Agility and search and rescue training differently affects pet dogs’ behaviour in socio-cognitive tasks

Guide dogs as a model for investigating the effect of life experience and training on gazing behaviour

“…Systematic experimental evidence on the factors influencing the expression of this human-directed behaviour is still not available, but some pieces of evidence existing in the literature, and based on the same or at least a similar experimental procedure, can be put together to outline a possible scenario. Using an impossible task paradigm, Marshall-Pescini et al (2009) found that agility dogs showed more gazing behaviour compared to both search and rescue dogs and untrained pet dogs, which in turn did not differ from each other. D'Aniello et al (2015), using the same version of the impossible task we used in this study, reported that water rescue-trained dogs gazed at humans longer compared to untrained control dogs of the same breed.…”

“…For example, several researchers have tested dogs trained for different types of services using the impossible task paradigm, in which an initially accessible apparatus containing food becomes impossible to access (see Miklósi et al 2003). Dogs trained for various activities differed in their human-directed gazing behaviour: agility and water rescue dogs gazed longer at humans compared to search and rescue and untrained dogs (Marshall-Pescini et al 2009;D'Aniello et al 2015).…”

Identifying suitable detection dogs

“…This enables them to make their own choices in the field when required. Trained dogs typically look to their handlers for guidance less than untrained dogs, which indicates independence and their problem-solving ability (Prato-Previde et al, 2008;Marshall-Pescini et al, 2009). Caution should be made when selecting an independent individual, with dogs possessing too much independence commonly becoming disobedient (Rebmann et al, 2000).…”

Gazing toward humans: A study on water rescue dogs using the impossible task paradigm

“…The current study investigates how and to what extent training affects the behaviour of dogs and the communication of dogs with humans by comparing dogs trained for a water rescue service and untrained pet dogs in the impossible task paradigm. Twenty-three certified water rescue dogs (the water rescue group) and 17 dogs with no training experience (the untrained group) were tested using a modified version of the impossible task described by Marshall-Pescini et al in 2009. The results demonstrated that the water rescue dogs directed their first gaze significantly more often towards the owner and spent more time gazing toward two people compared to the untrained pet dogs.…”