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Before the sun comes up, a lot of people across America are doing the same thing.
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They step outside and there's a dog waiting by the door, ready to go.
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It seems like a small thing, but that daily habit reaches back tens of thousands of years.
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Scientists believe dogs were domesticated between 15,000 and 30,000 years ago.
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The animal that we call a dog today is classified as Canis Lupus Familiaris,
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a domesticated branch of the Grey Wolf.
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At first, the relationship was practical.
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Dogs helped humans hunt.
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They warned camps of danger.
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Their hearing reaches around 65,000 hertz, far above the human limit of about 20,000.
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Their noses are even more impressive with up to 30,000,000 scent receptors
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compared to about 6,000,000 in humans.
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But over time, the partnership started changing the humans too.
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A dog depends on you every single day.
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It needs to go outside.
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Whether it's raining, snowing, or you're just tired, that dog still needs to go.
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That routine shapes behavior.
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Dog owners, they walk more.
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Often about 20 minutes more per day than people without dogs.
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Over a year, that adds up to well over 100 extra hours of movement.
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But it's not just exercise.
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In 2015, researchers at Zabu University in Sagamiha,
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Japan, they measured what happens when dogs and their owners look at each other.
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Both species release oxytocin.
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It's a hormone tied to trust and bonding.
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Human levels in the study increased by more than 300%.
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That same biological response, it appears between mothers and newborn babies.
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Dogs also change how people behave around others.
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Studies show dog owners are significantly more likely to meet neighbors
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and talk with people in their community.
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A dog becomes a natural bridge between strangers.
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And then there's the part that most people don't think about.
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A dog watches you constantly.
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It reacts to your tone, your patience, and your consistency.
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If you're calm, the dog settles.
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If you're angry, the dog pulls away.
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Over time, that feedback changes how people speak, how they act,
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and how they show up.
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Over thousands of years, people believed they were training the dog.
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The truth is, the dog was training us how to show up every day.
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Be patient and take responsibility for something beyond ourselves.
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These are interesting things with JC.