It's no secret that dogs are fond of their food.

Given the choice, your loving Labrador would most likely eat itself into a food coma than go for a walk.

But researchers have found that dogs will readily help each other out, without any immediate benefit to themselves, in order to share food.

The findings mean dogs join the short list of animals that exhibit prosocial behaviour, alongside monkeys, rats, crows and primates.

An experiment has shown that dogs will readily help each other out, without any immediate benefit to themselves, in order to share food. The findings mean dogs join the short list of animals that exhibit prosocial behaviour, alongside monkeys, rats, crows and primates (stock images pictured)

In the study, 16 dogs were tested to see if they were friendly fidos, and would exhibit prosocial behaviour.

To start, these 'donor' dogs were trained to sit on a starting pad and to pull ropes which would move a tray along from their location to an adjoining area with a receiver dog.

Then the main event. Food was introduced.

The dogs could either pull a rope to move a donor tray, which resulted in a treat for their neighbour, but nothing for them. Alternatively, the dogs could choose to pull a rope on an empty tray, which meant both dogs went begging.

One important factor, the study found, is whether or not the dogs know their neighbour.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN DOGS In the study, 16 dogs were tested to see if they were friendly fidos, and would exhibit prosocial behaviour. To start, these 'donor' dogs were trained to sit on a starting pad and to pull ropes which would move a tray along from their location to an adjoining area with a receiver dog. Then the main event. Food was introduced. The dogs could either pull a rope to move a donor tray, which resulted in a treat for their neighbour, but nothing for them. Alternatively, the dogs could choose to pull a rope on an empty tray, which meant both dogs went begging. One important factor, the study found, is whether or not the dogs know their neighbour. The donors were much more likely to move the donor tray and donate treats to familiar dogs – those from the same household – than they were with dogs they didn't know. As the only purpose of the task was to benefit another dog – with the donor dogs not receiving a treat when they pulled the trays – the researchers said this shows the dogs exhibit prosocial behaviour. Advertisement

The donors were much more likely to move the donor tray and donate treats to familiar dogs – those from the same household – than they were with dogs they didn't know.

As the only purpose of the task was to benefit another dog – with the donor dogs not receiving a treat when they pulled the trays – the researchers said this shows the dogs exhibit prosocial behaviour.

'Dogs truly behave prosocially toward other dogs.

'That had never been experimentally demonstrated before,' said Dr Friederike Range, a researcher from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, who led the study.

'What we also found was that the degree of familiarity among the dogs further influenced this behaviour.

'Prosocial behaviour was exhibited less frequently toward unfamiliar dogs than toward familiar ones.'

The findings are published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Dr Range explained: 'Dogs and their nearest relatives, the wolves, exhibit social and cooperative behaviour, so there are grounds to assume that these animals also behave prosocially toward conspecifics.

'Additionally, over thousands of years of domestication, dogs were selected for special social skills.'

It is clear that dogs are social, but research has shown we can even bring out the green-eyed monster in them.

A study carried out at the University of California last year found that they can display jealousy when they don't get attention.

In the study, 'donor' dogs were trained to sit on a starting pad and to pull ropes which would move a tray along from their location to an adjoining area with a receiver dog (pictured). The dogs could either pull a rope to move a donor tray, which resulted in a treat for their neighbour, but nothing for them

Alternatively, the dogs could choose to pull a rope on an empty tray, which meant both dogs went begging. The donors were much more likely to move the donor tray and donate treats to familiar dogs - those from the same household – than they were with dogs they didn't know

Researchers videoed 36 dogs in their own homes as their owners ignored them in favour of a stuffed dog, another toy or a book.

The toy dog barked, whined and wagged its tail at the push of a button and the real dogs seemed to be taken in by the act.

The pouting pooches were around twice as likely to push or touch their owner when he or she was petting and talking sweetly to the stuffed dog as when the owner was displaying the same behaviour towards the other toy.

Even fewer pushed or touched their owner when the book was being read aloud.

Just under a third of the dogs also tried to get between their owner and the stuffed animal and a quarter snapped at the 'other dog' but only one did so at the other toy and the book.