Study: Puppies are 'biologically prepared' to get along with humans

Researchers at the University of Arizona this week announced findings that puppies appear to be hardwired from birth to mesh with human beings—further evidence of the millenia-long bond between canines and humans.

The study, announced by researchers at the University of Arizona, stated that dog social skills "may be present shortly after birth rather than learned." Researchers also reportedly determined that genetics might explain "why some dogs perform better than others on social tasks such as following pointing gestures."

"There was evidence that these sorts of social skills were present in adulthood, but here we find evidence that puppies – sort of like humans – are biologically prepared to interact in these social ways," said Emily Bray, a lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research associate at the university.

Dogs are believed to have been domesticated thousands of years ago from a now-extinct line of wolves. There are estimated to be several hundred distinct breeds of dog throughout the world.