Bern study shows More team spirit in the head: why dogs think differently to wolves
Humans have not only shaped the behavior of dogs - but apparently also their brains. New research shows: Domestic dogs think differently to their wild relatives. So it's no wonder that the wolf goes hunting, while the dog prefers to wait for commands.
27.02.2026, 15:52
27.02.2026, 22:43
SDA
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- Researchers at the Natural History Museum in Bern show that domestication has greatly changed the dog brain.
- The study compares dogs and wolves and finds larger social brain regions in domestic dogs.
- The results also show that human breeding accelerates the evolution of dogs.
Through domestication and artificial selection, humans have significantly shaped the dog brain. This is shown by a study led by the Natural History Museum in Bern, which compares the neuroanatomy of dogs and wolves for the first time.
The frontal lobes and brain regions associated with social behavior are proportionally larger in dogs than in wolves, as the Natural History Museum announced on Friday. In particularly "cooperative" breeds, these areas are also more pronounced than in independent breeds.
From this, the researchers conclude the extent to which human selection has influenced the brain development and composition of dogs. However, genetic factors could also play a role: For example, "old" breeds such as the Siberian Husky would have a more wolf-like neuroanatomy than modern breeds such as the German Shepherd.
Small brains, great adaptability
According to the press release, dogs have smaller brains compared to wolves, but with more differences in shape. The proportion of sensory regions is also altered in dogs. This confirms a hypothesis on brain development in mammals, according to which different brain regions can develop differently over time.
However, the study contradicts the long-held assumption that a highly "integrated" brain indicates a slow evolutionary capacity. Integrated means that the sub-regions of the brain are coordinated with each other. According to the study, this is much more the case in dogs than in wolves. The researchers interpret this result as an exceptionally rapid adaptability under the influence of humans.
The international team from the Natural History Museum examined a total of 243 brains from dogs and wolves of different breeds, populations, body shapes and sizes. Many of them come from the museum's collection.
