The experiment revealed which side a dog chooses during a family dispute.

It is well-known from observations of dogs that they are highly responsive to their owners' emotional states. For instance, dogs can become quite distressed at the sound of a human crying. Additionally, pets can sense human stress through smell and may cry with joy upon reuniting with their owner after a separation.

A group of ethologists from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) recently conducted a more detailed study on dog behavior during conflicts between their owners. For this new experiment, 23 dogs of various breeds were involved, including Siberian Huskies, Border Collies, Poodles, and Dachshunds. Their owners were asked to stage a family argument twice in front of their pets.

According to the instructions, the participants were to compete for an object placed between them. The "aggressor" was instructed to yell at the "victim," take the object, display anger, and wave their arms. The two staged scenarios were similar, differing only in the intensity of the conflict. In the second instance, the "aggressor" exhibited more forcefulness and hostility, while the "victim" displayed signs of dejection and gloom.

During the post-conflict phase, the owners sat in a room without looking at each other. All actions in the experiment were recorded on camera, while researchers observed the dogs' behavior using the Zoom video conferencing service.

In a comment to the Daily Mail, lead author Mariana Bentosela (Mariana Bentosela) revealed that during the arguments, dogs tended to look at the "victims" more than the "aggressors" and tried to stay closer to the former, exhibiting what is known as affiliative behavior. The analysis of the dogs' actions also indicated signs of stress: the animals crouched, pinned their ears back, breathed rapidly through an open mouth, lowered their tails, or yawned.

After the conflict, pets preferred to approach the "injured side" rather than the "offenders." Overall, the animals had less contact with the latter, which the researchers interpreted as an attempt to avoid them.

Explaining this behavior, ethologists noted that dogs perceive humans as part of their group. Therefore, the desire to alleviate the "victims'" distress may be a way to resolve the conflict and strengthen group cohesion.

According to the researchers, this sensitivity of dogs to negative emotions and their tendency to support the "injured side" is an integral part of their attachment to humans. Such traits are especially important when dogs not only serve as pets but also participate in various therapeutic activities, such as helping patients cope with pain or psychological difficulties, concluded the authors of the new study. An article about it was published in the journal Ethology.