Animal behaviorist Dr. Friederike Range and her team worked with fifteen grey wolves and twelve mixed-breed dogs that had been raised at the Wolf Science Center since they were puppies.
If only one partner pulled, the string would come loose and the trial was coded as a failure.".
In fact, wolves tended to be more successful than dogs when facing the puzzle for the first time.
For example, during the trials, dogs looked at their human partners twice as much as wolves, as if they were searching for guidance.
The results suggest that while domestication lead dogs to become less fearful and more subservient towards humans, it did not singlehandedly produce their ability to cooperate with us.
Rather, it seems dogs' remarkable cooperative abilities more likely evolved from wolves' already prodigious social skills.
"Wolves lead and dogs follow, but they both cooperate with humans." »
