Latest research on the bond between baby and dog

Babies may very well know what your dog is trying to say. A recent study done at Brigham Young University looked into infants less than 6 months of age and their reaction to angry and friendly barks. Based on the research that emotions are one of the first things babies pick up on in their social world, they put this to the test.

Study participants were all from households that lived with dogs. Babies were shown a friendly or angry picture of a dog and were observed to see how they would react when the angry or friendly bark was played.

Researchers noted that babies spent most of their time staring at the photo that matched the bark.