The objective is to conduct a systematic review of the canine cognition studies, with an emphasis on social domains. The bibliographic search was carried out in Scopus and Web of Science. To manage the data, a clustering analysis was carried out using graph theory. The Sci2 Tool and Gephi tools were used. The results were segmented into classical, structural, and recent studies. It was found that dogs have superior abilities for the recognition and use of human forms of communication, compared to wolves and apes. Also, communication skills are more similar between dogs and humans than between humans and chimpanzees. These findings have been interpreted under the explanatory hypotheses of evolutionary heritage, human exposure, and domestication, which recognize that the human social environment represents the natural ecological niche for this specie.