Working memory and inhibition in 7.5-week-old Seeing Eye Dog puppies

Abstract

Dog guides (Canis familiaris) fulfil important roles for their handlers. However, the process of training working dogs is costly, and many dogs fail training due to behavioural issues. Recently, research has shown that cognitive traits are important for success as working dogs, and that these might develop early in young puppies. Working memory and inhibition might be important cognitive traits for success in dog guides. In this study we tested 7.5-week-old puppies, sourced from Seeing Eye Dogs – Vision Australia, a dog guide breeding and training establishment, on a delayed response (DR) task and the A-not-B task. Although not all puppies succeeded through the training stages, a large proportion of puppies (DR: 42 of 60; A-not-B: 55 of 71) could be tested. Puppies’ performance in the DR task was better than chance, and puppies varied in their inhibition to approach the previously rewarded location in the A-not-B task. Being able to measure young puppies on cognitive tasks is a first step in using puppy cognition as a possible predictor for success as working dogs.