Dog’s breath rhythm was drawn into owner’s breath rhythm

Abstract

For social animals, including humans, it is important to build strong social bonds, reduce tension, and prevent conflicts to maintain the society. One way to strengthen these social bonds is through behavioral synchrony, where individuals perform the same actions together. Behavioral synchrony has been observed across various animal species and is thought to lead to emotional synchrony. Dogs, which have lived with humans for tens of thousands of years, are known to form a special bond with their human owners. Given this strong bond between dogs and humans, it is possible that they exhibit behavioral synchrony. Previous research has shown yawning synchronization between dogs and humans, but it is unknown whether breathing synchrony, which is a type of behavioral synchrony, exists. This study aimed to investigate whether dogs and humans exhibit breathing synchrony. We used a high-sensitivity magnetic sensor to measure respiration in dogs and a thermocouple to measure human respiration. Our results found that dogs’ breathing patterns were influenced by humans’ breathing, suggesting the presence of breathing synchrony between them. This study extends the understanding of human-canine communications by using non-invasive technology.