By 2.5 years of age humans are more skilful than other apes on a set of social, but not nonsocial, cognitive tasks. Individual differences in human infants, but not chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, are ...also explained by correlated variance in these cooperative communicative skills. Relative to nonhuman apes, domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, perform more like human infants in cooperative communicative tasks, but it is unknown whether dog and human cognition share a similar underlying structure. We tested 552 dogs in a large-scale test battery modelled after similar work with humans and nonhuman apes. Unlike chimpanzees, but similarly to humans, individual differences in dogs were explained by correlated variance in skills for solving cooperative communicative problems. Direct comparisons of data from all three species revealed similar patterns of individual differences in cooperative communication between human infants (N=105) and domestic dogs (N=430), which were not observed in chimpanzees (N=106). Future research will be needed to examine whether the observed similarities are a result of similar psychological mechanisms and evolutionary processes in the dog and human lineages.
•We assessed individual differences in cognition in dogs, chimpanzees and human infants.•Dogs and humans exhibited similar patterns of correlation in social cognitive skills.•The patterns common to dogs and humans were not observed in chimpanzees.•Results were similar for three different dog populations with diverse histories.•The structure of dog social cognition may be convergent with that of humans.
The present study examined the presence of Babesia parasites in 104 domestic dogs in Nigeria. Sequentially, Babesia parasites infecting domestic dogs underwent genetic and phylogenetic analyses. The ...results of nested PCR based on the Piroplasmida 18S rRNA gene illustrated that 13.5% (14/104) of the samples were positive. The obtained positive samples determined the nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA genes. In the genetic and phylogenetic analyses, four of five nucleotide sequences were similar to Babesia canis rossi, and one sample exhibited a close similarity to a Babesia sp. isolated from a raccoon in Hokkaido, Japan. The present study revealed the widespread presence of B. canis rossi among domestic dogs in Nigeria.
The establishment of protected areas is a key strategy for preserving biodiversity. However, human use of protected areas can cause disturbance to wildlife, especially in areas that allow hunting and ...if humans are accompanied by dogs (Canis familiaris). We used citizen-science run camera traps to investigate how humans, dogs and coyotes (Canis latrans) used 33 protected areas and analyzed behavioral responses by three prey species: white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and northern raccoon (Procyon lotor). We obtained 52,863 detections of native wildlife, 162,418 detections of humans and 23,332 detections of dogs over 42,874 camera nights. Most dogs (99%) were on the trail, and 89% of off-trail dogs were accompanied by humans. Prey avoided dogs, humans and coyotes temporally, but did not avoid them spatially, or greatly increase vigilance. Our results indicate that humans are perceived as a greater risk than coyotes, and this increases when dogs accompany their owners. The concentration of dogs on the trail with their owners, and relatively minor behavioral impacts on prey, contrasts the strong negative ecological effects found in studies of free-ranging dogs. We found dog management to be effective: prohibiting dogs in protected areas reduced their use of an area by a factor of 10 and leash laws increased leashing rates by 21%. Although millions of dogs use natural areas in North America each year, regulations enacted by protected areas combined with responsible management of dog behavior greatly reduce the ecological impact of man's best friend.
•Citizen-scientists helped conduct a camera-trap survey in U.S. protected areas.•Dogs were common in protected areas and most were leashed.•Most of dogs were on the trail (99%) and/or accompanied by a human (97%).•Leash laws reduce the incidence of free-ranging dogs.•Wildlife perceived free-ranging dogs as a relatively low threat.
The consequence for dogs of showing aggression towards people is often euthanasia or relinquishment. Aggression is also a sign of compromised welfare in dogs, and a public health issue for people. ...The aims of this study were to estimate the numbers of dogs showing aggression to people in three contexts (unfamiliar people on entering, or outside the house, and family members); identify whether these co-occur, and investigate risk factors for aggression in each context using multivariable analyses. In this cross-sectional convenience sample of UK dog owners, aggression (defined as barking, lunging, growling or biting) towards unfamiliar people was more common than towards family members. Most dogs did not show aggression in multiple contexts, suggesting that this behaviour may be a learnt response to situations rather than a general characteristic of individuals. Older owners were less likely to report family directed aggression or aggression to unfamiliar people entering the house than younger ones. Female owners were also less likely to report aggression to visitors. Increasing dog age was associated with increased risk of aggression to unfamiliar people both entering and outside the house. Female neutered dogs had a reduced risk of aggression in all three contexts. Dogs in the Utility and Hounds groups as defined by the UK Kennel Club had an increased risk of aggression to family members compared to cross-breeds, although post hoc analyses identified no specific increased individual breed risks. Gundogs has a reduced risk of aggression to unfamiliar people both entering and outside of the house. Where owners acquired their dog was a risk factor for aggression to household members. Attendance at puppy classes reduced risk of aggression to unfamiliar people both in and out of the house; attending ring-craft classes were associated with reduced risk when outside the house. The use of positive punishment or negative reinforcement based training methods was associated with increased chance of aggression to family and unfamiliar people outside the house. Importantly, for all types of aggression, the variables measured explained a relatively small amount of the variance (<10%) between aggressive and non-aggressive animals, suggesting a much greater importance of factors specific to the experience of individual dogs in the development of aggression. These data suggest that although general characteristics of dogs and owners may be a factor at population level, it would be inappropriate to make assumptions about an individual animal's risk of aggression to people based on characteristics such as breed.
One key aspect of social cognition is the ability to assess the competence of other agents and then use this information to predict future behaviour. Current research shows that humans assess ...competence in a highly sophisticated manner. Our species is capable of taking third-party, relative observations of agent’s competencies and then using them to make future predictions about the different behaviours of a single agent. To date, few studies have examined if non-human animals show these same features of competence assessment. Here, we find suggestive evidence that domestic dogs can use third-party observations of the relative competence of humans (at throwing or kicking a ball) to predict how far an experimenter will propel a ball in the future. This was despite the actual behaviour produced at test (a fake throw or kick) being identical, and dogs needing to assign different, action-specific competencies to the same agent for these two behaviours. Dogs therefore appear to display four behavioural signatures of human competence judgement, which suggests that the ability to make sophisticated competence judgements may not be unique to humans.
Canine circovirus (CanineCV) is a DNA virus affecting domestic dogs and other wild carnivore species. Despite the potential implications for dogs' health and wildlife conservation, data on CanineCV ...presence, epidemiology and genetic features from Africa is still poor. In the present study, biological specimens collected between 2020 and 2022 from a total of 32 jackals and 575 domestic dogs were tested for the presence of CanineCV DNA to evaluate its frequency. Furthermore, sequencing was conducted on positive samples to characterize the strains and compare them with publicly available sequences through phylogenetic analysis. A high CanineCV prevalence was observed both in jackals (43.75%; 95 CI: 28.17% - 60.67%) and domestic dogs (27.13%; 95 CI: 23.66% - 30.91%). All aside from one Namibian strain formed an independent clade, suggestive of extremely rare introduction events, followed by local persistence, circulation, and evolution. Remarkably, different recombination events were observed involving strains from both jackals and domestic dogs, which testify to the likely strain exchange between these populations. Distinctive amino acid residues were also observed in jackals. The limitations of the considered host populations however prevent a definitive conclusion on host adaptation, biological, and clinical features. Further studies should be performed to expand our current knowledge of the CanineCV disease scenario in Namibia, other African regions, and associated host species in Africa.
•First report of Canine circovirus in Namibia, Africa.•High detection frequency both in domestic dogs and jackals.•Frequent recombination events were observed.•Namibian strains likely originate from one or few introduction events.•Local evolution occurred after the first introduction.
Owing to domestication, dog behaviour differs from wolf behaviour, which should also affect time budgets. At the Wolf Science Center, wolves and mongrel dogs are raised and kept in a similar way; ...thus, it is an ideal place to compare the time budgets of wolves and dogs in search of potential domestication-related shifts. Seven wolf packs and four dog packs were observed over a full year. We focused on major behavioural categories, such as resting and foraging, and calculated the proportion of time they spent on each of these activities. Based on mainstream domestication hypotheses we predicted dogs to be generally more active than wolves because domestication would have relaxed the need for behavioural efficiency. As expected, wolves and dogs differed in their time budgets. Wolves slept, walked and vocalized more than dogs, whereas dogs foraged, sat and manipulated objects more. Human presence around the enclosure increased the activity of both, but dogs were more active than wolves in this situation. Season and time of day had the same effect on dogs and wolves. We conclude that dogs are not too different from wolves in intrinsic motivation affecting their time budgets, except for the increased responses of dogs to humans. This suggests that humans are more important as social Zeitgeber for dogs than for equally socialized wolves.
•Time budgets of equally raised and kept wolves and dogs differ less than expected.•Season and time of day had similar effects on wolf and dog time budgets.•Human presence had a greater effect on the activity of dogs than wolves.•Domestication has increased the importance of humans as social Zeitgeber in dogs.
There is an ongoing need to improve animal models for investigating human behavior and its biological underpinnings. The domestic dog ( Canis familiaris ) is a promising model in cognitive ...neuroscience. However, before it can contribute to advances in this field in a comparative, reliable, and valid manner, several methodological issues warrant attention. We review recent non-invasive canine neuroscience studies, primarily focusing on (i) variability among dogs and between dogs and humans in cranial characteristics, and (ii) generalizability across dog and dog–human studies. We argue not for methodological uniformity but for functional comparability between methods, experimental designs, and neural responses. We conclude that the dog may become an innovative and unique model in comparative neuroscience, complementing more traditional models.
Madagascar's Eupleridae carnivores are perhaps the least studied and most threatened family of Carnivora. Investigating potential direct and indirect competition among these native species and ...sympatric exotic carnivores is necessary to better direct conservation actions. From 2008 to 2013, we photographically surveyed a diverse rainforest landscape, comparing six native and three exotic carnivores' activity patterns throughout the diel cycle. We used hierarchical Bayesian Poisson analysis to describe the activity patterns of Madagascar's carnivore community, assessed effects of season and site on temporal activity patterns, and estimated coefficients of overlap between carnivore pairings to assess effects of body size and ecological niche on temporal overlap among native and exotic carnivores. We observed changes in temporal activity patterns across seasons particularly during the austral summer (hot–dry season) for four native and two exotic carnivores, including evidence of fossa Cryptoprocta ferox altering their temporal activity during their mating season (hot–dry season). We found evidence of high overlap between natives and exotics indicating the potential for increased interactions and competition. The greatest overlap in temporal activity occurred between both ring‐tail Galidia elegans and brown‐tail vontsira Salanoia concolor and exotic dogs Canis familiaris. Cr. ferox, falanouc Eupleres goudotii and spotted fanaloka Fossa fossana also overlapped in activity with the nocturnal, exotic Indian civet Viverricula indica. Cr. ferox avoided humans and Ca. familiaris across all seasons. Unexpectedly, carnivore body size and ecological niche were not important predictors of temporal overlap. Previous research has shown these native and exotic carnivores overlap spatially and these new findings of temporal overlap among native and exotic carnivores add urgency to the need to manage exotic carnivores across Madagascar.
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