What happens inside a dog’s mind? One new study might have the answer.
As part of the research, dogs underwent MRI scans, which show the internal structures of the brain. They’re safe for both pets and their parents, used in both human and veterinary medicine to help with accurate diagnoses.
Two awake and unrestrained mixed-breed dogs underwent MRI scans while watching three 30-minute video sessions. Daisy is thought to be a Boston Terrier mix, while Bhubo is thought to be a Boxer mix.
Dogs Focus on the Action
The dogs watched a lot of dog-related content. This involved dogs running around and humans interacting with dogs, giving them pets or treats. They also saw footage of bikes and scooters on the road, a cat walking around a house, deer crossing the road, and people eating and hugging.
It looks as if dogs are more concerned with the action going on than who or what they’re seeing. This is in comparison to humans.
Erin Phillips, lead author of the paper, said that the study should be able to help other researchers use the same method to help us understand more about what happens in animals’ minds.
Motion Detectors
Per Gregory Berns, distinguished professor of neuroeconomics at Emory University and the first researcher to conduct an MRI test on a fully awake and unrestrained dog, dogs can only see in shades of blue and yellow. However, they have higher receptors for detecting motions.
He also explained that animals tend to be more concerned with actions as a survival mechanism, to avoid being eaten.
“While our work is based on just two dogs it offers proof of concept that these methods work on canines,” said Phillips. “They didn’t even need treats … It was amusing because it’s serious science, and a lot of time and effort went into it, but it came down to these dogs watching videos of other dogs and humans acting kind of silly.”
