Breed differences in olfactory performance of dogs.

Most studies on dogs' olfactory performance focused only on some individuals pre-trained for a task or on specially selected/trained detection dogs. Here, using the Natural Detection Task (NDT) that does not require training, we assessed the effect of several potential factors on the performance of a large sample of dogs (N = 527/tested, 484/analysed). Olfactory success was associated with breeds, but breed groups (selected for olfaction, cooperation, or both) were proven non-relevant, suggesting that breed-specific traits are more influential than functional breed group characteristics.

People follow motivation-structural rules when they react to synthetised sounds.

Emotionally expressive vocalizations can elicit approach-avoidance responses in humans and non-human animals. We investigated whether artificially generated sounds have similar effects on humans. We assessed whether subjects' reactions were linked to acoustic properties, and associated valence and intensity.

Towards an Objective Measurement Tool for ADHD-like Traits in Family Dogs: A Comprehensive Test Battery.

Family dogs exhibit neuropsychological deficits similar to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in humans. Questionnaire methods have mostly been used to assess ADHD-like behaviours in dogs. In addition to our validated questionnaire (Dog ADHD and Functionality Rating Scale-DAFRS; 2024), we developed a simple behavioural test battery covering the ADHD symptom domains (i.

Domestication and exposure to human social stimuli are not sufficient to trigger attachment to humans: a companion pig-dog comparative study.

Dogs exhibit human-analogue attachment to their owners, with similar function and mechanisms to that of infant-mother bond, but its origin is unclear. Comparative studies on socialised wolves and dogs emphasise genetic influence in dogs' preparedness for attachment to humans. We aimed to reveal if this genetic effect stems from general domestication or artificial selection that increased dogs' dependence on humans.

Success in the Natural Detection Task is influenced by only a few factors generally believed to affect dogs' olfactory performance.

Research into dogs' olfactory ability is growing rapidly. However, generalising based on scientific results is challenging, because research has been typically conducted on a few specially trained subjects of a few breeds tested in different environmental conditions. We investigated the effects of temperature and humidity (outdoors), age, test location, sex, neutering status, and repeated testing (outdoors and indoors) on the olfactory performance of untrained family dogs (N = 411) of various breeds.

Potential interactive effect of positive expectancy violation and sleep on memory consolidation in dogs.

In dogs, as in humans, both emotional and learning pretreatment affect subsequent behaviour and sleep. Although learning often occurs in an emotional-social context, the emotion-learning interplay in such context remain mainly unknown. Aims were to assess the effects of Controlling versus Permissive (emotional factors) training (learning factors) styles on dogs' behaviour, learning performance, and sleep.

Development of a human-analogue, 3-symptom domain Dog ADHD and Functionality Rating Scale (DAFRS).

The family dog, in its natural environment, exhibits neuropsychological deficits redolent of human psychiatric disorders, including behaviours that are similar to human attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Based on standard questionnaire methods in humans, we aimed to develop and validate a detailed, psychometrically improved tool to assess owner views on relevant dog behaviours. We modified available questionnaires by adding items that allow for separate analysis of impulsivity, and items on functional impairment.

Dogs outperform cats both in their testability and relying on human pointing gestures: a comparative study.

The dog is a so far unique species to study interspecific communication and a promising evolutionary model for preverbal human communication. Recently cats were reported to show some similar skills to dogs. Here we directly compared both the testability and the success of companion dogs and cats in relying on human distal pointing gestures.

Comment on "Human-directed attachment behaviour in wolves suggests standing ancestral variation for human-dog attachment bonds".

In their recent paper, Hansen Wheat et al. (, 2022, , e9299) claimed that hand raised 23-week-old wolves showed the same attachment behaviour towards their handler in the Strange Situation Test (SST) (, 1969, , 111) as dogs. At first glance, their results seem to contradict previous findings that domestication caused a unique change in social-affiliative behaviours in dogs (, 2005, , 1367).

Event-related potentials indicate differential neural reactivity to species and valence information in vocal stimuli in sleeping dogs.

Dogs live in a complex social environment where they regularly interact with conspecific and heterospecific partners. Awake dogs are able to process a variety of information based on vocalisations emitted by dogs and humans. Whether dogs are also able to process such information while asleep, is unknown.

Factors Contributing to Successful Spontaneous Dog-Human Cooperation.

Dogs' ability to cooperate with humans is widely acknowledged, but the factors influencing their spontaneous cooperative tendencies are largely unknown. We investigated whether breed function, training experience, and owner-reported social motivation level contribute to spontaneous dog-owner cooperation. Family dogs (N = 100) of three breed groups (non-working dogs, cooperative/independent working breeds) with various training experiences were tested in an 'out-of-reach' task with their owners as their partners, who never directly asked for help during the test.

Central nodes of canine functional brain networks are concentrated in the cingulate gyrus.

Compared to the field of human fMRI, knowledge about functional networks in dogs is scarce. In this paper, we present the first anatomically-defined ROI (region of interest) based functional network map of the companion dog brain. We scanned 33 awake dogs in a "task-free condition".

Spontaneous action matching in dog puppies, kittens and wolf pups.

We investigated the spontaneous tendency of dog puppies, kittens and wolf pups to match their behaviour to actions demonstrated by a human, in the absence of food reward. Based on dogs' inherent sociality and domestication history, we predicted that the tendency to match human actions is more pronounced in this species than in the other two. To test this, we exposed N = 42 dog puppies, N = 39 kittens and N = 8 wolf pups to ostensive human demonstrations of an object-related action.

Owner-rated hyperactivity/impulsivity is associated with sleep efficiency in family dogs: a non-invasive EEG study.

Subjective sleep disturbances are reported by humans with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, no consistent objective findings related to sleep disturbances led to the removal of sleep problems from ADHD diagnostic criteria. Dogs have been used as a model for human ADHD with questionnaires validated for this purpose.

Dog and human neural sensitivity to voicelikeness: A comparative fMRI study.

Voice-sensitivity in the auditory cortex of a range of mammals has been proposed to be determined primarily by tuning to conspecific auditory stimuli, but recent human findings indicate a role for a more general tuning to voicelikeness. Vocal emotional valence, a central characteristic of vocalisations, has been linked to the same basic acoustic parameters across species. Comparative neuroimaging revealed that during voice perception, such acoustic parameters modulate emotional valence-sensitivity in auditory cortical regions in both family dogs and humans.

Comparing Pears to Apples: Unlike Dogs, Cats Need Habituation before Lab Tests.

Research on the socio-cognitive skills of different species often benefit from comparative experiments, however, the ecology of the species and development of the individuals may differently determine how they react to the same test situation. In this study, our aims were twofold: to observe and compare the spontaneous behaviour of companion cats and dogs in the same novel environment, and to habituate them (if needed) to the novel environment in the presence of their owners and an unfamiliar experimenter. The behaviour of 62 family cats, 31 experienced (which had the opportunity to meet strangers and explore unfamiliar places) and 31 inexperienced cats, and 27 family dogs was compared in an unfamiliar room.

Exploring the advantages of using artificial agents to investigate animacy perception in cats and dogs.

Self-propelled motion cues elicit the perception of inanimate objects as animate. Studies usually rely on the looking behaviour of subjects towards stimuli displayed on a screen, but utilizing artificial unidentified moving objects (UMOs) provides a more natural, interactive context. Here, we investigated whether cats and dogs discriminate between UMOs showing animate vs inanimate motion, and how they react to the UMOs' interactive behaviour.

Chasing perception in domestic cats and dogs.

Chasing motion is often used to study the perception of inanimate objects as animate. When chasing interaction and independent motions between two agents are displayed simultaneously on a screen, we expect observers to quickly perceive and recognise the chasing pattern (because of its familiarity) and turn their attention to the independent motion (novelty effect). In case of isosceles triangles as moving figures, dogs and humans both display this behaviour, but dogs initially preferred to look at the chasing pattern whereas humans started to increase their gaze towards the independent motion earlier.

Non-invasive sleep EEG measurement in hand raised wolves.

Sleep research greatly benefits from comparative studies to understand the underlying physiological and environmental factors affecting the different features of sleep, also informing us about the possible evolutionary changes shaping them. Recently, the domestic dog became an exceedingly valuable model species in sleep studies, as the use of non-invasive polysomnography methodologies enables direct comparison with human sleep data. In this study, we applied the same polysomnography protocol to record the sleep of dog's closest wild relative, the wolf.

Attachment towards the Owner Is Associated with Spontaneous Sleep EEG Parameters in Family Dogs.

Affective neuroscience studies have demonstrated the impact of social interactions on sleep quality. In humans, trait-like social behaviors, such as attachment, are related to sleep brain activity patterns. Our aim was to investigate associations between companion dogs' spontaneous brain activity during sleep (in the presence of the owner) and their relevant behavior in a task-free social context assessing their attachment towards the owner.

Evaluating ADHD Assessment for Dogs: A Replication Study.

The family dog, in its natural environment, exhibits neuropsychological deficits redolent of human psychiatric disorders, including behaviours similar to human Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. For dogs, Vas and colleagues developed a 13-item questionnaire to measure inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity (Dog ARS; 2007). We re-assessed, in a large sample of dogs ( = 319), psychometric properties of the Dog ARS, to identify possible limitations as a basis for further development.

Differences in dogs' event-related potentials in response to human and dog vocal stimuli; a non-invasive study.

Recent advances in the field of canine neuro-cognition allow for the non-invasive research of brain mechanisms in family dogs. Considering the striking similarities between dog's and human (infant)'s socio-cognition at the behavioural level, both similarities and differences in neural background can be of particular relevance. The current study investigates brain responses of = 17 family dogs to human and conspecific emotional vocalizations using a fully non-invasive event-related potential (ERP) paradigm.