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A wolfdog point of view on the impossible task paradigm

Authors :
Kamila Nováková
Luděk Bartoš
Andrea Sommese
Naděžda Fiala Šebková
Source :
Animal Cognition. 22:1073-1083
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2019.

Abstract

To elucidate the role of domestication, we used the impossible task paradigm to test Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs with a known proportion of 'wolfblood' in their DNA and, as a control group for our subjects, we used German shepherd dogs. We hypothesized that the difference between wolves and domestic dogs is based on genetics and modified by obedience; if so, the looking back performance of the subject should be linked to its proportion of wolf-genes. To prove that, we observed 73 Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs, and 27 German shepherd dogs, and analysed their human-directed gazing behaviour during our test. Our apparatus consisted of a glass container placed upside down over a small amount of food. The test proceeded with three solvable trials, in which the subject could obtain the food by manipulating the container, followed by an unsolvable one in which the container was fixed onto the board. Our results suggest that there is no significant correlation between the probability of looking back in Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs and their proportion of 'wolf blood'. However, the probability of looking back was higher in German Shepherd dogs than in Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs (odds ratio = 9.1). German Shepherd dogs showed not only a higher frequency of looking back, but also the duration of their looks was longer.

Details

ISSN :
14359456 and 14359448
Volume :
22
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Animal Cognition
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....67f10fcf81a1a90a9100084e6112c04a
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-019-01298-7