jbg
Active Member
This article (link) takes this position
This experimenter may do great things in a lab but obviously he doesn't know dogs or cats. Dogs can sense in a minute if a person likes or dislikes dogs. Dogs, in general, warm up fast to the former. This scientist also has not met too many people with Williams Syndrome. I have met some. They are oblivious to people's reactions to them and their behavior.
Most dogs are hardly oblivious. Certain breeds will handle it differently. A Golden Retriever will just look for people more willing to engage with them. Other breeds are more likely to get aggressive.
The trouble with science is that what works in the lab often fails miserable outside.
Inside Science said:(Inside Science) -- When it comes to sheer friendliness, few humans can match the average dog. But people with Williams syndrome may come close, their unusual genetics granting them a puppyish zeal for social interaction. Now, scientists have found that extreme friendliness in both species may share common genetic roots.
A friendly condition
Williams syndrome, also known as Williams-Beuren syndrome, occurs when people are missing of a chunk of DNA containing about 27 genes. The syndrome affects about one in 10,000 people, and it is associated with a suite of mental and physical traits, including bubbly, extroverted personalities, a broad forehead, full cheeks, heart defects, intellectual disability and an affinity for music.
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One gene that popped out was WBSCR17, suggesting that it or other genes near it were important in dog evolution. This region of the genome is similar in dogs and humans, and the human version of WBSCR17 is located near the sequence that is deleted in people with Williams syndrome.
Most dogs are hardly oblivious. Certain breeds will handle it differently. A Golden Retriever will just look for people more willing to engage with them. Other breeds are more likely to get aggressive.
The trouble with science is that what works in the lab often fails miserable outside.