Studies point to yes...
And maybe I only agree because I am a girl and my dog loves me more than my boyfriend. Just kidding, the bond they have is just...different, that's all. When they go to the park, they romp around like the best buds they are but when I'm with my dog, he listens to me like a mom. He seems to know that I understand him just a little bit better.
A study conducted at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest tested how humans translate dog language, specifically growls. Researchers recorded 18 dogs growling in different contexts. 40 participants then listened to these growls to see if they could tell the difference between a dog growling while playing tug-of-war or a dog growling when being threatened by a stranger or another dog stealing its food.
While most people could tell whether the growl was a menacing one versus a playful one (63%), some had trouble determining the context of the growl. Participants also ranked "significantly higher on playfulness and happiness and lower on despair and fearfulness."
But the most interesting takeaway from the study is the fact that female dog owners tended to have a more emotional response to the dogs' growling. It seems that this has to do with how women are biologically designed to decode emotions from vocalizations.
Tamás Faragó, the lead author of the study told Broadly:
"Women are likely more empathic and sensitive to others' emotions and this helps them to better associate the contexts with the emotional content of the growls."
That's right, women are definitely more susceptible to emotion, and that includes your dog's emotions. And that makes sense- my dog always comes to me with those big hound dog eyes when he wants something or is maybe feeling sad. Sometimes he even throws in a whimper or two, because maybe he knows mom understands him just a little bit better than dad.
But, I mean, neither of us can really resist these eyes...
But according to the conclusion of the study, Boone will likely always be a mama's boy:
"It is known that women have a higher emotional sensitivity and probably this higher sensitivity can help to differentiate better the context of the growls..."
Do you think you understand your dog better than your partner? Tell us in the comments below!
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