What dogs see, hear and eat: 3 surprising new discoveries

Recent studies have uncovered surprising insights into how dogs perceive their human companions and the world around them. One such discovery is that dogs may be able to associate a child's voice with a child's face. In a study involving 69 pet dogs, researchers played recordings of either an adult woman or a young girl before showing the dogs photographs of either an adult or a child.

The dogs tended to gaze longer at the photographs when the voice and face matched in age group. This effect appeared to be stronger in dogs that had lived with young children, but scientists describe the evidence as tentative due to the weak overall effect and the dogs' behavior differing from the researchers' initial predictions.

Another intriguing revelation is that dogs may connect certain sounds with specific shapes, hinting that the "bouba-kiki effect" – a phenomenon where people instinctively pair the softer-sounding word "bouba" with rounded shapes and the sharper-sounding word "kiki" with spiky shapes – is not unique to humans. In a study conducted at the University of Parma in Italy, 70 adult dogs were shown both rounded and spiky shapes while repeatedly hearing the sounds "bouba" or "kiki."

The dogs spent more time looking at the rounded shape when they heard "bouba" and the spiky one when they heard "kiki." This suggests that the connection between certain sounds and shapes might be a shared trait between humans and dogs, regardless of language proficiency.

Lastly, a study involving 30 dogs revealed that they may have a taste for an unconventional protein source. The dogs were given a choice between dry food containing 10% microbial protein and food with conventional protein sources. Over four meals, the dogs showed a significant preference for the microbial-protein food, consuming more of it overall and approaching and starting to eat it sooner than the conventional protein option.

Cats were also included in the research and displayed a similar preference for the microbial protein. While the study only looks at short-term food preferences and does not establish long-term health effects, it emphasizes the potential for alternative protein sources in dog food. However, it is essential to note that the study was conducted by researchers affiliated with MicroHarvest, the company producing the microbial protein, and further independent research is necessary to validate these findings.