Published in Animal Cognition, this study investigated if dogs would actively attempt to rescue their owners when the owner appeared trapped and stressed. Across two experiments, the researchers assessed both civilian and trained military dogs, comparing rescue frequency and physiological markers under two conditions: owners showing visible distress versus remaining calm. The design aimed to separate true empathetic motivation from obedience or social contact seeking.
Results showed that dogs opened the enclosure significantly more often when their owners displayed distress than when calm. Among untrained dogs, roughly half demonstrated spontaneous rescue attempts. Trained dogs exhibited faster response times but similar rates of helping, suggesting that training enhances efficiency, not motivation. Physiological measures, including heart rate and cortisol levels, indicated elevated arousal when owners appeared stressed, reinforcing the concept of emotional contagion—where dogs mirror the emotional states of familiar humans.
Interestingly, dogs did not respond merely to verbal cues or obedience commands, as rescue behaviour persisted even when calm owners called their pets from confinement. This suggests that dogs’ helping actions arise from perceived emotional urgency rather than conditioned response. The researchers also observed increased heart rate in dogs during stressed-owner trials and a gradual decrease in the calm condition, though cortisol remained stable across scenarios.
Carballo and colleagues conclude that emotional contagion is a plausible mechanism underlying canine rescue behaviour. These findings strengthen the understanding of dogs as emotionally attuned companions capable of empathy-like reactions. The study contributes to the growing body of evidence that dogs not only read human emotions but may act altruistically in response—particularly when a bonded owner is in distress.
Source: Carballo, F., Dzik, V., Freidin, E., Damián, J. P., Casanave, E., & Bentosela, M. (2020). Do Dogs Rescue Their Owners from a Stressful Situation? A Behavioral and Physiological Assessment. Animal Cognition, 23, 389–403. Published January 6, 2020.
