Familiar Dog or Familiar Person: Who Do Pet Dogs Best Synchronize with?

ABSTRACT: Behavioural synchronization in dogs has been examined separately at intraspecific and interspecific levels. This study is the first to compare dogs' behavioural synchronization and gaze behaviour when with a familiar person (with FP) compared to a familiar dog (with FD), while walking in an outdoor environment. Twenty dogs were observed under the two experimental conditions. We hypothesized that dogs would demonstrate stronger location and activity synchronization with an FD than with an FP due to similar locomotor patterns, while showing greater gaze attention towards the FP compared to the FD. Our hypothesis was partially confirmed. The results revealed a significantly shorter distance between dogs and the FD than between dogs and the FP. Dogs exhibited a smaller speed difference with th

SUBMITTER: Lamontagne A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11852022 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature