Communication between domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and humans: Dogs are good learners

ELGIER, A.M.; JAKOVCEVIC, A.; BARRERA, G.; MUSTACA, A.E.; BENTOSELA, M.

BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES

Elsevier

Año: 2009 vol. 81 p. 402 - 408

0376-6357

Communication involves a wide range of behaviours that animals emit in their daily lives and can takeplace between different species, as is the case of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and humans. Dogs haveshown to be successful at following human cues to solve the object choice task. The question is whatare the mechanisms involved in these communicative abilities. This article presents a review of studiesabout the communicative capacities of domestic dogs emphasizing the ones that considered the effectof associative learning upon these skills. In addition, evidence about differences in dogs’ performance infollowing physical or social cues is summarized andtwo studies where both signalscompete are presentedhere. The results obtained suggest that the training of a colour cue reverses the dogs’ preference for thesocial one. These results are discussed in light of the findings that gave importance to the learning effect,concluding that the dogs fundamentally followthose cues that allowed them to obtain reinforcers in theirprevious learning history.