Fascinating Aspects Of The Dog’s Brain
The dog is the best friend of the human being. Canids have been with us for more than 15,000 years historically, and conceiving a society without their presence is at this point impossible. Still, we often take for granted many of the fascinating processes that go on inside our animals’ heads. Do you really know how your dog’s brain and thoughts work?
The brain of dogs has been the subject of multiple studies, and presents marked differences from ours. One of the biggest examples is the difference in neurons between them and us.
Neurons are responsible for receiving and transmitting stimuli converted into electrical impulses: dogs have 160 million and humans around 20 billion in the cerebral cortex.
The brain of dogs is smaller than ours, it has fewer folds, and the area of the prefrontal cortex (responsible for processing thoughts) is less developed.
Data like these can lead us to believe that our canine friends do not exhibit complex cognitive developments or feeling processing. In this article we come to disprove this myth, keep reading!
Convergence: We are not so different
Convergent evolution is defined as the independent evolution of a character in two or more species. For example, a fish and a dolphin have an ergonomic shape adapted to the sea, but they have not gone through the same processes to reach it.
Something similar can happen between dogs and humans. Various studies have shown that dogs have some social and cognitive abilities similar to those of a child.
This is impressive, but even more so when we take into account that these abilities do not occur in wolves or in primates that share more genetic information with us. Neither our relatives nor their relatives have cognitively evolved in a similar way, but dogs and we have.
This could be due to a psychological convergence . Dogs could have evolved by adapting to our society and rules, as good behavior always pays off. The reality is that dogs and humans share more than we think.
Sensory differences
Dogs smell time. An incredible statement but in a way real.
Studies have proposed that the complex canine nasal apparatus may be responsible for this fascinating fact. They have a ‘stereo’ smell, which means that each nostril functions and perceives independently.
The receptor cells that transmit stimuli to the brain are much more numerous in the dog’s olfactory system than in ours. Thus, small imperceptible differences can be an indication in the change of the weather for them:
- the incidence of the sun’s rays on a material;
- the arrival of humidity at night;
- and many other smells.
The dissipation of one familiar odor may represent the past, and the intensity of another, the present.
Social learning
Dogs have many human-adapted social capabilities. For example, they are able to understand both vocal and gesture-based commands from their tutors.
An interesting study shows us the trust that dogs have towards us humans:
- A small puzzle was presented to a group of puppies, which consisted of a box with a lever, and inside it was a ball.
- The tutor of each of them pressed the lever about 10 times, showing them that when they pressed it, the ball was released from the box.
- Three-quarters of the cubs, as soon as they were given the opportunity, went directly to the lever, and more than half released the ball just as their tutor had taught them.
This, in addition to confidence, is a show of episodic memory. Dogs are capable of remembering and trying to imitate complex actions performed by humans.
Canine memory goes further, as it has been shown in some dogs that they can learn more than 300 words and relate them directly to their images.
The dog’s brain is amazing
As we have seen, the fact of assuming a basic brain capacity in dogs due to their morphology is a mistake.
We have presented several examples, but there are many more. From convergent social evolution to that of humans, through hypersensitive structures such as their nose, to social learning and memory.
The brains of dogs are impressive. Therefore, we know that they not only feel, but reason, and remember. Therefore, taking into account the needs of our pet at all times is an obligation as guardians.
