Dogs are loyal and sensitive "friends of humans." Recent studies have shown that they may be closer to humans than previously thought. It turns out that these animals, like us, are capable of perceiving themselves as separate entities in the surrounding world.
In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists presented 32 trained dogs with the task of "body as an obstacle." During the experiment, the animals had to pick up a toy and hand it to their owner while standing on a small mat to which the toy was attached. To retrieve it, the dog had to leave the mat, as its body obstructed this action.
Similar tests had previously been conducted with monkeys and mice, but this was the first time dogs participated in such an experiment.
The results showed that dogs left the mat more often and more quickly when the toy was attached to it rather than to the ground (which was used for comparison). This indicates that dogs were aware of their bodies as obstacles and distinguished them from their environment.
According to the scientists, this is "the first evidence that dogs may be aware of the connection between their bodies and the environment through feedback from their actions."
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Self-representation is a form of self-awareness that defines the ability to store information about one's body in the brain. In humans, this ability has reached a high degree of complexity known as self-awareness. Researchers believe that some elements of self-awareness may have also developed in animals during the course of evolution.
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