***EMBARGOED UNTIL 16:00 BST, THURS JUNE 3 (11:00 ET)*** Dr Emily Bray, of the University of Arizona with puppies for study. See SWNS copy NNpuppy: Puppies are born with 'human-like' social skills that enable them to communicate with people, reveals a new study. Dogs need little to no training to be able to follow directions thanks to their innate genes developed and reared over centuries. More than 40 per cent of the variation in a puppy's ability to follow a human's finger-pointing is explained by the genes they've inherited.