Goats Communicate as Well as Dogs, Making Them “Excellent Pets”

[Dog News=Reporter Han Jeong-a] A study showing that goats are as skilled as dogs at communicating with humans is drawing attention.

A research team at Queen Mary University of London recently published a paper in Biology Letters reporting that goats can communicate with humans in ways similar to dogs and cats.

In the experiment, goats had to remove the lid of a box to obtain a reward (food) inside. The trained goats quickly learned how to open the lid and pull a lever to get the food, and they proved intelligent enough to remember how to do it even several months later.

The researchers then allowed the goats to open the lid but made the reward inaccessible, observing how the goats responded by looking at the experimenter.

The goats directed pleading gazes at the experimenter more frequently and for longer when facing the person than when the experimenter had their back turned. In effect, the goats made eye contact with the person to plead for the promised reward.

The researchers said goats likely developed this ability to communicate through prolonged interaction and evolution after humans began domesticating them about 11,000 years ago.

Dr. Alan McElligott, who led the study, said, “When goats cannot solve a problem on their own, they look at humans in exactly the same way dogs do,” adding, “Goats are smarter and more lovable than people think, making them excellent pets.”

Reporter Han Jeong-a han@dognews.co.kr