Abstract
When faced with unsolvable or difficult situations dogs use different behavioral strategies. If they are motivated to obtain rewards, they either try to solve the problem on their own or tend to interact with a human partner. Based on the observation that in problem situations less successful and less perseverant dogs look more at the humans' face, some authors claim that the use of social strategies is detrimental to attempting an independent solution in dogs. Training may have an effect on dogs' problem-solving performance. We compared the behavior of (1) untrained, (2) trained for recreational purposes, and (3) working dogs: assistance and therapy dogs living in families (N = 90). During the task, dogs had to manipulate an apparatus with food pellets hidden inside. We measured the behaviors oriented toward the apparatus and behaviors directed at the owner/experimenter, and ran a principal component analysis. All measures loaded in one factor representing the use of the social strategy over a more problem-oriented strategy. Untrained dogs obtained the highest social strategy scores, followed by dogs trained for recreational purposes, and assistance and therapy dogs had the lowest scores. We conclude that assistance and therapy dogs' specific training and working experience (i.e., to actively help people) favors their independent and more successful problem-solving performance. General training (mainly obedience and agility in this study) also increases problem-oriented behavior.
Highlights
Problem-solving behaviors involve a diverse set of cognitive processes, such as perception, learning, memory and decision making, among others [1, 2].Several studies have focused on dogs’ problem-solving abilities using a wide variety of tasks
We labeled this factor as “social strategy,” because high score indicated that the dog uses communicative signals toward the human partners, including gazing, vocalization, tail wagging
The results are consistent with prior literature stating that animals persisting more on their problem-solving attempts are more successful in solving the task [16]. As it was mentioned in the introduction, the literature is mixed regarding the effects of training on dogs’ persistence and gazing behavior during problem-solving tasks
Summary
Several studies have focused on dogs’ problem-solving abilities using a wide variety of tasks Different kinds of tasks require different skills, allowing the thorough study of the diverse strategies that dogs use to solve problems [see e.g., Polgár et al [8]]. While some studies focus on the manipulation of the physical environment, others analyse social strategies, including communicative interactions. With regard to the latter, dogs’ gazing behavior has received the most attention.
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