Dogs Show Things to Humans but Pigs Do Not

Budapest's Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Department of Ethology carried out research

if companion animals like pigs and dogs would point out to their owners where a food reward is hidden from reach

They discovered that if the owner was there, the pigs would pay her or him as much attention as the dogs did

But when the incentive was also present, only the dogs attempted to draw the owner's attention to the reward position

Pigs might not have the traits necessary for the development of this kind of communication

This shows that not all domestic animals have the ability to draw humans' attention to intriguing places

Pigs, unfortunately, do not frequently communicate visually

Domesticated animals appear to be particularly susceptible to communicating with humans in a referential manner