A dog's brain is roughly the size of a tangerine, smaller than a human's, but still impressive compared to many other animals.
While there are similarities, a dog's brain differs significantly from a human's, especially in the cerebral cortex, the largest part of the brain.
Dogs share emotions with humans, releasing oxytocin when they gaze into our eyes. They feel joy, fear, anger, distress, and pain, but not more complex emotions.
Just like us, dogs can experience depression, anxiety, and even PTSD. Some medications, like Prozac, can help improve their mood.
Dogs live in the moment and don't make plans for the future. They lack the prefrontal cortical development for such complex thinking.
A dog's brain lights up with pleasure when exposed to rewards, much like the human brain. This response is tied to the caudate nucleus and dopamine receptors.
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, thanks to a large olfactory bulb in their brains. This is why they excel in tasks like bomb detection and search and rescue.
Dogs have evolved to recognize human faces and emotional cues, guiding their behavior. They even have a specific brain region for this.
Similar brain activity suggests that dogs dream, often about their daily activities like chasing squirrels or barking at the mailperson.
10. Toddler-Level Intelligence Research shows that dogs are as smart as a two-year-old child, capable of learning many words and even outsmarting young children in certain tasks.
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