Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapests Family Dog Project discovered that pet dogs have a “multi-modal psychological image” of their familiar items in a brand-new research study that was just recently published in the journal Animal Cognition. “If we can understand which senses dogs use while searching for a toy, this might reveal how they think about it” discusses Shany Dror, one of the leading scientists of this study. “When dogs use olfaction or sight while browsing for a toy, this indicates that they know how that toy smells or looks like.”
The scientists then observed how the canines browsed for the targeted toy, always put among 4 others, both when the lights were on and off.” Dogs have a great sense of smell, however we discovered that pet dogs preferred to rely on vision and utilized their noses just a few times, and practically only when the lights were off,” clarifies Prof. Adam Miklósi, head of the Department of Ethology at ELTE University and co-author of the study.
In the first experiment, they trained 3 Gifted Word Learner pet dogs and 10 common family canines (i.e., pet dogs that do not know the name of toys), to bring a toy related to a benefit. Dogs were rewarded with goodies and applaud throughout training for choosing this toy over a few distractor toys.
The researchers then observed how the canines searched for the targeted toy, constantly put amongst 4 others, both when the lights were on and off. Here, the researchers aimed to find out what these pet dogs think about when they hear the name of their toys.
How do pets believe of toys? Credit: Genius Dog Challenge
” Revealing the senses used by the dogs to browse for the called toys offered us the possibility to infer what these canines envision when they hear, for example, Teddy Bear explains Dr. Claudia Fugazza, co-author of the study.
The Gifted canines were effective in choosing the toys named by their owners in the dark and the light. This exposes that, when they hear the name of a toy, they recall this thingss different sensory features and they can use this “multisensory psychological image” to determine it, also in the dark.
” Dogs have a common sense of odor, but we found that dogs chosen to rely on vision and utilized their noses just a couple of times, and nearly just when the lights were off,” clarifies Prof. Adam Miklósi, head of the Department of Ethology at ELTE University and co-author of the study. “Dogs smelled more often and for longer in the dark. They spent 90% more time sniffing when the lights were off, but this was still just 20% of the browsing time.”
To conclude, the dogs success in discovering the toys and the various senses utilized while searching in the light and the dark reveals that, when pet dogs play with a toy, even simply quickly, they focus on its various features and register the info utilizing several senses.
This research study becomes part of the Genius Dog Challenge research study task that aims to comprehend the distinct talent that Gifted Word Learner canines have. The scientists encourage dog owners who believe their pets know multiple toy names, to contact them on the Genius Dog Challenge site.
Reference: “Multisensory psychological representation of items in common and Gifted Word Learner canines” by Shany Dror, Andrea Sommese, Ádám Miklósi, Andrea Temesi and Claudia Fugazza, 8 June 2022, Animal Cognition.DOI: 10.1007/ s10071-022-01639-z.
Pets envision the items different sensory features. Credit: Photo by Cooper Photo
Inside a dogs mind: Dogs have a “multi-modal mental image” of their familiar products
Numerous pet dog fans are curious about what goes on in the minds of their furry friends. Scientists from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapests Family Dog Project found that pet dogs have a “multi-modal psychological image” of their familiar objects in a brand-new research study that was recently released in the journal Animal Cognition.
Researchers made the assumption that the senses that dogs utilize to recognize items, such as their toys, correspond to how those items are conceived in their brains. “If we can understand which senses pet dogs use while searching for a toy, this might expose how they think about it” discusses Shany Dror, among the leading scientists of this research study. “When pet dogs utilize olfaction or sight while browsing for a toy, this indicates that they know how that toy looks or smells like.”
An image of Gaia, among the Gifted pet dogs (from Brazil) looking for her toy in the light (on the left) and in the dark (on the right). Credit: Shany Dror
In previous research studies, the scientists discovered that just a couple of uniquely gifted pets can discover the names of objects. “These Gifted Word Learner dogs give us a glance into their minds, and we can find what they think of when we ask– Where is your Teddy Bear?” explains Dr. Andrea Sommese, the 2nd leading scientist.
