Oxytocin is a neurohormone involved in domestic dogs' socio-cognitive abilities which appears to be key in the display of gazing behavior as a communicative signal. However, differential effects of oxytocin have been reported in various tasks according to the dogs' breed. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of the intranasal administration of oxytocin on gazing towards the human face in Golden and Labrador Retrievers. This was assessed during a learning task in which dogs had to gaze at the human face in order to received food that was visible but inaccessible. Results indicate that only intact dogs who received oxytocin exhibited an increase in gazing behavior, while no differences were observed for neutered dogs. This effect could be related to an interaction between oxytocin and steroid hormones in intact dogs. These findings highlight the importance of including modulating factors, such as breed and neutered status, when studying the mechanisms of oxytocin.

中文翻译：

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催产素对猎犬凝视人脸的影响

催产素是一种涉及家犬社会认知能力的神经激素，它似乎是将凝视行为作为交流信号显示的关键。然而，根据狗的品种，催产素在各种任务中的不同作用已有报道。在本研究中，我们评估了鼻内施用催产素对黄金猎犬和拉布拉多猎犬凝视人脸的影响。这是在学习任务中评估的，在该任务中，狗必须注视人脸才能接收可见但无法接近的食物。结果表明，只有接受催产素的完整狗表现出凝视行为的增加，而绝育狗没有观察到差异。这种效应可能与完整狗体内催产素和类固醇激素之间的相互作用有关。