The results of a recent study conducted by scientists on dog brains have surprised everyone.
The study revealed that over the past 5,000 years, during the process of living alongside humans and becoming domesticated pets, the size of dogs’ brains has reduced by approximately 46%.
Scientists explained that when humans began organized farming and started living in settlements, the role of dogs changed. They no longer needed complex planning for hunting. Instead, they mainly adapted to guarding settlements and surviving on leftover food. This lifestyle gradually changed their brain structure.
According to research published in the Journal of the Royal Society Open Science, a smaller brain does not necessarily mean a decrease in intelligence.
Experts from Paris stated that dogs are still very intelligent; only the direction of their intelligence has changed. Instead of thinking like wild animals, they have become more skilled at understanding human signals and communicating with people.
Researchers studied 207 skulls, including those of modern dogs, dingoes, wolves, and ancient dogs. They compared their brain cavities using CT scans.
The study found that dog domestication began around 15,000 years ago, but the reduction in brain size started about 5,000 years ago when humans began building farms and permanent settlements.
Experts say that if your dog sometimes behaves strangely, it is not due to a smaller brain, but rather because modern lifestyles do not always give them the opportunity to fully express their intelligence.