Dogs were trained to associate different objects with either a food reward, their owner’s verbal praise, or nothing. When scanned, many dogs showed equal or even stronger activation in the brain’s reward center (the ventral caudate) when anticipating praise compared to food.
To confirm, scientists ran a behavioral test where dogs could choose between their owner or a food bowl. The dogs whose brains lit up more for praise consistently chose their human over food. The findings highlight how deeply social bonds with humans can rival—even surpass—the power of treats.
