According to research conducted by the Japanese university Azabu, a Shih Tzu’s mother is also a mother. In fact, there is a special bond between man and his best friend.
This bond is built through a hormonal process activated when they look at each other, which works very similarly to what happens between a mother and child.
Shih Tzu’s gaze.
It turns out that this gaze triggers levels of oxytocin in both the Shih Tzu and its owner’s brain, a hormone related to parental behavior. Oxytocin also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain and plays an important role in the recognition and establishment of social bonds, as well as in the formation of trust relationships.
How the research was conducted.
To conduct the research, scientists placed several dogs with their owners in a room and analyzed each interaction between them for 30 minutes. Then, they measured levels of oxytocin in both the dogs’ and their owners’ urine, and found that constant eye contact between them raised hormone levels in both their brains.
“The same connection mechanism, based on increased oxytocin when they look at each other, that strengthens the emotional bonds between mothers and their children, also helps regulate the bond between Shih Tzu and their owners.”
In a second experiment, researchers applied oxytocin to the noses of some dogs and placed them in a room with their owners and some strangers. The animals’ response was that they spent more time looking at their owners, which after half an hour, also caused oxytocin levels to increase in the owners.