Pigs and dogs are capable of communicating with humans, but pigs are more likely to cooperate when food is offered as an incentive.
In a captivating new study published in the journal Animal Cognition, researchers have compared the responses of four-month-old puppies and piglets to human cues. The study sheds light on the differences in human-oriented behaviour between these two popular household pets.
One of the key findings is that dogs, with their long history of domestication dating back over 15,000 years, are more attuned to human emotions and can detect subtle feelings. This trait, which their wolf ancestors lack, is not present in pigs, whose domestication is around 9,000 years old.
Dogs have evolved specialized eyebrow muscles that give them expressive facial expressions, a trait that may help them in their role as companions to humans. Pigs, on the other hand, have less flexible necks and can't raise their heads for long periods, which may have impaired their ability to perceive human hand gestures.
Despite these differences, both dogs and pigs share common traits, including intelligence and friendliness, making them attractive as household pets. Pigs, for instance, can be trained to follow a human hand to receive rewards, as demonstrated by the famous painting pig, Pigcasso. However, the study shows that pigs are less responsive to people than dogs.
In the first experiment, the scientists observed that both puppies and piglets oriented toward and touched the experimenter with equal frequency. In the second experiment, only dogs responded to pointing, while pigs chose one container randomly. When expected food was not given, only the puppies continued looking toward the person's face, while the pigs lost interest and went their own way.
The study involved nine mini-pigs and nine dogs. The number of mini-pigs (small-breed pigs) in the United States and Canada has risen significantly since 1998, potentially to as many as a million. However, due to irresponsible breeders, many people are tricked into buying a pig without realizing that all pigs, miniature or not, get big and often end up in shelters or are euthanized.
Pigs were selected for optimizing meat production, which may contribute to their lower tendency to orient towards human faces. This is in contrast to dogs, who have been bred for thousands of years to work closely with humans, making them more likely to seek information about human attentional states.
The results of the study show similarities between barkers and oinkers, but overall reveal that pigs are less responsive to people than dogs. The study also highlights the importance of responsible breeding and proper education for potential pet owners to ensure that these intelligent and friendly animals are treated with the care and attention they deserve.
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