Category Archives: research

How selective breeding shaped dog ears

Posted on January 23, 2026 | Leave a comment

Breed standards continue to reinforce certain ear shapes, narrowing what dogs inherit and carrying those choices across generations. Researchers have now traced floppy ear length to specific inherited changes, revealing how human preference leaves lasting marks on canine biology and health.

Tracing inherited ear length

A recent genetic analysis across many dog breeds connected differences in drop-ear length to a small, shared stretch of DNA. At the University of Georgia (UGA), researchers refined that signal by comparing breeds with similar ear posture but different ear lengths.The work was led by Dr. Leigh Anne Clark, who studies canine genetics and inherited disease risk in many breeds. The findings give breeders and researchers a clearer target to watch as they compare traits across breeds.

Dogs, wolves, and coyotes

The researchers compared genomes from more than 3,000 dogs, wolves, and coyotes. They focused on dogs with floppy ears so that ear carriage – how ears sit on the head – stayed constant while ear length varied.“We only used drop-eared dogs in our study,” said Clark. This approach allowed the team to pinpoint DNA differences that affected ear length, even when all dogs shared the same ear type.

When DNA variants recombine

Differences in ear shape traced back to a small number of inherited DNA variants shared across breeds. Recombination brought together two DNA variants linked to ear posture on a single inherited block, and only that combination produced drop ears.“What
we learned is that there’s a combination of alleles, or different DNA sequences, at this locus that dictates whether a dog has prick ears like a husky versus drop ears like a cocker spaniel,” said Clark. That extra allele sat on the recombinant block, and it pushed ear tissue to keep growing longer.

How nearby DNA shapes ears

The strongest genetic signal appeared near a gene already linked to growth and maintenance of connective tissue in developing ears. The associated DNA did not change the gene directly, but sat nearby, where it could subtly affect how much the gene is used during development.Similar changes have been linked to larger ears in other animals, suggesting this region can influence how ear tissue expands over time.Because the signal lies outside the gene itself, the result points to regulation rather than structure as the likely driver.

Ear length and body size

The same stretch of DNA also sits close to a gene previously tied to overall body size in dogs. When traits sit near each other in the genome, selection for one feature can unintentionally carry another along with it. That overlap makes it harder to tell whether ear length reflects its own genetic cause or a side effect of selection for size. Sorting that out matters, especially when researchers try to separate harmless traits from ones linked to disease risk.

Breeds and hidden tradeoffs

Human breeding pushed certain ear shapes into breed standards, which raised the odds that specific DNA combinations became common. The three-allele package appeared most often in breeds selected for very long drop ears, where ear length defines the look. Breeds that kept the older, ancestral package usually carried smaller, upright ears, even when the head shape changed. Because breeders fix traits within a breed, those genetic packages can spread fast, leaving little diversity for future change.

How ears manage heat

Long ears do more than change appearance, as they help animals manage heat by exposing more skin. Classic rabbit research showed blood vessels in ears tighten in cool air and widen in warmth. When vessels widen, warm blood reaches the ear surface and sheds heat, while tightening keeps warmth inside the body. That biology helps explain why some animals evolve smaller ears in colder places, even before humans start selecting traits.

Breed genetics and health signals

Beyond looks, ear genetics matters to veterinarians because breed-linked DNA patterns can hide or mimic disease risks. In Clark’s UGA projects, strong selection can distort breed genetics, so the ear results add useful context. “It’s important for us to understand what genes and genomic regions are being selected for in breeds, especially when we’re thinking about genetic disorders,” said Clark. Genetic tests could help avoid risky variants, but they work best when breeders balance health goals against narrow appearance rules.

A clearer view of dogs

The study relied on broad genetic comparisons across many dogs to narrow the search to promising regions. That approach highlights patterns of inheritance, but it cannot by itself prove which DNA change directly causes longer ears. Confirming the mechanism will require experiments that test how these nearby genetic changes affect ear development. Until then, the results serve as strong signals rather than final answers, shaped by both genetics and breeding history. Taken together, the results show how a small set of variants can shape ear posture and length across many dog breeds. Future genome-wide studies and lab work will test whether nearby DNA regions also influence hearing or other ear-related traits.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Source: Earth.com

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Some dogs can learn new words by eavesdropping on their owners

Posted on January 10, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Honey, will you take Luna to the P-A-R-K?” both parents and dog owners know that some words should not be spoken, but only spelled, to prevent small ears from eavesdropping on the conversation. At the age of 1.5 years toddlers can already learn new words by overhearing other people. Now, a groundbreaking study published in Science reveals that a special group of dogs are also able to learn names for objects by overhearing their owners’ interactions.

Bryn, an 11-year-old male Border Collie from the UK, that knows the names of about 100 toys. Photo credit: Helen Morgan

Similarly to 1.5 -year-old toddlers, that are equally good in learning from overheard speech and from direct interactions, these gifted dogs also excel in learning from both situations.

What makes this discovery remarkable

Although dogs excel at learning actions like “sit” or “down”, only a very small group of dogs have shown the ability to learn object names. These Gifted Word Learner (GWL) dogs can quickly learn hundreds of toy names through natural play sessions with their owners. Toddlers can easily learn new words through a variety of different processes. One of these processes is learning from overheard speech, where child learns new words by passively listening to interactions between adults. To do this, children must monitor the speakers’ gaze and attention, detect communicative cues, and extract the target words from a continuous stream of speech. Until now, it was unknown whether GWL dogs could also learn new object labels when not directly addressed.

“Our findings show that the socio-cognitive processes enabling word learning from overheard speech are not uniquely human,” says lead scientist Dr. Shany Dror, from ELTE and VetMedUni universities. “Under the right conditions, some dogs present behaviors strikingly similar to those of young children.”

How the researchers found that Gifted dogs learn toy names by eavesdropping

In the first experiment, the research team tested 10 Gifted dogs in two situations:
1. Addressed condition: Owners introduced two new toys and repeatedly labeled them while interacting directly with the dog.
2. Overheard condition: The dogs passively watched as their owners talked to another person about the toys, without addressing the dog at all.

VIDEO ABSTRACT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFwYQ2pPSs 

Overall, in each condition, the dogs heard the name of each new toy for a total of only eight minutes, distributed across several brief exposure sessions. To test whether the dogs had learned the new labels, the toys were placed in a different room, and the owners asked the dogs to retrieve each toy by name (e.g., “Can you bring Teddy?”)

The result: In both conditions, seven out of ten dogs learned the new labels

The dog’s performance was very accurate already at the first trials of the test, with 80% correct choices in the addressed condition and 100% in the overhearing condition. Overall, the Gifted dogs performed just as well when learning from overheard speech, as when they were directly taught, mirroring findings from infant studies.

But that’s not all: Gifted dogs overcome one of the key challenges in learning labels

In a second experiment, the researchers introduced a new challenge: owners first showed the dogs the toys and then placed them inside a bucket, naming the toys only when they were out of the dogs’ sight. This created a temporal separation between seeing the object and hearing its name. Despite this discontinuity, most of the Gifted dogs successfully learned the new labels.

“These findings suggest that GWL dogs can flexibly use a variety of different mechanisms to learn new object labels” says senior scientist Dr. Claudia Fugazza, from ELTE University in Budapest.

What we can learn from this study

The study suggests that the ability to learn from overheard speech may rely on general socio- cognitive mechanisms shared across species, rather than being uniquely tied to human language.

However, Gifted Word Learners are extremely rare, and their remarkable abilities likely reflect a combination of individual predispositions and unique life experiences.

“These dogs provide an exceptional model for exploring some of the cognitive abilities that enabled humans to develop language” says Dr. Shany Dror “But we do not suggest that all dogs learn in this way – far from it.”

Is your dog a Gifted Word Learner dog?

This research is part of the Genius Dog Challenge research project which aims to understand the unique talent that Gifted Word Learner dogs have. The researchers encourage dog owners who believe their dogs know multiple toy names, to contact them by email (geniusdogchallenge.official@gmail.com), Facebook or Instagram. 

Source: EurekAlert!

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Dog ownership enhances sense of community

Posted on December 27, 2025 | 1 comment

A new Japanese study of 377 adults suggests that owning a dog quietly strengthens how connected people feel to their neighborhood. 

Residents in a suburb west of Tokyo who lived with dogs reported a richer sense of belonging than neighbors without pets. 

The work was led by social psychologist Itaru Ishiguro, Ph.D., at Rikkyo University near Tokyo. His research focuses on everyday social ties and human-animal interaction, and he collaborated with colleagues at Azabu University in Sagamihara.

In the new study, the team compared dog owners and non-owners on three distinct kinds of neighborly contact. 

They looked at brief chats with strangers, close neighborhood friendships, and anchored personal relationships, recurring ties rooted in specific shared places and activities. 

The main question was whether people with dogs built more of these local ties and, through them, a stronger sense of community. 

People, dogs, and neighborhoods

In practice, anchored personal relationships might be the familiar faces you greet in the park or at the corner shop every afternoon.

These ties feel friendly and predictable, yet people usually do not swap phone numbers or invite one another into their homes.

The study argues that this middle layer of connection sits between quick incidental encounters and deep friendships in terms of intimacy and continuity. 

Because these acquaintances almost always live nearby and share the same streets, the authors expected them to matter most for neighborhood belonging. 

Dogs vs other neighborhood pets

When the team separated dog owners from people who kept cats or other animals, dog ownership alone showed a link with neighborhood relationships. 

One likely reason is simply that dogs need daily walks in shared spaces, while many other pets stay almost entirely indoors.

In the survey data, ownership of cats and other pets did not relate to any relationship type or to sense of community. 

That pattern suggests it is the shared walking routine, not pet ownership in general, that connects dog owners strongly to neighborhood social life. 

What the survey captured

Researchers recruited several hundred adults living in Sagamihara City and nearby areas through posters, flyers, community events, and local government channels. 

Participants completed an online or paper questionnaire about pet ownership, social contact around their homes, and how attached they felt to their area. 

The sense of community questions drew on a standard place attachment scale that measures how strongly people feel rooted in specific locations.

To untangle links between variables, the analysts used generalized structural equation modeling, a statistical technique that handles chains of cause and association. 

How ties strengthen

Dog owners were more likely than non-owners to report having people they regularly recognized in spots and frequent incidental conversations with passersby. 

However, once factors like age, income, education, gender, and housing were taken into account, owning a dog did not predict having neighborhood friends. 

All relationship types related to a stronger sense of community, yet only anchored personal relationships linked dog ownership directly to feeling locally rooted. 

“Anchored personal relationships should be considered alongside incidental interactions and friendships,” wrote Ishiguro. 

Earlier work in Australian cities found that pet owners scored higher than non-owners on neighborhood social capital, trust, and civic engagement.

Those studies also noted that dogs, more than other pets, seemed especially effective at sparking conversations during walks and visits to public spaces.

The Japanese survey adds nuance by showing that chats and friendships are part of the picture, with anchored personal relationships carrying weight. 

Taken together, this growing body of work hints that the social benefits of living with animals extend well beyond companionship inside the home.

Who picks dogs

Because the survey was cross-sectional rather than experimental, the authors cannot rule out the possibility that outgoing people choose to own dogs. 

Personality traits such as extraversion, a tendency to seek stimulation, can predict both the size of someone’s network and their interest in pets.

Japan has relatively low relational mobility, a cultural pattern where new relationships are relatively hard to start. 

In that context, it is not surprising that dog ownership did not translate into more close neighborhood friends, even when casual contact increased. 

What this means for wellbeing

Many studies have explored whether living with pets improves health, with varied results but hints that dogs may support physical and mental wellbeing.

A Swedish cohort that followed more than three million adults found lower overall mortality among dog owners than among people without dogs. 

This community-focused work does not claim that dogs extend life, yet it suggests one social pathway through which health effects might emerge.

Feeling more rooted in a neighborhood might support mental health, reduce loneliness, and make it easier to seek help during stressful times.

Dogs strengthen neighborhood life

For people who already live with dogs, the findings highlight the quiet value of regular routes, familiar faces, and friendly short conversations. 

Stopping briefly to chat while following local rules about leashes and cleanup may be enough to build anchored personal relationships over time. 

Neighbors who do not own dogs can benefit by greeting walkers, since the study suggests those small interactions contribute meaningfully to community feeling. 

Put simply, the research suggests that every small, repeated meeting around a dog walk can add up to a welcoming neighborhood for everyone. 

The study, Dog ownership enhances anchored personal relationships and sense of community: A comparison with incidental interactions and friendships is published in PLOS One.

Source: Earth.com

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Paleogenomics: humans and dogs spread across Eurasia together

Posted on December 5, 2025 | Leave a comment

Dogs have been part of human societies across Eurasia for at least 20,000 years, accompanying us through many social and cultural upheavals. A new study by an international team, published in the journal Science, and led by Laurent Frantz, paleogeneticist at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) shows that the spread of new cultures across Eurasia, with different lifeways, was often associated with the spread of specific dog populations.

A comparison of ancient dog and human genomes reveals a striking concordance between genetic shifts in both species across time. | © IMAGO/NurPhoto/xSubaasxShresthax

Scientists from LMU, QMUL, the Kunming Institute of Zoology and Lanzhou University in China, and the University of Oxford, sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 17 ancient dogs from Siberia, East Asia, and the Central Asian Steppe – including, for the first time, specimens from China. Important cultural changes occurred in these regions over the past 10,000 years, driven by the dispersal of hunter-gatherers, farmers, and pastoralists. The specimens came from archaeological sites between 9,700 and 870 years old. In addition, the researchers included publicly available genomes from 57 ancient and 160 modern dogs in their analyses.

Dogs followed metalworkers across the Eurasian Steppe over 4,000 years ago

A comparison of ancient dog and human genomes reveals a striking concordance between genetic shifts in both species across time and space, most notably during periods of population turnover. This link is especially evident during China’s transformative Early Bronze Age (~4,000 years ago), which saw the introduction of metalworking. The research shows that the expansion of people from the Eurasian Steppe, who first introduced this transformative technology to Western China, also brought their dogs with them.

This pattern of human-dog co-movement extends back far beyond the Bronze Age. The research traces signals of co-disperal back at least 11,000 years, when hunter-gatherers in northern Eurasia were exchanging dogs closely related to today’s Siberian Huskies.

“Traces of these major cultural shifts can be teased out of the genomes of ancient dogs,” says Dr. Lachie Scarsbrook (LMU/Oxford), one of the lead authors of the study. “Our results highlight the deeply rooted cultural importance of dogs. Instead of just adopting local populations, people have maintained a distinct sense of ownership towards their own dogs for at least the past 11,000 years.”

“This tight link between human and dog genetics shows that dogs were an integral part of society, whether you were a hunter-gatherer in the Arctic Circle 10,000 years ago or a metalworker in an early Chinese city,” says Prof. Laurent Frantz. “It’s an amazing, enduring partnership and shows the sheer flexibility of the role dogs can play in our societies, far more than with any other domestic species.”

Source: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

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Training service dogs can slow biological aging in female veterans

Posted on October 27, 2025 | Leave a comment

A new study reveals that training service dogs can slow biological aging in female veterans. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University, in partnership with other institutions, focused on women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—a group often overlooked in military research. Instead of receiving a service dog, these participants volunteered to train dogs for fellow veterans, offering support to others as well as themselves.

For female veterans with PTSD, volunteering to train a service dog can slow cellular aging and ease stress and anxiety Depositphotos

To measure biological stress, the team looked at telomere length (a marker of cellular aging) using saliva samples, and heart rate variability (HRV), a sign of nervous system balance. Over eight weeks, female veterans were randomly assigned to either an active service dog training group or a comparison group that watched dog training videos. Both groups participated in weekly one-hour sessions, and researchers measured outcomes before, during, and after the intervention.

Saliva samples were used to determine telomere length, while heart rate variability provided additional insight into physiological stress. Results showed that those who trained service dogs had an increase in telomere length, indicating slower cellular aging, while the control group experienced telomere shortening and accelerated aging. The benefits of telomere preservation were most significant among women with a history of combat exposure; this subgroup saw the largest gains in telomere length, whereas combat-exposed control participants had the most pronounced declines.

Heart rate variability findings further backed the biological stress benefits, with those in active training demonstrating improved nervous system regulation. Psychological measures were also gathered using standardized questionnaires to assess PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress. Both groups reported reductions in these symptoms throughout the study, suggesting that structured activity alone provides some mental health support. However, improvements in psychological outcomes did not differ significantly by intervention or combat experience. 

The study, published in Behavioral Sciences,  suggests that the skills learned during service dog training—such as positive reinforcement and reading animal behavior—may have strengthened participants’ bonds with their own pets at home, offering additional emotional support. Unlike general volunteering, service dog training uniquely blends emotional healing with building a close relationship between veterans and their animals, providing therapeutic benefits that go beyond typical community engagement.

Source: Biocompare.com

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Fresh dog food supports healthier aging in seniors

Posted on October 22, 2025 | 2 comments
This first-of-its-kind study found that feeding dogs food from The Farmer’s Dog can impact metabolic health and support healthier aging in dogs. ChristianaT | Pixabay.com

A year-long metabolomic study led by Dr. Heather Huson, associate professor of animal sciences at Cornell University, found that feeding dogs fresh, human-grade food can impact metabolic health and support healthier aging. The research, conducted with board-certified veterinary nutritionists employed by The Farmer’s Dog, analyzed the effects of fresh, minimally processed recipes versus kibble in 22 senior Alaskan sled dogs.

Results showed dogs fed The Farmer’s Dog fresh food experienced a rapid and sustained metabolic shift after just one month, marked by lower levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) – harmful compounds linked to aging and chronic disease. These dogs also showed reduced sucrose and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (a glycemic control biomarker), and notably lower concentrations of specific AGEs such as N6-carboxymethyllysine and pyrraline.

“For years, people have been telling us their dogs are thriving on fresh diets like The Farmer’s Dog, and this study finally shows what’s happening beneath the surface — a significant metabolic transformation,” said Jonathan Regev, co-founder and CEO of The Farmer’s Dog. “The gap between highly processed pet foods and minimally processed real food may be even wider than we imagined, and could redefine what’s possible for canine health and longevity.”

Additional findings include higher levels of ergothioneine, a potent antioxidant compound, as well as elevated levels of carnosine and anserine (histidine-related metabolites with antioxidant properties). These shifts suggest increased antioxidant capacity and reduced oxidative stress.

Dogs demonstrated elevated branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism, with increased levels of leucine, isoleucine, and valine and their derivatives. They also showed higher levels of glycerol and glycerol-3-phosphate (markers of lipolysis), alongside increased long-chain omega-3 fatty acids — including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoate (EPA), docosapentaenoate (DPA), and docosahexaenoate (DHA). Serum 3-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), a ketone body, rose reflecting enhanced fat utilization and healthy ketosis.

Malonate, a marker of fatty acid synthesis, was decreased in the fresh food group, suggesting a more efficient metabolic profile compared to the kibble-fed group.

“The magnitude and consistency of the metabolic impacts we observed were quick, sustained and striking,” said Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, DVM, PhD, DACVSMR, DACVIM (Nutrition), one of the board-certified veterinary nutritionists who was involved in the study. 

“Fresh, minimally processed food shifted the dogs’ metabolism toward a beneficial alternative metabolic profile in the aging dog with markers for improved muscle and neurological health along with implications for improved antioxidant defense, and diminished AGE formation,” added Dr. Wakshlag. “These results are an exciting milestone for understanding canine metabolic health and nutrition.”

The study was conducted under ethical approval from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and published in Metabolites.

Source: Petfoodindustry.com

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Dogs Can Classify Objects by Function, Not Just Appearance

Posted on September 23, 2025 | 1 comment

A new study demonstrates that some highly gifted dogs can categorize objects not just by appearance, but by how they are used. When taught words like “pull” or “fetch,” these dogs later applied the concepts to brand-new toys through natural play, without training or explicit labeling.

This shows that dogs can form mental representations of objects based on their function rather than physical features. The findings highlight the depth of canine cognition and suggest links to the evolution of human language and memory.

Key Facts

  • Functional Categorization: Dogs grouped toys by use (tugging vs. fetching) instead of looks.
  • No Training Needed: Skills emerged from natural play with owners, not formal instruction.
  • Language Insight: Results hint at shared cognitive roots between dogs and humans in learning words.

As infants, humans naturally learn new words and their associations—like the fact that forks are related to bowls because both are used to consume food.

In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on September 18, a team of animal behavior experts demonstrate that dogs can categorize objects by function, too.

In a series of playful interactions with their owners, a group of Gifted Word Learner (GWL) dogs were able to distinguish between toys used for tugging versus fetching, even when the toys in question didn’t share any obvious physical similarities—and then could remember those categorizations for long periods of time, all with no prior training. 

“We discovered that these Gifted Word Learner dogs can extend labels to items that have the same function or that are used in the same way,” says author Claudia Fugazza of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.

It’s like a person calling both a traditional hammer and a rock by the same name, says Fugazza. 

“The rock and the hammer look physically different, but they can be used for the same function,” she says. “So now it turns out that these dogs can do the same.” 

The studies took place in the dogs’ natural home environments with their human owners. At the beginning, the dogs spent time getting familiar with verbal labels for two functional groups of objects: pull and fetch. Their owners used these words with specific toys and played with them accordingly even though the toys didn’t share any similar physical features. 

Next, the dogs were tested to see if they had learned to connect the functional labels to the correct group of toys before playing with more novel toys in the two distinct categories. However, this time, their owners didn’t use the “pull” and “fetch” labels for the dogs.  

The team found that the dogs were able to extend the functional labels they’d learned previously to the new toys based on their experience playing with them. In the final test, the dogs showed that they could successfully apply the verbal labels to the toys by either pulling or fetching accordingly, even when their owners hadn’t named them. 

“For these new toys, they’ve never heard the name, but they have played either pull or fetch, and so the dog has to choose which toy was used to play which game,” Fugazza says. “This was done in a natural setup, with no extensive training. It’s just owners playing for a week with the toys. So, it’s a natural type of interaction.” 

The authors note that the dogs’ ability to connect verbal labels to objects based on their functional classifications and apart from the toys’ physical attributes suggests that they form a mental representation of the objects based on their experience with their functions, which they can later recall.

These findings provide insight into the evolution of basic skills related to language and their relationship to other cognitive abilities, including memory, the researchers say. 

More research is needed to understand the scope and flexibility of dogs’ language categorization abilities. The researchers suggest future studies to explore whether dogs that don’t learn object labels may nevertheless have an ability to classify objects based on their functions. 

“We have shown that dogs learn object labels really fast, and they remember them for a long period, even without rehearsing,” Fugazza says. “And I think the way they extend labels also beyond perceptual similarities gives an idea of the breadth of what these labels could be for dogs.” 

Journal citation: “Dogs extend verbal labels for functional classification of objects” by Claudia Fugazza et al. Current Biology

Source: Neuroscience News

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Owning a Dog Boosts Brain Power in Older Adults

Posted on August 10, 2025 | Leave a comment

A new study has found that having a pet dog or cat can slow down cognitive decline.

Stock image of a puppy looking at its owner. Credit : Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • A new study has found that having a cat or a dog may have a “protective factor” over cognitive abilities as you age, helping to “slow down” mental decline
  • The study looked at 18 years of data in adults over 50 and found a “slower decline in multiple cognitive domains” for dog and cat owners
  • Having a fish or a bird didn’t have an impact on cognitive abilities, the study found

The type of pet you have can impact how your brain ages — and dogs and cats have a “protective factor” that can “slow down cognitive decline.”

Dog and cat owners saw improved brain health — more than those who had birds or fish, or no pets — according to a new study, published in Scientific Reports, that used 18 years of data on cognitive decline in adults over 50. 

“Both cat and dog owners experienced slower decline in multiple cognitive domains — dog owners in immediate and delayed recall, cat owners in verbal fluency and delayed recall,” the study found. “Fish and bird ownership had no significant association with cognitive decline.”

“Several explanations may help explain the absence of this association in fish and bird owners, despite the reports of their ownership’ positive influence on wellbeing in ways that are usually associated with cognitive benefits,” study author Adriana Rostekova, from the University of Geneva’s lifespan developmental psychology research group said, per The Guardian.

The study theorized that the shorter lifespan of a bird or fish impacts “the level of emotional connection,” due to “frequently having to deal with the pet’s death.” The study also pointed out that birds can be incredibly loud: “Bird ownership may negatively affect the owner’s sleep quality due to the increased noise levels, which has been shown to be associated with cognitive decline.”

But the very nature of owning a cat or a dog may help the brain stay healthy, Rostekova explained: “There is also a possibility of increased social stimulation facilitated by cats and dogs, which may be linked to the slower cognitive decline experienced by their owners: an increased frequency of social interactions when accompanied by a dog – or for cats, a substitute for a social network.”

The study says that, since “dog and cat ownership might act as a protective factor aiding to slow down cognitive decline, thus contributing to healthy cognitive [aging],” these findings could help inform policies on healthy aging, specifically to make veterinary care or pet insurance “more accessible to older adults” — as well as advocate for “animal-friendly senior housing options, such as assisted living facilities or nursing homes.”

Source: People

Journal reference: Longitudinal relationships between pet ownership and cognitive functioning in later adulthood across pet types and individuals’ ages

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Study Reveals How Having a Dog May Lower Baby’s Eczema Risk

Posted on July 13, 2025 | Leave a comment

New research explores how having a dog around during baby’s first year may help reduce skin inflammation on a molecular level.

Image: JNSB | Shutterstock

Atopic eczema is a chronic, usually hereditary, inflammatory skin condition that affects almost 20 percent of babies. Though common and treatable, eczema is often itchy and irritating, with American parents spending thousands of dollars on creams, ointments and other treatments for baby every year. But what if you could lower baby’s risk of developing eczema just by bringing a furry friend into your home?

A new study from the University of Edinburgh explored how various environmental factors—from breastfeeding and smoking to pet ownership and hygiene habits—might influence a baby’s risk of developing eczema. Researchers tested for interactions between the 24 most significant eczema-associated genetic variants and 18 early-life environmental factors during pregnancy and the child’s first year.

Looking at the DNA of over 250,000 people, researchers found that a specific genetic variant linked to a higher risk of eczema was significantly impacted by dog ownership. In babies with this gene, exposure to a dog during their first year of life appeared to nearly eliminate their risk of developing eczema.

To figure out how this worked, researchers dug deeper and found that the gene in question is linked to a protein called IL-7R, which plays a role in immune function and skin inflammation. In lab tests, when skin cells with this variant were exposed to molecules from dogs—like tiny particles from their fur or skin—those signals, which might normally trigger allergies, actually helped calm inflammation.

“The most difficult questions I’m asked by parents in clinic are about why their child has eczema, and how they can help. We know that genetic make-up affects a child’s risk of developing eczema and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level,” Sara Brown, a professor at the University of Edinburgh Institute of Genetics and Cancer and one of the study’s authors said in a press release. “More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations.”

The study also noted a similar protective effect in young children with older siblings, though more research is needed to confirm that link. Scientists believe that early exposure to a wide variety of bacteria—whether through pets or siblings—may be part of what’s helping to train the immune system in a protective way.

Researchers believe that by looking at things on a molecular level, they may be able to help pinpoint exactly what exposures might be helpful to baby. “This study sheds light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others don’t,” added the study’s lead author, Marie Standl, PhD. “Not every preventive measure works for everyone – and that’s precisely why gene–environment studies are crucial. They help us move toward more personalized, effective prevention strategies.”

This isn’t the first time dog ownership has been praised for its benefits to baby’s health. Other studies have linked having a dog to a lower risk of obesity, fewer allergies and even stronger immune function. See five science-backed ways dogs can benefit baby and tips to help your pet bond with baby.

Source: Thebump.com

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Research reveals sharing pet pics is among the best ways to connect with others

Posted on July 8, 2025 | Leave a comment

A re-post by Jessica Stillman from Inc…

I exercise each week with the help of a nifty fitness app (Ladder—it’s great) that offers workout plans from a personal trainer and encouragement from other users. The instructors are knowledgeable and the community encouraging. But neither is my favorite thing about the app. 

My favorite thing is when other users share pictures of their pets. 

Photo: Getty Images

Now, seeing a border collie doing downward dog right along with their owner is, of course, super-adorable. And I am not going to lie. I am a pet lover through and through. Animal pictures make me irrationally happy. 

But my giddiness at seeing someone’s golden retriever running buddy isn’t just about the universal appeal of cute animals or my over-the-top animal obsession. According to recent research, it reveals a useful truth that can help you build relationships not just at the gym, but at work too. 

If you want to connect with people more deeply, the Wharton School at the University of Pennyslyvania study indicates, sharing a picture of your pet is an ideal way to do it. 

Sharing personal information at work is a minefield

The study was born out of a common modern conundrum. Should you connect with colleagues on social media, and if so, what should you share? 

Like the rest of us, the research team realized that social media offered both promise and peril for workers. It can help you feel closer to teammates, which just might make you happier and more successful.  

“One of the things that we found in the study is that people will be much more comfortable connecting to other people who disclose personal information,” Wharton’s Nancy Rothbard, who was involved in the research, explained in one podcast interview. 

But then again, seeing your boss downing a beer with his bros or joking about her colonoscopy (or your boss seeing you doing the same) blurs boundaries that make a lot of us uncomfortable. 

As another Wharton professor, Adam Grant, once observed: “Authenticity without empathy is selfish. Of course we should be true to our values, but one of those values should probably be caring about others.” Your sharing shouldn’t cause others discomfort. 

How are office workers navigating this charged landscape? To find out, the researchers conducted a series of in-depth interviews and also reviewed data on actual social media use. 

Different people, different dangers 

To no one’s surprise, the interviews confirmed that the question of social media use and how much personal information to disclose at work is fraught.

As Rothbard memorially puts it, interviewees “would equate connecting with a boss on Facebook or Instagram as equivalent to connecting with their mother. It was sort of the same horror.”

The team also found that the calculation of what kind of personal information to share was different for different types of people. Women who disclosed more personal information were generally assessed more positively, for instance. This is likely because of stereotypes that suggest women should be warm and friendly. Male bosses who shared a lot, on the other hand, were quickly seen as creepy. 

To reap the benefits and avoid the potential pitfalls of social media at the office, workers employed various strategies, from being an open book to carefully curating their audience or content. (You can read more about these strategies here if you’re interested). 

But whatever strategy they employed, nearly everyone was attempting to hit the same target. They wanted to come across as warm and human so they could connect on a deeper human level. But they didn’t want to embarrass themselves or anyone else by oversharing or prying. 

A pet strategy for connection that works for everyone 

Handily, Rothbard and her colleagues uncovered a secret weapon that anyone can use to hit that elusive sweet spot — your dog. 

“Cute dog pics are a very, very hot commodity,” Rothbard correctly observes.

“If you have a cute dog and you want to post pictures of them, that’s a very good strategy, because people always love them, and they feel like they know you, and they feel connected to you. It gives them a sense of warmth that you’re displaying and a feeling that they know something about you that’s important, and that’s not fake or surface level. So, that personal disclosure really helps to create a bond between you and your fellow co-workers,” she goes on to explain. 

This tallies with a large body of social science research that shows people tend to evaluate others on two basic qualities, warmth and competence. When we meet someone our first instinct is to ask: are they nice? Do they wish me harm? And, are they any good at their job? Can they do the things they say they can do? 

Sharing pics of your weekend keg stand might get you tagged as warm, but it’s not going to do anything for perceptions of your competence. On the other hand, nailing every assignment but never saying a peep about your personal life is great for competence but lousy for warmth. Research suggests those that go furthest project both qualities. 

You know what also allows you to project warmth without undermining your air of professional competence? Your dog doing yoga with you. 

The bottom line here for everyone is a research-backed permission slip to let loose and pepper your team’s Slack channel with your cat’s wacky antics or dog’s doofy smile. You always knew your pets were super cute. Now you have data to prove they are also a secret weapon for connecting with others. 

But there’s also another takeaway here for entrepreneurs and other business leaders, illustrated by my love of my fitness app’s pet picture days. If you want your team or your users to bond without crossing boundaries that make anyone uncomfortable, pets are a go-to move. 

Create that dedicated chat for sharing animal pics. Show off your pooch at the beginning of the Zoom call. Organize a cutest pet pic contest among your team or your customers.

Getting people to talk about their animals is a science-backed way to help them truly connect without oversharing or awkwardness. 

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

Source: Inc.com

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