News Animals

Dogs tune into people in ways even human-raised wolves don’t

A study supports the idea that domestication has wired dogs’ brains for communicating with people

seven puppies wearing jacketsCanine Companions for Independence program (some pictured here at the Duke Puppy Kindergarten) for a new study looking at dog domestication.

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Researchers enlisted 44 puppies from the Canine Companions for Independence program (some pictured here at the Duke Puppy Kindergarten) for a new study looking at dog domestication.

Jared Lazarus

By Jaime Chambers

Wiggles and wobbles and a powerful pull toward people — that’s what 8-week-old puppies are made of.

From an early age, dogs outpace wolves at engaging with and interpreting cues from humans, even if the dogs have had less exposure to people, researchers report online July 12 in Current Biology.