Study links relative brain volume to temperament in diverse dog breeds
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Researchers from the University of Montpellier, the University of Zurich, Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, and other institutions have found that breed function and behavior correlate with relative endocranial volume (REV) in domestic dogs.
Domestic dogs exhibit variations of morphologies and cognitive abilities, a diversity rooted in centuries of domestication and selective breeding for functional attributes. Historically, mammals have shown a trend toward larger brains to support advanced cognition, a pattern that appears disrupted in domestic dogs.
Despite having, on average, 20% smaller brains relative to their wild ancestral counterpart, the gray wolf, domestic dogs often demonstrate a range of equivalent cognitive skills, challenging some conventional assumptions about brain size and intelligence.
