Dog Behavior Blog

Are Dogs Smarter Than Cats?

In my animal behavior class, I sometimes ask my 100 or so university students, who is smarter, dogs or cats?  Usually about 75 people raise their hands for dogs, and about 25 raise their hands for cats.

Now there seems to be a little bit of scientific confirmation for this position. A recent article in the journal Animal Cognition (Whitt et al. Domestic cats (Felis catus) do not show causal understanding in a string-pulling task, DOI 10.1007/s10071-009-0228-x), shows that cats don’t do very well in pulling baited strings toward them. When there is one string with a tasty morsel on the end, the cats do pretty well. But when there are two stings, with only one of them attached to the tasty morsel, or when the strings are intertwined, the cats can’t seem to figure it out and pull strings at random, even when they can see each of the strings and see which one is baited.

This study follows on the heels of another that was published in 2005 in Animal Cognition (Osthaus et al. 2005. Dogs (Canis familiaris) fail to show understanding of means-end connections in a string-pulling task, Animal Cognition  8: 37-47) That study showed that dogs can do marginally better at string pulling. When there were two parallel strings, one of which was baited with a tasty morsel, and the dogs could see the strings, most of them could figure out which string to pull. However, when the strings were crossed, so that the dog had to pull the string that was opposite to the location of the tasty morsel, the dogs couldn’t figure it out and pulled strings at random.

So does this mean that dogs are smarter than cats? In my animal behavior class, I talk about the leash and food experiment. It goes something like this. Tie a dog’s leash down to a stake, and then loop it over another stake in a V fashion. Then offer the dog a bowl of food in front of the dog. The catch is that the leash is not long enough for the dog to go straight to the food. To get there, the dog has to back up away from the food, go around the stake at the point of the V, and then go to the food. Fewer than 10 percent of dogs can figure it out. Most keep pulling on the leash, trying to go forward to get to the food. And how about cats? Almost any cat can solve this problem.

The bottom line in the food leash experiment is that dogs and cats have a different ecological and evolutionary history. Dogs evolved on the open plains, where they chased their prey. If they got stuck in a bush, their best option was to push ahead until they got unstuck. Cats evolved in places where they spent part of their time in caves. If they got stuck in a cave, their best option was to back up and go around an obstacle. Pushing ahead inside a cave that gets narrower and narrower is a recipe for death by natural selection.

The interpretation of the string experiments is not as straightforward as it seems. Cats like to play with strings. They also get bored easily. In the string experiment, the cats were given a new string to pull every 10 seconds. My cat would have lost interest in the first 20 seconds. And dogs don’t normally go around pulling strings to get their food (although looking cute, hungry  and appealing around feeding time could be considered pulling strings, heartstrings or guilt as the case may be).

So it may not be fair to conclude that these experiments tested the dogs’ or cats’ intelligence. To be fair to the authors of the studies, they recognize this as well, and list a series of possible confounding factors, including ecological and evolutionary differences between the two species.

The problem really is, how do you measure the intelligence of an animal? It’s not as easy as it seems on first glance.

And to that end, who really is smarter? When you consider that today in developed countries, many dogs and cats live a relative life of luxury, sleeping much of the day and being fed, petted, stroked, played with, talked to, and generally amused by their people, my answer is: they both are pretty smart. Many of us humans have to work to support our dogs and cats.

--Con Slobodchikoff

 

Jingling Tags Drive Many Dogs Crazy

We know that dogs have acute hearing. In fact, many of us envy dogs sound-detecting abilities. One drawback of such a wonderful sense is that loud sounds can be overwhelming, annoying, even frightening. We can’t always protect our dogs from gunshots during hunting season, the fireworks on the Fourth of July, a car backfiring, or thunderstorms.

 

Still, there is one simple way that so many of us can make our super-eared dogs happier and make their daily lives better: Protect them from the incessant jingling of their tags. It pains me to see so many dogs wearing up to a dozen licensing tags with the continuous clanging that results from this pile of tags. I’m certainly in favor of dogs wearing tags—they can be life saving by helping to reunite people with a lost, wandering dog.

 

So, how can you keep your dog from the experiencing the constant irritation of those tags rattling together? First of all, only keep the most up to date tags on your dog. With an ID tag, a city license, and a rabies tag, a dog has three tags. As you get these updated each year, toss the old ones rather than making your dog into a percussion section. (Besides the extra noise, the extra weight around the neck is not a plus, especially in smaller dogs.) Another option is have a flat ID tag attached directly to the collar so that fewer tags are available to jingle. Finally, the tags can be secured so that they do not jingle at all. There are actually products like Quiet Spot’s Pet Tag Silencer that can hold the tags all together in one pouch. A quick but similar solution is to use some electrical tape to secure the tags into one silent mass. It’s not as chic as Pet Tag Silencer but it is effective and inexpensive.

 

It pains me to see a dog with clinking tags, especially if it’s a dog who I know has sound issues, or even if it’s a breed that is likely to be sound sensitive. Preventing this irritation for your dog is a quick and easy way to make your dog’s daily life a little more pleasant, which is something they do for us all the time.

 

--Karen London

 

Walking The Dog

Note from Con Slobodchikoff: This is a post by guest author Nancy Frensley, CPDT, CAP2, who is Manager of Behavior and Training at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society in Berkeley, California. She will write periodic posts about the behavioral challenges and joys of shelter dogs.

Recently, news broke of a woman in Richmond,California, who was pulled in front of a train by her dog, killing them both. An eighteen-year-old boy on a bicycle was accompanying them and as the train barriers lowered, he slipped around them and dashed across the tracks just ahead of the train. The dog apparently bolted after him, dragging them both into the train’s path. This story made me stop and think about how many people fail to train their dogs to walk properly on leash and respond to their voices.

In the shelter at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, we work at developing basic walking skills so the dogs will show better to adopters and live better with their new owners and be less likely to be returned for being unmanageable. Adult dogs who wind up in shelters usually have had a bad start. Many have never been walked on a leash before, and those usually pull like sled dogs because of a lack in training.

At the shelter, we walk all the dogs in a particular way, so their handling is as consistent as possible.  We use the traditional heel position on the left side, close to the person handling them. The dogs get rewarded with food treats in that position on every outing, and they are not allowed to go to the end of the six-foot leash until the person handling them verbally releases them. We call this the “arms length rule.”

This process lays the foundation for a more pleasant walking experience for both the dog and the handler. As the dogs get used to this walking behavior they learn to respond to the person on the other end of the leash. This is why it is so valuable to have a training department associated with a shelter. When we train staff and volunteers in one consistent handling method, the dogs adapt more quickly to shelter life from day one. It also provides the adopter with resources on how to handle their newly adopted dog when they arrive home.

Once the dogs are adopted, it is then up to the adopters – their new family, to continue teaching them good walking manners. This means continuing to use the arms length rule, keeping the dogs close and rewarding them.

 If you were to do this with your dog, it’s helpful to think of yourself and your dog as a team. You have a part to play, and so does your dog. Your part is to define the space in which you want the dog to walk, and to reward him enough so he wants to walk there. The dog must learn to walk in the space you have chosen, and that space should always be the consistent. It can be on your left side or your right, but always close to your leg. The leash should never be tight but should have a nice, relaxed “J” shape as you walk together. 

 What makes this seemingly simple task arduous is that it is so easy to let the dog zip out ahead of you. Your dog’s part is to stay tuned in to your movements just enough so that if you turn or stop, the dog goes along with you. And, your part is to show him how to do it.

 And just what do we do about that zipping ahead problem?  A great trainer and author, Pat Miller, came up with a maneuver she calls “the positive interrupt”.  This is a very effective way of letting your dog know that the rewards are not out in front of him, but near you.  First, you have to be ready and learn to “read” your dog. Then you have to get your dog responsive to a word like “Hey!”.  Once you have taught your dog that “Hey” means a treat is coming, you are ready to try it out in the real world.  Go out prepared with food or your dog’s favorite squeaky toy.  When your dog notices something exciting, immediately interrupt that look with your “Hey.” (Your dog will simply look like he has alerted on something). Your next reaction is to move rapidly away from the stimulating event, then feed and praise your dog generously for coming along with you (if using a toy, play tug or toss the toy).  It’s important to do this consistently on every outing for a while. 

In an amazingly short time, your dog will understand that it pays to walk alongside you.  Do give him permission to have some free time all the way at the end of the leash periodically as you walk along so outings with you are still fun for your dog.*

It’s all about habits. If you develop the habit of having your dog walk next to your leg, within arm’s length, and you praise and give treats generously in that space, your dog will soon start to walk in that position naturally.

Walking next to you you, under control, is a vital, life-long skill that will not only create a calmer dog, but will help to ensure your dog stays out of trouble and learns to keep you both safe.

 * A handout on the Positive Interrupt and more information on training your dog to walk with you are available on the Articles page at www.berkeleyhumane.org

What Made You Choose This Puppy?

One of the questions I usually ask my clients is how they chose their dog. The answers often illuminate much about the dog. I find this especially revealing when the choice involved picking a puppy from the litter. The answers generally lead me to ask other, more direct questions that are relevant for learning about the dogs and whatever issues may have brought them to see me. Here are some of the most common answers I receive, and some possible interpretations of those choices. (Exceptions abound!)

 “I didn’t choose him. He chose me.” Typically, the way a puppy chooses people is by racing at them full speed, leaping into their lap, licking their faces, biting at their fingers or hair, and generally pulling out all the stops to be charming and irresistible. I find that this most often means the puppy is bold, curious, inquisitive, fearless and friendly. Sometimes they are mouthy, status seeking, and relentless.

 “I felt sorry for her.” It’s not uncommon for people to choose the puppy that the other puppies seem to be picking on or the puppy who is off alone while all the other frolic together. Many of these puppies are shy, sensitive to being touched, quite fearful, and some have difficulty with basic social skills.

“He was the only one left.” This comment is hard to interpret. It may mean that the breeder has a great reputation, the puppies are very popular, and the family was lucky to get one at all, which is a good thing. I’ve also seen it mean that the breeder was giving the family the hard sell to try to unload the puppies, and there are actually a number of puppies left, but they are off in the barn or another part of the house to keep them out of sight. Sometimes it just means that this particular puppy has some trait that made it less desirable to others. This could be having less attractive markings or being small in size, neither of which is likely to have anything to do with the pup’s future behavior or how good a pet he will become.

 “The breeder felt that she was the best puppy for our family.” This is an answer I love to hear. Often, breeders know very well what sort of puppy may be best for which type of home. For example, a high motivation, high drive puppy may be great for a person who plans to compete in agility, but not so great for a family with three small children. If the breeder chooses the puppy for you, there’s less chance of choosing a puppy that you may adore but that may not actually be the best fit for you.

 “He had an adorable spot over his eye, just like my first dog did.” This tells me that the puppy was chosen more for looks than for any behavioral trait. This can work out fine, just as it sometimes does in relationships between people, but it does represent some risk. The biggest concern I have when I hear this comment is that the puppy will be facing unfair expectations to be the same as the other dog he resembles instead of being cherished for who he is as an individual.

 “She was the only female and we wanted a girl.” This comment often tells me little other than that the family didn’t actually make a choice between several puppies. Interestingly, though, in some large litters of puppies, a single female may have developmental effects from the presence of the hormones of so many males before birth. Sometimes, lone females will have broader muzzles and faces typical of males of their breed or even grow up to lift their leg when urinating. This is not common, but it does happen.

 Sometimes amusing comments come out of the conversation about what made someone choose the puppy. My favorite by far came from the friend who told me that as they left the breeder, and just before they closed their car door, they heard one of the breeder’s kids say, “There goes psycho.” The dog did not, by the way, ever show any serious behavior problems.

 --Karen London

 

 

Yawning And Dog Theory Of Mind

Note from Con Slobodchikoff: This week we have a guest post by Kristina Gage, CPDT, Ph.D. Candidate in Biopsychology at University at Albany, and at SmartDog Dog Training, www.smartdogschool.com. She is currently conducting a survey on yawning in dogs.

               We engage in social interactions with our dogs every day and they interact with us and with other dogs.  The study of social cognition is the study of the thought processes that underlie these interactions.  Research on social cognition in dogs will give us insight into aspects of their relationships with us and other animals, such as attachment, social learning and aggression.  A better understanding of the development and treatment of these problems will lead to a better quality of life for dogs and their human companions.  This, in turn, would help reduce the amount of dogs surrendered to shelters or euthanized for behavior problems every year.

                Theory of Mind (ToM) is one aspect of social cognition.  It refers to the ability to understand that other individuals have a different mental experience than your own.  For example, I know that I experience the world differently from my friends and that my emotions, memories, political views, etc. are different from theirs.  ToM is also connected to self-awareness.  If an animal is not aware of its own experience, it cannot speculate about the experiences of others.  ToM is also a precursor to empathy.  Animals with ToM can make inferences about how another is feeling and react appropriately, thus showing empathy.  It is likely that ToM abilities exist on a continuum, with some individuals showing stronger ToM skills than others of the same species. 

                We do not yet have enough evidence to say definitively whether or not dogs have any kind of ToM.  However, there is reason to believe they may.  First, dogs evolved from wolves which live in social groups and hunt and raise offspring cooperatively, so they are likely to have developed some kind of social cognition.  Dogs also evolved alongside humans, so they may have been selected for certain types of social intelligence (either intentionally or unintentionally).   Indeed, dogs have shown unique social skills in relation to interacting with humans, such as their ability to follow pointing cues to obtain food – they are actually better at this than our closest relative, the chimpanzee!  There are also many other studies that have provided evidence for some level of social intelligence in dogs – including forming strong social bonds with their owners (similar to those between children and parents) and learning to navigate through obstacles by observing a human doing the same.

                This is an important research topic for a number of reasons. There is evidence that certain mental illnesses in humans, such as autism and schizophrenia, involve ToM deficits.  If dogs do have ToM, it’s possible that different levels of ToM could be related to certain behavioral disorders in dogs, as it appears to be in humans.  For example, dogs that have more difficulty reading body language in humans and other dogs may be more likely to be aggressive because it’s more difficult for them to interpret intentions.  Understanding whether or not dogs have ToM and how it relates to other aspects of their behavior will make professionals better equipped to prevent and treat behavior problems in dogs.  Finally, looking at the function of social cognition across many different species provides a clearer picture of the role it plays in species survival and evolution in general. 

                One way of examining ToM in dogs is by looking at contagious yawning.  Susceptibility to contagious yawning in humans appears to be linked to ToM abilities – individuals that score poorly on ToM tests are less susceptible to contagious yawning.  In addition, children with autism don’t show contagious yawning.  I am conducting a survey that will ask dog owners to observe and report their dog’s yawning behavior to determine if dogs yawn contagiously.  If they do, this could indicate that dogs possess some degree of ToM.  This would provide a jumping off point for additional studies on ToM in dogs and how variations in ToM ability affect different aspects of their behavior.   

                Many dog trainers and behaviorists have observed that dogs appear to yawn when stressed or anxious.  Therefore, this study will also try to determine if dogs that are stressed and anxious in general, or are in a situation likely to trigger anxiety (such as going to the vet) are more likely to yawn.  The results of this study will help us understand the mental processes underlying social behavior in dogs and provide insight into the significance of yawning to help us more accurately interpret body language in our dogs.  Both of these things will allow us to improve the relationship between people and dogs and improve the quality of life for dogs in general.