Social Behavior: Pigs turn to humans, unless there is a problem

Like dogs, pigs turn to humans in neutral situations to interact with them. However, when faced with a problem to solve, pigs prefer to figure it out on their own, unlike dogs.   From a very young age, dogs look to humans, seek contact, and initiate communication to solve a problem. But is this true for all pets? Wolves and cats communicate less with humans in the same context. At the same time, however, wolves are not domesticated, and cats are not a social species. Researchers in Budapest therefore set out to compare, for the first time, the social behavior of dogs with that of another domesticated and social species: the miniature pig. The miniature variety of the domestic pig is a popular pet that often takes on the role of a dog within a family. The researchers showed that in a neutral situation, pigs turn to humans to initiate contact, just as a dog would. However, when faced with a problem to solve, pigs prefer to tackle it on their own, whereas dogs often stop trying on their own and turn to humans for help. Pigs were often faster than dogs at opening a box containing food—perhaps due to a greater ability to manipulate the object—and more persistent when the task was more difficult. Thus, despite similar socialization, the two species naturally behave differently. While both dogs and pigs engage in communicative interactions with humans, species-specific predispositions cause them to behave differently depending on the situations they face. Dogs are naturally more dependent on and cooperative with humans, which partly explains their reputation as man’s best friend. Their interaction with humans is unique.