Pigs turn to humans as dogs do, unless they have a problem to solve
Researchers of the MTA-ELTE 'Lendület' Neuroethology of Communication Research Group at the Department of Ethology at the Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (ELTE) compared human-oriented communicative behaviors of young miniature pigs and dogs kept as companion animals. They found that in a neutral situation pigs turn to humans, initiating interactions as much as dogs do. But in a problem solving situation the two species behave differently: whereas pigs keep trying to solve the task on their own, dogs often stop trying alone and display human-oriented communicative behaviors. Natural differences between pigs and dogs prevail despite similar socialization if an exciting challenge comes, the research suggests. The study is published in Animal Cognition.