We can't blame our dogs for loving food so much. After all, we would have a difficult time saying no to cake or pizza when put in a difficult position. However, there are studies to prove that there is, in fact, something dogs love the most:
A team of researchers at Emory University used fMRI scanners to look at the brains of 15 dogs as their owners either praised them or offered them a food treat.1
The dogs were first trained to associate three different objects with three different outcomes. A pink toy truck meant a food reward; a blue toy knight meant verbal praise from the dog’s owner and a hairbrush meant no reward.
Predictably, all 15 dogs reacted more strongly to the truck and the toy knight than the hairbrush.
Bottom line: For most of the dogs (13 of the 15), the areas of the brain responsible for reward and decision-making showed the same or more activity when they were praised than when they received a treat.
Most Dogs Seek Human Interaction for Its Own Sake
The dogs were put in a simple maze constructed with baby gates. There was a bowl of food at the end of one path in the maze, and their humans sat with their backs to them at the end of a second path. Most of the dogs took the path that led to their owners, and received praise.
The dogs who headed for the food bowl were the same ones who showed a preference for treats over praise during the fMRI scan.
Only two of the dogs were real chowhounds, showing a strong preference for the food.”2
“Dogs are individuals and their neurological profiles fit the behavioral choices they make,” says Berns. “Most of the dogs alternated between food and owner, but the dogs with the strongest neural response to praise chose to go to their owners 80 to 90 percent of the time.
Earlier Study Measured the Value of Petting Versus Praise
Researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Arizona set out to determine whether dogs favor petting over verbal praise, as well as whether it mattered to the dogs who did the petting or praising — their owner or a stranger.4
The researchers worked with three groups of dogs — shelter dogs, family dogs tested with strangers and family dogs tested with their humans.
For the first two groups of dogs, both assistants were strangers, but for the third group, one assistant was a stranger and the other was the dog's owner. One of the two assistants greeted the dog with praise; the other greeting involved petting.
The dog was then taken to a point in the room an equal distance from both assistants, the leash was removed and the dog's voluntary interaction with each assistant was measured in 10-minute sessions.
During each session, the assistants offered either praise only, or petting only for five minutes. The dogs were measured according to the physical closeness and amount of time spent with each assistant.
Petting Is the Clear Winner
The results of the experiment left no room for doubt — every single dog preferred petting to verbal praise. Not only did the dogs spend more time with the person doing the petting, they did so even when it was their owner doing the praising, and a stranger doing the petting.
We don't need to worry that our dogs only love us for the food we give them! These studies are proof that our furbabies would choose us over treats, which is saying a lot. The next time my dog goes to the bathroom outside or stays quiet when I ask him to, I'll reward him with a few pats… Then, I'll give him a treat just because I'll feel terrible if I don't!
Article Source: Healthy Pets
