Behaviour and training | PETS
http://www.petsmagazine.com.au 63
THE LOVE HORMONE
Oxytocin is a powerful mammalian hormone,
often referred to as the bonding or love
hormone. It acts as a neurotransmitter in the
brain and recent research has revealed some very
interesting fi ndings when it comes to our pets
and the love they feel for us. “Oxytocin is one
of the chemical measures of love in mammals,”
neuroscientist Dr Paul Zak says. “Humans
produce the hormone in our brains when we care
about someone. For example, when we see our
spouse or child, the levels in our bloodstream
typically rise by 40 to 60 per cent.”
Over the last two decades, there have been
several studies into the therapeutic eff ect for
humans of patting dogs and cats. But is the reverse
true? Do pets release the love hormone, too?
According to Dr Paul’s small-scale study, the
answer is yes. In the study, saliva was taken from
10 cats and 10 dogs before and after a 10-minute
play session with their owners. The results found
that both species excrete oxytocin, with dogs’
levels being fi ve times higher than cats’. “I was
really surprised to discover that dogs produced
such high levels of oxytocin,” Dr Paul says. “The
dog level of 57.2 per cent is a very powerfulby licking, with the prime target being the face.
As soon as puppies are born, they are licked
by their mother to stimulate breathing and to
clean them, so this behaviour is instinctual.
Other experts suggest that licking releases
endorphins, which are feel-good hormones
that help relieve stress. Whatever the
motivation, licking is a sure sign of love.
While once we might have believed that
a dog’s wagging tail meant contentment,
research suggests it could actually convey more
complex emotions. A study from the University
of Trieste in Italy discovered that dogs use their
tails to communicate emotions, and that by
measuring the angle and motion of the tail, we
can understand what emotions they are feeling.
In their experiment, 43 mixed-breed pets were
shown four stimuli — photos of their owners, a
person unknown to them, a cat and a dominant
dog. What the researchers found was that when
pets were shown photos of their owners, they
would wag their tails vigorously to the right side
of their body in a reaction controlled by the left
brain. In humans, the left brain is associated with
feelings of love and aff ection, and researchers
believe pets experience emotions similar to these.
wwwwwwwww w.ww.w.w.w.peppepepepeetststststststssmamamamammmamammammaaagagagagagagagazizizizinnnenenenenenee.c.c.c.c.ccomomoomomommm.a.a.a.aauuuuu 63
A wagging tail can be a sign of love.