Use of human-given cues by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and horses (Equus caballus)

McKinley, Jean and Sambrook, Thomas D. (2000) Use of human-given cues by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and horses (Equus caballus). Animal Cognition, 3 (1). pp. 13-22. ISSN 1435-9448

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Abstract

Sixteen domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and four horses (Equus caballus) were tested for their ability to use human-given manual and facial cues in an objectchoice task. Two of the four horses used touch as a cue and one horse successfully used pointing. The performance of the dogs was considerably better, with 12 subjects able to use pointing as a cue, 4 able to use head orientation and 2 able to use eye gaze alone. Group analysis showed that the dogs performed significantly better in all experimental conditions than during control trials. Dogs were able to use pointing cues even when the cuer's body was closer to the incorrect object. Working gundogs with specialised training used pointing more successfully than pet dogs and gundog breeds performed better than nongundog breeds. The results of this experiment suggest that animals' use of human given communicative signals depends on cognitive ability, the evolutionary consequences of domestication and enculturation by humans within the individual's lifetime.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: dog,horse,human-animal communication,social cues
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
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Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 27 Sep 2017 16:14
Last Modified: 21 Oct 2022 16:32
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/64979
DOI: 10.1007/s100710050046

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