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Although they all belong to the same species (that of the canis familiaris) among the different dog breeds there are considerable differences not only physical, but also related to behavior and at cognitive abilities. millennia of programmed crossings and differentiated breedings have allowed human beings to select the physical and intellectual characteristics they wanted for their favorite pets, obtaining the subdivision between the 356 breeds currently existing. L’inheritance cognitive traits e the associations between race and temperament canine are studied for research in animal ethology and genetics which seeks to identify a specific cognitive-behavioral framework for each breed (or group of breeds).
In a recent study published in naturessome researchers of the University of Helsinki subjected a sample of 1002 dogs to a series of psychological and skill tests to find out whether learning abilities, memory, inhibitory control, problem solving, and social cognition varied significantly across race of belonging.
The dogs were divided into 13 groups. The first 12 included same-breed specimens (Australian Kelpie, Australian Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Border Collie, English Cocker Spaniel, Finnish Lapphund, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Hovawart, Labrador Retriever, Shetland Sheepdog, and Spanish Water Dog ), while the thirteenth was made up of mixed-breed dogs. Most of the dogs included in the study were pets who lived in private homes, but there were also 31 among them police dogs.
The skill tests that the dogs had to complete were to measure the propensity to to interact with humans and follow their directions, understanding the meanings of the different gestures humans, cognition spacethe ability to concentrate and control the impulsivity to perform a difficult task, the ability to to explore a new environment and the level of power.
For example, one of the tests that the dogs that took part in the study underwent is called cylinder test, and it works like this: Inside a clear cylinder is a morsel of food. The dog, to be able to catch him, has to hold his own impulsivity (which would induce him to go directly towards the food, thus crashing against the walls of the cylinder) and instead understand that to get his reward he must first get around the obstacle, thus going to position itself in front of the opening of the cylinder, and then insert the muzzle inside it. Another test for measuring inhibitory control involved spotting and following as quickly as possible a V-shaped path to be able to get a food reward.
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