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Egocentric search for disappearing objects in domestic dogs: evidence for a geometric hypothesis of direction

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Abstract

In several species, the ability to locate a disappearing object is an adaptive component of predatory and social behaviour. In domestic dogs, spatial memory for hidden objects is primarily based on an egocentric frame of reference. We investigated the geometric components of egocentric spatial information used by domestic dogs to locate an object they saw move and disappear. In experiment 1, the distance and the direction between the position of the animal and the hiding location were put in conflict. Results showed that the dogs primarily used the directional information between their own spatial coordinates and the target position. In experiment 2, the accuracy of the dogs in finding a hidden object by using directional information was estimated by manipulating the angular deviation between adjacent hiding locations and the position of the animal. Four angular deviations were tested: 5, 7.5, 10 and 15°. Results showed that the performance of the dogs decreased as a function of the angular deviations but it clearly remained well above chance, revealing that the representation of the dogs for direction is precise. In the discussion, we examine how and why domestic dogs determine the direction in which they saw an object disappear.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an operating research grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by a research grant from the Faculté des Études Supérieures et de la Recherche of the Université de Moncton. The experiments received approval from the Comité de Protection des Animaux from the Faculté des Etudes Supérieures et de la Recherche of the Université de Moncton, which is responsible for the application and enforcement of rules of the Canadian Council on Animal Care. We thank the owners of the dogs who participated in these experiments

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  1. Secteur Sciences Humaines, Université de Moncton, Campus d’Edmundston, Edmundston, New-Brunswick, Canada, E3V 2S8

    Sylvain Fiset & Manon Ouellette

  2. Département des Sciences Biologiques, Faculté des Sciences, UQAM C.P. 8888, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8

    France Landry

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  1. Sylvain Fiset
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  2. France Landry
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Correspondence to Sylvain Fiset.

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Fiset, S., Landry, F. & Ouellette, M. Egocentric search for disappearing objects in domestic dogs: evidence for a geometric hypothesis of direction. Anim Cogn 9, 1–12 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-005-0255-1

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