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Recent studies have shown that the neuropeptide oxytocin is involved in the regulation of several complex human social behaviours. There is, however, little research on the effect of oxytocin on basic mechanisms underlying human sociality, such as the perception of biological motion. In the present study, we investigated the effect of oxytocin on biological motion perception in dogs (Canis familiaris), a species adapted to the human social environment and thus widely used to model many aspects of human social behaviour. In a within-subjects design, dogs (N = 39), after having received either oxytocin or placebo treatment, were presented with 2D projection of a moving point-light human figure and the inverted and scrambled version of the same movie. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured as physiological responses, and behavioural response was evaluated by observing dogs’ looking time. Subjects were also rated on the personality traits of Neuroticism and Agreeableness by their owners. As expected, placebo-pretreated (control) dogs showed a spontaneous preference for the biological motion pattern; however, there was no such preference after oxytocin pretreatment. Furthermore, following the oxytocin pretreatment female subjects looked more at the moving point-light figure than males. The individual variations along the dimensions of Agreeableness and Neuroticism also modulated dogs’ behaviour. Furthermore, HR and HRV measures were affected by oxytocin treatment and in turn played a role in subjectsʼ looking behaviour. We discuss how these findings contribute to our understanding of the neurohormonal regulatory mechanisms of human (and non-human) social skills.

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have developed a close relationship with humans through the process of domestication. In human-dog interactions, eye contact is a key element of relationship initiation and maintenance. Previous studies have suggested that canine ability to produce human-directed communicative signals is influenced by domestication history, from wolves to dogs, as well as by recent breed selection for particular working purposes. To test the genetic basis for such abilities in purebred dogs, we examined gazing behavior towards humans using two types of behavioral experiments: the 'visual contact task' and the 'unsolvable task'. A total of 125 dogs participated in the study. Based on the genetic relatedness among breeds subjects were classified into five breed groups: Ancient, Herding, Hunting, Retriever-Mastiff and Working). We found that it took longer time for Ancient breeds to make an eye-contact with humans, and that they gazed at humans for shorter periods of time than any other breed group in the unsolvable situation. Our findings suggest that spontaneous gaze behavior towards humans is associated with genetic similarity to wolves rather than with recent selective pressure to create particular working breeds.

Dogs have been under strong artificial selection as a consequence of their relationship with man. Differences between breeds are evident that could be reflected in seminal characteristics. The present study was to evaluate differences in sperm head morphometry between seven well-defined breeds of dog: the British Bulldog, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Spanish Mastiff, Staffordshire Terrier, and Valencian Rat Hunting dog. Semen samples were obtained by masturbation and smears stained with Diff-Quik. Morphometric analysis (CASA-Morph) produced four size and four shape parameters. Length, Ellipticity, and Elongation showed higher differences between breeds. MANOVA revealed differences among all breeds. Considering the whole dataset, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that PC1 was related to head shape and PC2 to size. Procluster analysis showed the British Bulldog to be the most isolated breed, followed by the German Shepherd. The PCA breed by breed showed the Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, Spanish Mastiff, and Staffordshire Terrier to have PC1 related to shape and PC2 to size, whereas the British Bulldog, Valencia Rat Hunting dog, and German Shepherd had PC1 related to size and PC2 to shape. The dendrogram for cluster groupings and the distance between them showed the British Bulldog to be separated from the rest of the breeds. Future work on dog semen must take into account the large differences in the breeds′ sperm characteristics. The results provide a base for future work on phylogenetic and evolutionary studies of dogs, based on their seminal characteristics.

Domestic dogs Canis familiaris may cause a range of impacts on wildlife through predation, competition, pathogen transmission, harassment and hybridisation with wolves and other wild canids, yet such effects are less known than those of other domestic species.In this work, we have combined citizen science data and information collected by scientists on the potential impact of free-ranging dogs on wildlife in Italy. Citizen science data, obtained through online surveys on social networks, consisted of pictures of wildlife killed or harassed by dogs from 2002 to 2022. Additional records were collected from articles in newspapers. We also provide the results of a diet analysis from domestic dog scats, collected in the countryside in central Italy in 1998–1999, for which we assessed prey selection by comparing consumption with availability. The citizen science survey provided 589 records: dogs attacked and killed 95 species, mostly mammals and birds, including small game species. Among species of conservation concern, dogs attacked/killed Mustela putorius and Hystrix cristata, both included in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive, and the Italian endemic Lepus corsicanus and Passer italiae. Over 90% of the attacks were caused by unleashed dogs in the presence of their owner in urban and periurban areas. The 148 dog scats analysed contained 30 prey species, mainly mammals, which made the staple of the dog diet, followed by amorphous material, most likely pet food. Remains of domestic sheep were frequent in the diet, as were hares Lepus europaeus and roe deer Capreolus capreolus among wild mammals. Wild boar Sus scrofa ranked first among the selected prey species, followed by hares, whereas roe deer and grey partridges Perdix perdix were negatively selected. The mitigation of the impact of domestic carnivores on wildlife strongly requires awareness raising to promote responsible pet ownership and strict avoidance of dogs’ free-ranging behaviour, especially where encounters with wildlife are most likely.

Facial expressions are critical for non-verbal communication. The Canis genus epitomizes the interplay between behaviour and morphology in the evolution of non-verbal communication. Recent work suggests that the levator anguli oculi medialis (LAOM) muscle is unique to dogs ( Canis familiaris ) within the Canis genus and evolved due to domestication. The LAOM raises the inner eyebrows, resulting in the ‘puppy dog eyes’ expression. Here, we test whether the LAOM is a derived trait in dogs by (i) examining the facial expression muscles of a closely related and ancestral wild Canis species, the coyote ( C. latrans ) and (ii) comparing our results with other Canis and canid taxa. We discover that coyotes have a well-developed LAOM like dogs, which differs from the modified/absent LAOM in grey wolves. Our findings challenge the hypothesis that the LAOM developed due to domestication. We suggest that the LAOM is a basal trait that was lost in grey wolves. Additionally, we find inter- and intraspecific variations in the size of the muscles of the outer ear, forehead, lips and rostrum, indicating potential adaptations related to sensory perception, communication and individual-level functional variations within canids. Together, this research expands our knowledge of facial expressions, their evolution and their role in communication.

Hybridisation resulting from human-driven shifts in species ranges is a global conservation concern. In Australia, hybridisation between dingoes (Canis dingo) and domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) has been identified as an extinction threat to the dingo, and is thought to be particularly widespread in south-eastern Australia. Here, we investigated the extent of hybridisation between dingoes and dogs in a sample of 783 wild-caught canids from eastern New South Wales, using an established 23-microsatellite test. We then mapped the distribution of these samples and identified three areas that are geographic hotspots of high dingo genetic ancestry using geospatial analysis. Between 9 and 23% of the wild canids that we sampled were classified as only having or likely to have only dingo ancestry. Only 0.6% of the wild canids we sampled were classified as having no dingo ancestry. Introgression from domestic dogs into the southeastern dingo gene pool has been extensive, with 76–88% of sampled dingoes carrying some dog ancestry. Spatial analyses revealed several geographic hotspots of high dingo genetic ancestry within north-eastern New South Wales (NSW) where there was a higher than expected prevalence of dingoes with no domestic dog ancestry. A key finding of our study is the observation of several regions where dingoes were largely free of admixture from dogs. There is an ongoing need for evidence-based strategies to reduce human-driven hybridisation by identifying and maintaining natural barriers to reproduction or limiting opportunities for wild-domesticate hybridisation. Globally, legislators and land managers may need to consider less restrictive species definitions to conserve endangered or ecologically significant taxa.

The process of canine domestication represents certainly one of the most interesting questions that evolutionary biology aims to address. A “multiphase” view of this process is now accepted, with a first phase during which different groups of wolves were attracted by the anthropogenic niche and a second phase characterized by the gradual establishment of mutual relationships between wolves and humans. Here, we provide a review of dog (Canis familiaris) domestication, highlighting the ecological differences between dogs and wolves, analyzing the molecular mechanisms which seem to have influenced the affiliative behaviors first observed in Belyaev’s foxes, and describing the genetics of ancient European dogs. Then, we focus on three Mediterranean peninsulas (Balkan, Iberian and Italian), which together represent the main geographic area for studying canine domestication dynamics, as it has shaped the current genetic variability of dog populations, and where a well-defined European genetic structure was pinpointed through the analysis of uniparental genetic markers and their phylogeny.

The nature of mental representation of others plays a crucial role in social interactions. Dogs present an ideal model species for the investigation of such mental representations because they develop social ties with both conspecifics and heterospecifics. Former studies found that dogs' preference for larger food quantity could be reversed by humans who indicate the smaller quantity. The question is whether this social bias is restricted to human partners. We suggest that after a short positive social experience, an unfamiliar moving inanimate agent (UMO) can also change dogs' choice between two food quantities. We tested four groups of dogs with different partners: In the (1) Helper UMO and (2) Helper UMO Control groups the partner was an interactive remote control car that helped the dog to obtain an otherwise unreachable food. In the (3) Non-helper UMO and (4) Human partner groups dogs had restricted interaction with the remote control car and the unfamiliar human partners. In the Human partner, Helper UMO and Helper UMO Control groups the partners were able to revert dogs' choice for the small amount by indicating the small one, but the Non-helper UMO was not. We suggest that dogs are able to generalize their wide range of experiences with humans to another type of agent as well, based on the recognition of similarities in simple behavioural patterns.

Hundreds of millions of domestic carnivores worldwide have diverse positive affiliations with humans, but can provoke serious socio-ecological impacts when free-roaming. Unconfined dogs ( ) and cats ( ) interact with wildlife as predators, competitors, and disease-transmitters; their access to wildlife depends on husbandry, perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of pet owners and non-owners. To better understand husbandry and perceptions of impacts by unconfined, domestic carnivores, we administered questionnaires (  = 244) to pet owners and non-owners living in one of the last wilderness areas of the world, the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, located in southern Chile. We used descriptive statistics to provide demographic pet and husbandry information, quantify free-roaming dogs and cats, map their sightings in nature, and report experiences and perceptions of the impact of free-roaming dogs and cats on wildlife. We corroborated our results with an analysis of prey remains in dog feces (  = 53). With generalized linear models, we examined which factors (i.e., food provisioning, reproductive state, rural/village households, sex, and size) predicted that owned dogs and cats bring wildlife prey home. Thirty-one percent of village dogs (  = 121) and 60% of dogs in rural areas (  = 47) roamed freely day and/or night. Free-roaming dog packs were frequently observed (64% of participants) in the wild, including a feral dog population on Navarino Island. Dogs (31 of 168) brought home invasive muskrats ( ) and avian prey, and over half of all cats (27 of 51) brought home mainly avian prey. Birds were also the most harassed wildlife category, affected by one third of all dogs and cats. Nevertheless, dog-wildlife conflicts were hardly recognized (<9% of observed conflicts and suspected problems), and only 34% of the participants thought that cats might impact birds. Diet analysis revealed that dogs consumed livestock (64% of 59 prey occurrences), beavers ( , 14%), and birds (10%). The probability that dogs brought prey to owners' homes was higher in rural locations and with larger dogs. There was also evidence that cats from rural households and with an inadequate food supply brought more prey home than village cats. Although muskrat, beavers, and birds were brought home, harassed, or found in dog feces, free-roaming dogs and, to a lesser extent, cats are perceived predominantly in an anthropogenic context (i.e., as pets) and not as carnivores interacting with wildlife. Therefore, technical and legal measures should be applied to encourage neutering, increase confinement, particularly in rural areas, and stimulate social change via environmental education that draws attention to the possibility and consequences of unconfined pet interaction with wildlife in the southernmost protected forest ecoregion of the globe.

The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance presents a global health challenge. As such, researchers are focused on developing pipelines to discover novel antimicrobials. In this study, we screened two distinct collections of microbes for antimicrobial activity. First, we collected bacterial and fungal isolates from the oral cavities of domesticated dogs and cats and identified these isolates using 16S (bacteria) and ITS (fungi) sequencing. Follow-up analyses confirmed that some conditioned media from bacterial isolates had antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and antifungal activity against Candida albicans both alone and in combination with the current antimicrobial drugs. Additionally, screening 32 predicted or confirmed Streptomyces environmental isolates for antifungal and antibacterial activity identified two isolates with antifungal activity (WAC5038 and WAC5287), with only one isolate demonstrating antibacterial activity (WAC5038). Overall, this study provides a framework to identify and characterize environmental microbes with antimicrobial activity.