Abstract
The olfactory acuity of domestic dogs has been well established through numerous studies on trained canines, however whether untrained dogs spontaneously utilize this ability for problem solving is less clear. In the present paper we report two studies that examine what strategies family dogs use in two types of olfaction-based problems as well as their success at various distances. In Study 1, thirty dogs were tasked with distinguishing a target, either their covered owner (Exp 1) or baited food (Exp 2), from three visually identical choices at distances of 0m (touching distance), 1m, and 3m. There were nine consecutive trials for each target. We found that in Exp 1 the dogs successfully chose their owners over strangers at 0m and 1m, but not at 3m, where they used a win-stay strategy instead. In Exp 2 the dogs were only successful in choosing the baited pot at 0m. They used the win-stay strategy at 1m, but chose randomly at 3m. In Study 2, a different group of dogs was tested with their owners (Exp 1) and baited food (Exp 2) at just the 3m distance with two possible targets in 10-10 trials. In Exp 1 the dogs’ overall performance was at chance level; however, when analyzed by trial, we noticed that despite tending to find their owners on the first trial, they generally switched to a win-stay strategy in subsequent trials, only to return to correctly choosing their owners based on olfaction in the later trials. In Exp 2, the dogs chose randomly throughout. We also found that dogs who relied on visual information in the warm-up trials were less successful in the olfaction-based test. Our results suggest that despite their ability to successfully collect information through olfaction, family dogs often prioritize other strategies to solve basic choice tasks.
Highlights
The domestic dog has been used for a variety of search related jobs for thousands of years
Our results suggest that even in situations that can be successfully solved by using olfaction, the strategies that family dogs use vary depending on the distance from the target, as well as the target itself
Olfaction is one of the most acute canine senses, it seems that in certain situations, especially when a family dog is presented with the same problem multiple times consecutively, cognitive strategies can take precedence over olfaction, even when smelling has proven a successful solution in the past
Summary
The domestic dog has been used for a variety of search related jobs for thousands of years. Both with scents originating from up close, where dogs can effectively detect explosives [1], drugs [2], and even a variety of diseases [3], as well as from scents originating from farther distances, where dogs can be trained to find missing persons [4,5] and track wildlife [6,7,8], our canine. Strategies Used by Dogs to Solve Olfaction-Based Problems
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.