaching objectification, dressing them without need, painting their hair or nails, treating them as if they were a doll.
- Parasitism – when the dog becomes a burden to the person. This burden can be financial, emotional, or of any other type.
- Mutualism : Without a doubt, this is the perfect relationship. It occurs when there is mutual benefit. Here we could place the working dogs, but also the companion dogs that receive care, food, walks and health, while the guardian receives physical health, improving their heart rate, and mental health, regulating their stress levels and gaining well-being.
References:
Coppinger, R., & Coppinger, L. 2001. Dogs: A startling new understanding of canine origin, behavior & evolution. Simon and Schuster.
