Dogs are constantly learning from the reaction of human owners, picking up facial cues and anticipating their owner’s behavior, a new research suggests. The findings, published online in the journal Learning and Behavior, show that dogs essentially are always in training, and help explain how many owners unknowingly teach and reward their dog’s bad behavior.
Research conducted at the University of Florida focused on the role of eye contact and facial cues in influencing canine behavior. Earlier studies have suggested that dogs seem to know when they are being watched and even wait to perform forbidden behavior like digging in the garden when they know their owners aren’t looking. In this study, researchers studied how human cues triggered begging behavior among 35 pet dogs, 18 shelter dogs and 8 wolves raised in captivity. First the animals were taught that the human strangers helping with the experiment were reliable sources of tasty treats. The testers
A. dogs never behave badly if their owners give them no cues
B. forbidden behavior is harder to train in canine animals
C. dogs’ behavior can never be shaped by conscious training
D. cues from humans help shape the behavior of canine animals
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