Looking For A Study

[Staranais]

I'm writing an essay at the moment and want to reference a paper I read a few years back. It was about a study compared the effectiveness of teaching dogs using verbal cues versus using hand signals.

From what I recall, the researchers taught puppies using both types of cue, then compared whether the hand signals or verbal commands were more readily understood by the puppies.

I think they used a couple of different breeds of puppy and compared them, finding that some breeds were good at responding to both cues, and some breeds more readily obeyed the hand signals? I have a feeling they might have used beagles and foxies, but could be dead wrong.

I can't remember the title, author or journal. If anyone out there knows anything about this study, I'd be really grateful if they could post the details.

[Guest Piximatosis]

I know that it was mentioned in The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell - I'm sorry but I don't have the book on hand, I loaned it to someone. If you happen to have that book on your shelf, you will be able to find the name/author of the paper in there...

[Staranais]

Thanks Pix! That's probably where I read about it.

I don't have the book myself, and unfortunately it's out of the library here.

If anyone out there has access to a copy of "The Other End of the Leash", I'd be really grateful if they could post the details of the study!

[Erny]

If anyone out there has access to a copy of "The Other End of the Leash", I'd be really grateful if they could post the details of the study!

Not sure what "studies" you're referring to Am. Much of Patricia's writings on the subject are anecdotal and cover numerous pages in her book.

Page 3 of "The Other End of the Leash" refers to Wolves of the World where Erik Zimen describes "45 movements that wolves use in social interactions. By comparison he mentions vocalisations only three times."

On Page 5 Patricia refers to an experiment that she, along with 2 undergraduate students, Jon Hensersky and Susan Murray did "to see if dogs paid more attention to sound or vision when learning a simple exercise". The result was that "23/24 pups performed better to the hand motion than to the sound." But she also expresses caution about the experiment given possible variables such as motion and sound being of exact same duration; or were pups conditioned to the hand because it was the same one which had fed the pups treats; or sample size of pups need to be larger.

If it is more detail of the experiment that she outlines on page 5/6, please let me know and I'll PM you with the info if you require.

Edited September 25, 2007 by Erny

[Staranais]

On Page 5 Patricia refers to an experiment that she, along with 2 undergraduate students, Jon Hensersky and Susan Murray did "to see if dogs paid more attention to sound or vision when learning a simple exercise". The result was that "23/24 pups performed better to the hand motion than to the sound." But she also expresses caution about the experiment given possible variables such as motion and sound being of exact same duration; or were pups conditioned to the hand because it was the same one which had fed the pups treats; or sample size of pups need to be larger.

That must have been what I was remembering - thanks! For some reason, I thought it was a proper peer reviewed study, but if she doesn't give a reference for the study in the back of her book then it must just be an informal one. It's only an undergrad essay I'm doing, so I might reference it anyway (naughty naughty, I know!)

Thanks Erny - you rock! Will PM you soon, but right now have to run off to an anatomy lab.

[Erny]

Am - This is in her reference list :

"The books below were important sources for this chapter on visual signals of primates."

de Waal, Frans. 1996. Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

de Waal, Fans. 1998. Chimpanzee Politics, Power and Sex Among Apes. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Goodall, Jan van Lawick. 1971. In the Shadow of Man. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Snowdon, Charles T. In Press. "Expression of Emotion in Nonhuman Animals."

In Handbook of Affective Science. edited by R.J. Davidson, H.H. Goldsmith and K. Scherer. New York : Oxford University Press.

Scrum, Shirley C. 1987. Almost Human. New Yord: Random House.

ETA: There is another reference in relation to her chapter about "Talking to Each Other".

McConnell, Patricia B. 1992. "Louder than Words." AKC Gazette 109 (May) no. 5; 38-43"

I don't know the contents of it but going by the title and given the fact she talks about signals -vs- verbal, it might be an article along the lines of what you seek.

Edited September 25, 2007 by Erny

[Staranais]

Thanks a bunch! The last article looks like what I'm after, but since it's not peer reviewed, I might as well just reference the book I think.