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Dogs and wolves are genetically so similar, it’s been difficult for biologists to understand why wolves remain fiercely wild, while dogs can gladly become "man’s best friend." Biologists think the different behaviors are related to the animals’ earliest sensory experiences and the critical period of socialization.

Until now, little was known about sensory development in wolf pups, and assumptions were usually extrapolated from what is known for dogs. This would seem to be reasonable, except scientists already know there are significant differences in early development between wolf and dog pups.
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Sometimes dogs seem to be sent from heaven to be our friends, but is their empathy with us all in OUR minds?

Dogs and man have evolved together for the past 15,000 years. Researcher Deborah Custance wanted find out how much they can really read our emotions, so she studied the response of nearby dogs when someone near them began to cry or hum. When dogs sense human distress, we know that they often do things like whine, nuzzle or lick the person, fetch toys for them or lay their heads in their laps. But these actions don’t necessarily indicate empathy–they could merely indicate confusion or curiosity on the dog’s part.
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