2019-07-01_EatingWell

E

mpathy—the psychological abil-

ity to feel others’ emotions—is

the tug on your heartstrings that

makes you rush over to your friend’s

house, pint of ice cream in hand, when

she tells you she’s split with her S.O. And

research suggests your dog may expe-

rience empathy too. (If you’ve seen that

viral video of a dog whimpering while

watching the tragic death scene in The

Lion King, you may have already guessed

as much.) A study published in the jour-

nal Learning & Behavior found that dogs

who heard their owners call “Help!” in a

distressed tone opened a magnet-sealed

door to reach them more than a minute

faster, on average, compared to hearing

them hum a nursery rhyme—regardless

of the breed, age or sex of the pooch.

Of course we can’t know exactly

what dogs are feeling, but they often act

in empathetic ways they weren’t taught,

like nuzzling a crying baby, or pulling a

child back to shore who swam too far,

says Aaron McDonald, a canine behav-

iorist, dog trainer and author of Three

Dimensional Dog: A Unified Theory of

Canine Behavior: “This gives us import-

ant insight into the mind and motiva-

tion of dogs. These behaviors show us

they possess an innate concern for the

well-being of others—which they begin

to develop around just 3 months of age.”

And because of this attentiveness, pups

can immediately tell when something

is awry. “Dogs are like FBI profilers:

they’re always keenly attuned to every-

thing going on in a family—the sights,

sounds, patterns. They record every

nuance of ‘normal’ life, and become con-

cerned if we break that pattern,” he says.

Being aware of how sensitive your

dog is can help you be a better owner—

by making you more aware of how you

act in front of him, especially when it

comes to using harsh tones when your

dog is in earshot (even if it’s not directed

at him). “Yelling signals that something

is wrong,” says McDonald. “So it is best

for families to practice calm serenity

around their dogs. This will help them

relax and feel content at home.”

Do Dogs Feel

Empathy?

FIDO MIGHT BE MORE IN TUNE WITH YOU THAN YOU THINK

BY SHARON MCDONNELL

PETS

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58 EATINGWELL JULY/AUGUST 2019 • Woof! Find more answers at eatingwell.com/pets

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