Mother dogs recognize their offspring by their whimpering – and respond especially to the sounds of the little ones. A French research team reports this in the ‘Proceedings’ of the American Academy of Sciences.
A team led by Mathilde Massenet of France’s University of Saint-Etienne analyzed 4,400 audio recordings of 220 whining beagle puppies from 40 litters. The recordings were made in four breeding stations in France.
The scientists then used small speakers to play the whimpers of their offspring and other beagle puppies to sixteen female dogs. The mothers responded more strongly to the sounds of their own puppies, which was reflected in, among other things, more care and feeding. Some dog moms even dragged the speakers into their baskets with the other puppies.
In their own offspring, the mothers also responded more strongly to high tones. These are more likely to be produced by smaller puppies. Massenet’s group concludes that their whining motivates dogs to be especially caring.
Source: Krone
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