Wolves have an understanding of cause and effect

In the process of domestication, dogs may have lost the ability to grasp the connection between cause and effect, a new study has found. Researchers investigating the reasoning skills of dogs and human-socialized wolves have discovered that the two canines had different approaches when searching for food after they'd been given hints about its location. While dogs were unable to make the connection, the study revealed that wolves can – suggesting domestication may have altered dogs' cognitive abilities. In the study conducted at the Wolf Science Center of the Vetmeduni Vienna, the international team of researchers observed 14 dogs and 12 human-socialized wolves. A genetic analysis of the world's oldest known dog remains has revealed that dogs were domesticated in a single event by humans living in Eurasia.