Dog cognitive behavior is pretty heritable

[sandgrubber]

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/these-adorable-puppies-may-help-explain-why-dogs-understand-our-body-language

Some interesting experiments on human body language (eye contact, pointing) with a large number of 8 week old puppies.  

 

"

Enter puppies. If social intelligence is genetic, dogs should display it at a very young age. And there shouldn’t be any learning required.

That’s what MacLean and his colleagues found. The scientists partnered with Canine Companions for Independence, which breeds dogs to assist people in the United States with post-traumatic stress disorder and physical disabilities. The group loaned the researchers 375 8-week-old Labrador and golden retriever pups: They were just old enough to participate in the experiments, but young enough to have had very little interaction—and thus experience or learning—with people."

Edited March 19, 2021 by sandgrubber

[moosmum]

Makes sense to me.

 

The commercialisation and codes of accreditation today imposes standardised training methods that favour the use of arbitrary drives.

 

Before this commercial trend,  Working Dogs were selected from on the job successes, so the best dogs would do the job required naturally, by choice.

The trainers job was more to show how and when, or to teach responsibility to the job.

 

Much like working stock dogs today that have so far avoided the impacts of more commercial, trial based lines.

 

Selection has been removed on the basis of Response- Ability to environment, and towards recognition of cues to set actions. That requires drives that have little to do with the dogs intended purpose. Form before Function.

 

Function is lost when its form is limited to a marginalised set of conditions. 

[sandgrubber]

On 19/03/2021 at 2:24 PM, moosmum said:

 

On 19/03/2021 at 2:24 PM, moosmum said:

Before this commercial trend,  Working Dogs were selected from on the job successes, so the best dogs would do the job required naturally, by choice.

The trainers job was more to show how and when, or to teach responsibility to the job.

 

Yes... although this research was looking at more basic behaviors... like making eye contact and interpreting a pointing finger.