They say an old dog cannot learn new tricks, but what if the dog is a stray?
Scientists have investigated whether man’s best friend’s capacity for obedience is inborn or only acquired through training. Untrained stray dogs may be able to understand human pointing gestures, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology.
Despite having never been trained before, the study found that about 80% of participating dogs successfully followed pointing gestures to a particular location.
This suggests that animals can comprehend complex gestures just by observing humans, according to researchers. They added that this might have an impact on lessening hostilities between stray dogs and people.
The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Kolkata, India, under the direction of Dr. Anindita Bhadra, conducted research on stray dogs in several Indian cities. They went up to 160 lone stray dogs and set two covered bowls down close to them.
The researcher then briefly or repeatedly pointed at one of the two bowls, and noted whether the dog approached the bowl. During the experiment, they also took note of the dogs’ apparent emotional states.
According to the study, about half of the animals avoided either bowl. About 80% of those who approached the bowls did so correctly, regardless of whether the pointing was brief or repeated, and they were observed to be friendlier and less anxious.
While of course I recommend you pick up a copy of the current Bark — which includes great pieces on fear-aggression (Nicholas Dodman), training scent-detection dogs (Cat Warren), complicated pit bulls (Bronwen Dickey), whether our dogs make us more appealing (Karen London), and more — my article, What’s the Point is available online here for all.
In ‘What’s the Point?’ my article in this summer’s issue of The Bark magazine, I review (1) why we care how dogs attend to this gesture, (2) what causes dogs to attend to this gesture (the nature/nurture questions), and (3) what does it mean to be a dog who understands pointing (it doesn’t necessarily mean for them what it means for us).
Dogs paying attention to our gestures is a small phenomenon that deserves much more than a passing comment. Researchers from all over the world have focused a lot of their attention on how dogs respond to our gestures because it appears to be one of the fundamental, underpinning aspects of our relationship with dogs. The study of dog social cognition research groups could easily change their name to “Pointing Centers” because pointing has drawn so much attention. ”.
They say an old dog cannot learn new tricks, but what if the dog is a stray?
Dr Anindita Bhadra, of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India, and colleagues, studied stray dogs across several Indian cities. They approached 160 solitary stray dogs and placed two covered bowls on the ground near them.
A dog’s hearing is more sensitive than ours, but not as precise. They can more easily locate the source of noises by tilting their heads and perking their ears. It also makes it easier for them to understand the tone of our voices and recognize words like “walkies.”
The researcher then briefly or repeatedly pointed at one of the two bowls, and noted whether the dog approached the bowl. During the experiment, they also took note of the dogs’ apparent emotional states.
According to the study, about half of the animals avoided either bowl. About 80% of those who approached the bowls did so correctly, regardless of whether the pointing was brief or repeated, and they were observed to be friendlier and less anxious.
It’s important to realize that even innate abilities can be learned, so dogs don’t necessarily need to be taught a skill in order to perform it. The idea that behavior is binary is extremely outdated. In fact, the explosive title of a significant study from 1967 in my field of ethology was “Ontogeny of an Instinct.” It’s crucial to understand that ontogeny refers to growth in order to comprehend why it was so incendiary.
The revolutionary notion that learning affected instinctive behavior and that such behaviors could be improved significantly altered the field. However, more than 50 years later, we are still debating whether behavior is learned or instinctive. It’s more complicated than that, and we must acknowledge that learning can influence behavior that is common and natural to a species.
The possibility that dogs are predisposed to picking up on human gestures is one that must always be taken into account. In other words, learning to do it may be simple and natural for them. It might even be so simple and natural that it would be difficult to find dogs that haven’t already mastered it. The current study shows that even young puppies with limited human interaction can complete this task, and—more intriguing and significant—that there is a genetic basis for this behavior. However, it has not been shown that dogs possess this ability in the absence of any previous exposure to humans.
The puppies in the experiment were given a choice between two containers, one of which contained a piece of kibble. While one person held the puppy, the other attracted the puppy’s attention by either showing it the container containing the food reward and having it look at it, or by showing the puppy a marker (a small yellow block), which was then placed next to the appropriate container. The puppies made the right decision more than two-thirds of the time based on the point gesture. When the person placed the marker to indicate the location of the food, they made the right choice nearly 75% of the time.
Multiple replications did not appear to improve the puppies’ performance. That implies that they are not mastering the task while they are studying. (They were either able to perform the task without having to learn it because they were so young, or they had already learned it. Similar success rates at the pointing task were found in earlier studies with adult dogs—both pet dogs and assistance dogs—and even higher success rates at the marker task.
FAQ
Do dogs react to pointing?
More than other animals, dogs are even better than chimpanzees at understanding when we point. Consequently, your dog understands that he should look in the direction you are pointing when you are looking at something or trying to direct him.
At what age do dogs understand pointing?
Now, a new study finds that even 8-week-old puppies with little exposure to humans can understand pointing and exhibit advanced levels of social cognition in other tests. The study was published today in the journal Current Biology.
Do dogs instinctively understand pointing?
In fact, pointing is a longtime instinct. Generations of hunters have used hunting dogs that have been specially bred to assist in the capture of game and the provision of food.
Why do dogs not understand pointing?
An animal must be able to distinguish between what you see and what they see. In light of this, their brain must be able to determine where your finger is pointing when you point. That’s not something most brains can do. An animal must have complete faith that obeying you is in their best interests.