Dogs! 60 minutes ran a fascinating story last night about canines and our brains. The piece begins with a focus on a border collie named Chaser, widely considered “the smartest dog in the world,” because of his 1000+ word vocabulary, and his ability to differentiate between nouns and verbs.
An evolutionary anthropologist and a neuroscientist are also interviewed about their work on the canine brain. Through scientific testing, humans are finally finding out that dogs are capable of the receptive language skills of a toddler, as well as inferential thinking…an ability that other animals, even monkeys, do not have. I knew we were smart, but wow.
Scientists have also proven the relationship between a dog and its person releases “the love hormone,” oxytocin. When dogs and humans touch, play, or look into each other’s eyes, oxytocin is released into the bloodstream of both the dog and the person. No wonder it feels so good to hang out with a dog! Pawsitively fascinating.
If you’d like to watch the full segment, you can find it at http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-smartest-dog-in-the-world/.