IMPORTANCE OF THE DOGS? BREED AND FAMILIARITY OF THE PERSON IN THE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN FRIENDLY VERSUS THREATENING PEOPLE

PUTRINO NATALIA; BARRERA, G; FAGNANI, J; BENTOSELA,M

Bogotá

Congreso; XVII Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Comparative Psychology; 2014

Different evidences showed that social and cognitive abilities of dogs (Canis familiaris) help to strengthen their bond with humans. Recent works are being carried out to study the extent of their social skills, as well as their mechanisms. For example, the evidence showed that dogs are able to discriminate friendly or threatening attitudes from a person approaching them. The aim of our study is to compare the reaction to an unfamiliar person that approaches the dog in a friendly or in a threatening way. The first study compared breeds considered by experts as aggressive (Rottweiler, German shepherd, Pit-bull) with breeds categorized as social (Labrador and Golden retriever). The second study assessed the reactions toward a pair of owners compared to a pair of strangers approaching the dog with such attitudes. Preliminary results indicate that dogs discriminate human attitudes but there are no differences between breeds. Moreover, the reaction is more intense with strangers than owners. Therefore, comparing a friendly versus a threatening behavior allow us to answer whether dogs can discriminate different human attitudes and react differently to them according to their approaching style.