Research: Human Involvement May Improve Dogs’ Problem-Solving Skills

Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. involvement / ɪnˈvɑːlvmənt / (n) – the act of participating in an activity
    Example:

    The actor received praises for his involvement in charity work.


  2. assess / əˈsɛs / (v) – to evaluate something
    Example:

    The scientist assessed the way animals communicate among themselves.


  3. companionship / kəmˈpænjənˌʃɪp / (n) – the feeling of enjoying being with someone
    Example:

    My dogs provide me with companionship.


  4. reliant / rɪˈlajənt / (adj) – depending on others for help or support 
    Example:

    I stopped being reliant on my parents when I started working.


  5. attachment / əˈtætʃmənt / (n) – a strong feeling of connection or loyalty for someone or something
    Example:

    My little brother developed a strong attachment to his stuffed toy.


Article

Read the text below.

Human involvement can improve dogs’ problem-solving abilities, a study has found.


Researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) assessed how search and rescue (SAR) dogs and pet dogs behaved by giving them an identical problem-solving task. The dogs were tasked to open a puzzle box, which contained a sausage within a two-minute period. The task involved three conditions: the dog alone, the dog with its owner who stood neutrally, and the dog with its owner who gave encouragement.


The experiment’s findings showed that both sets of dogs completed the task at around the same amount of time. However, the SAR dogs accomplished the task more successfully when their owners encouraged them.


Lead author Lauren Brubaker believes that the owners’ behavior, particularly their way of encouragement, influenced the dogs’ problem-solving abilities. Monique Udell, co-author of the study, noted that when the owners guided the SAR dogs, the dogs focused more on solving the puzzle. In contrast, pet dogs took their owners’ encouragement as an invitation to play.


With these findings, the researchers reached the conclusion that the SAR dogs communicated with their owners better than pet dogs.


The findings of the OSU researchers contradict a 1997 study, which examined how the relationship between the dog and its owner could affect the former’s problem-solving abilities. The researchers grouped the dog-and-owner relationship into two: companionship and work relationship.


Upon observation, the researchers found that dogs categorized under companionship were reliant on their owners. This behavior weakened their performance in the problem-solving task. The researchers concluded that the dogs’ decreased performance resulted from a sense of attachment to their owners.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you agree that humans can influence animal behavior? Why or why not?
• Aside from interaction with humans, what other factors affect animal behavior? Discuss.

Discussion B

• What are some possible challenges a person might face when training animals? Explain.
• How can people ensure their own safety and that of the animals during training?