Puppies as young as 6 weeks old know to ask people for help


Life

Puppies that are raised in someone’s home seem to benefit from that extra human interaction, by asking for help at a younger age than those brought up in kennels

By Christa Lesté-Lasserre

15 October 2024

Puppies may be trying to communicate with you when they meet your gaze

Realworldmoments / Alamy

Some puppies seem to know how to ask for a person’s help at just 6 weeks old, by repeatedly alternating their gaze between a human and the situation they are struggling with.

That is even younger than when babies start communicating that way, when adjusting for differences in how the two species mature, says Stefanie Riemer at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in Austria. Babies generally start meaningfully alternating their gazes at between 8 and 10 months old.

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