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Based on claims that dogs are less aggressive and show more sophisticated socio-cognitive skills compared with wolves, dog domestication has been invoked to support the idea that humans underwent a similar 'self-domestication' process. Here, we review studies on wolf–dog differences and conclude that results do not support such claims: dogs do not show increased socio-cognitive skills and they are not less aggressive than wolves. Rather, compared with wolves, dogs seek to avoid conflicts, specifically with higher ranking conspecifics and humans, and might have an increased inclination to follow rules, making them amenable social partners. These conclusions challenge the suitability of dog domestication as a model for human social evolution and suggest that dogs need to be acknowledged as animals adapted to a specific socio-ecological niche as well as being shaped by human selection for specific traits. Domestication is thought to alter the temperament of a species, making it less fearful and aggressive and more social, thereby promoting their sociocognitive abilities. Some authors suggest that humans are 'domesticated' apes. The wolf–dog comparison has been used to support the idea of the human self-domestication hypothesis, but more recent results are not in line with this claim. Genetic and behavioral studies of free-ranging, pet, and captive pack-living dogs, as well as different subspecies of wolves, can further our understanding of the dog domestication process. Current dog domestication hypotheses focus on explaining specific dog–human interactions rather than trying to understand dogs as a social species. Dog domestication is best understood as an adaptation to a new, human-dominated niche, which included selective pressures by humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In humans and in other animal species anxiety-related problems are associated with poor performance in different abilities ranging from decision-making, visual attention, learning and memory. Despite the increasing number of dogs showing anxiety-related problems, the relationship between cognitive performance and behavioural problems has not been investigated so far in this species. In the current study 25 adult dogs with a diagnosis of anxiety-related problems and 21 dogs with no behavioural problems were tested using the classic unsolvable task paradigm, to evaluate both independent problem solving abilities and the propensity of dogs to seek human intervention. Results showed that dogs with anxiety-related problems (ARP) took longer to solve the task in the initial solvable trial (P =0.001) and showed more stress-related behaviours in this trial (P =0.037) compared to dogs in the control group (C). Conversely, during the unsolvable part of the task, control dogs exhibited more attention-getting behaviours towards humans (P =0.006), whereas ARP dogs displayed a higher tendency to keep at a distance from the apparatus (P <0.001). These results seem to indicate a reduced proactive engagement with a novel problem-solving task in pathologically anxious dogs and suggest the presence of different coping strategies in anxious and non-anxious dogs giving impetus for further research in this area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Piloting of a new paradigm to test for prosocial tendencies in wolves and dogs. • The method was adapted from a T-maze experiment carried out with rats. • In this task neither wolves nor dogs were prosocial. • Possible explanations, such as learning opportunities and task understanding are considered. Abstract The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether or not dogs (Canis familiaris) and wolves (Canis lupus) show prosociality in a simple T-maze experiment based on a previous study by Hernandez-Lallement et al. (2015). Prosociality, i.e. " voluntary behaviour that benefits others ", was initially thought to be uniquely human and, to trace its origin, has mainly been investigated in non-human primates. More recently however, some non-primate species showed considerable amounts of prosociality, suggesting convergent evolutionary paths. Here we tested if wolves and dogs are prosocial in a novel paradigm and, secondly, whether prosociality in dogs is a by-product of domestication or an ancestral trait shared with wolves. With the exception of one wolf, the current task did not reveal a prosocial response in either species, despite the same subjects showing prosocial tendencies in other tasks. Prosociality has been difficult to experimentally observe and it presents a methodological challenge. We are still at the beginning of this journey in Canids and this study adds another piece to the puzzle of how best to investigate this behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dogs showed behavioural synchrony and shared attention towards their owners. • Intranasally administered oxytocin did not influence behavioural synchrony and shared attention in dogs. • Oxytocin concentrations after administration were associated with dogs' social proximity towards their owners. • Oxytocin concentrations after administration were associated with dogs' gazing at human faces. • These findings suggest an effect of oxytocin on dogs' social behaviours towards humans. The relationship between dogs and their owners is characterized by an affective and enduring bond. It has been suggested that oxytocin might be the underlying mechanism driving this relationship, however evidence is mixed. In this study we tested whether intranasally administered oxytocin (compared to saline) would influence dogs' behavioural synchrony and shared attention towards their owners. Each individuals' pre and post administration oxytocin concentrations (measured in urine) were included in the analyses. Urinary oxytocin concentrations after administrations were positively associated with dogs' duration of social proximity and looking behaviours towards their owners supporting the role of oxytocin in modulating dogs' human-directed social behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]