Enhanced Selection of Assistance and Explosive Detection Dogs Using Cognitive Measures.

ABSTRACT: Working dogs play a variety of important roles, ranging from assisting individuals with disabilities, to explosive and medical detection work. Despite widespread demand, only a subset of dogs bred and trained for these roles ultimately succeed, creating a need for objective measures that can predict working dog aptitude. Most previous research has focused on temperamental characteristics of successful dogs. However, working dogs also face diverse cognitive challenges both in training, and throughout their working lives. We conducted a series of studies investigating the relationships between individual differences in dog cognition, and success as an assistance or detection dog. Assistance dogs (N = 164) and detection dogs (N = 222) were tested in the Dog Cognition Test Batter

SUBMITTER: MacLean EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6180148 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature