Domestic pet dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) do not show a preference to contrafreeload, but are willing.

ABSTRACT: Contrafreeloading is the behavior of working for food when also provided with identical food that does not require effort to obtain. This behavior has been observed in humans and non-human animals, including domesticated species. In the current investigation, we assessed whether companion animals, specifically domestic dogs, contrafreeload when presented with two feeders simultaneously, a snuffle mat (a work for food device) and a tray (a freely available food device). Thirty-eight pet dogs participated in the study in which ten feeding trials were presented where food was distributed equally in both feeders. Three overarching research questions were considered: (1) Do dogs prefer to contrafreeload and/or are they willing to contrafreeload, (2) is activity (step count) or body condition sc

SUBMITTER: Rothkoff L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10789754 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature