A new study shows dogs can use visual communication to alert others when a person is in distress—especially if the dog has shared a prior emotional interaction with them.
Dogs are often hailed as highly empathetic animals, but can they actively communicate to help someone in emotional distress? A 2024 study by Generoso et al. explored this question by testing whether dogs would attempt to recruit human help to reach a crying person.
Seventy-nine dogs participated in experiments where an actor—sometimes previously affectionate with the dog, sometimes not—was placed behind a transparent barrier while either crying or speaking calmly on the phone. An experimenter stood nearby and could open the barrier if the dog signaled for assistance.
The findings revealed that dogs gave significantly more visual communicative signals (such as looking back and forth between the person and the experimenter) when the actor was crying. Notably, if the crying individual had previously played or cuddled with the dog, the dog showed even more effort in communicating and stayed physically closer to the distressed person.
This suggests that dogs are not only sensitive to human emotions but may also exhibit empathy-motivated prosocial behaviors—especially when they’ve formed a social bond. The study deepens our understanding of canine communication, emotional intelligence, and their remarkable connection with humans.
