News release

From: Society for Neuroscience

Evolution and training have influenced dogs’ capacity for communication

Both breeding and training dogs have altered how dogs process words and cues from people to communicate.
How have selectively breeding dogs across decades and individual training shaped the way that dogs communicate? Researchers at Harvard University, led by Mélina Cordeau, sought to answer this question by examining the brain structure of 108 dogs using a noninvasive 3D imaging technique.

The research team discovered that selectively breeding dogs for close integration into human work and family life have altered communication-related brain pathways compared to more ancestral lineages. This was especially true of brain pathways pertaining to vocal and word processing. Comparing trained service dogs to dogs of similar breeding background revealed that training changes the strength of brain pathways related to interpreting cues and executing responses. Trained dogs also had stronger connections between brain areas associated with responsiveness to communication from others. Trainability could also be predicted by connections between different brain areas.

According to the researchers, this work suggests that genetic selection through breeding and experience across smaller, more individual timescales have shaped dogs’ capacity for communication. Says Cordeau, "More broadly, I think this type of research can help us better understand not only dogs, but also the human–dog relationship. By identifying how dogs process human communication, and how breeding and training shape these abilities, we may eventually be able to improve the way we interact with dogs, refine training approaches, and make assistance-dog training more effective and better adapted to each individual dog."