Human-directed gazing behaviour in puppies and adult dogs, Canis lupus familiaris

• Published in: Animal Behaviour
• Main Authors: Passalacqua, Chiara, Marshall-Pescini, Sarah, Barnard, Shanis, Lakatos, Gabriella, Valsecchi, Paola, Prato Previde, Emanuela
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Breed difference; Canis lupus familiaris; Development; Dog; Gaze; Human-directed communication; /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1103; name=Animal Science and Zoology; /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105; name=Ecology; Evolution; Behavior and Systematics; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/publications/5364f886-9202-4932-aa77-c44c0191bdc1; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.07.039; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80054718537&partnerID=8YFLogxK

Recent evidence indicates that dogs' sociocognitive abilities and behaviour in a test situation are shaped by both genetic factors and life experiences. We used the 'unsolvable task' paradigm to investigate the effect of breed and age/experience on the use of human-directed gazing behaviour. Following a genetic classification based on recent genome analyses, dogs were allocated to three breed groups, namely Primitive, Hunting/Herding and Molossoid. Furthermore, we tested dogs at 2 months, 4.5. months and as adults. The test consisted of three solvable trials in which dogs could obtain food by manipulating a plastic container followed by an unsolvable trial in which obtaining the food became impossible. The dogs' behaviour towards the apparatus and the people present was analysed. At 2 months no breed group differences emerged and although human-directed gazing behaviour was observed in approximately half of the pups, it occurred for brief periods, suggesting that the aptitude to use human-directed gazing as a request for obtaining help probably develops at a later date when dogs have had more experience with human communication. Breed group differences, however, did emerge strongly in adult dogs and, although less pronounced, also in 4.5-month-old subjects, with dogs in the Hunting/Herding group showing significantly more human-directed gazing behaviour than dogs in the other two breed groups. These results suggest that, although the domestication process may have shaped the dog's human-directed communicative abilities, the later selection for specific types of work might also have had a significant impact on their emergence.