Cognitive Canine: What I learned about my dog

Through the three-day seminar and testing put on by Cameron Ford, of FordK9 and hosted by Scott Tarpley of Next Level Kennels.

Test subject: Holden

Breed: American Brittany

Age: 1 year

Sex: Male

Typically referred to as a bird dog or gun dog, this sporting group breed is known for pointing upland birds through the use of their nose. They are (usually) a cooperative, outgoing, athletic, eager, and trainable dog. They can be needy, impulsive, destructive, and have a short attention span. They require a routine schedule that incorporates both mental and physical activity.

Even with breed standards and what a bird dog should be there is still the individual dog to look at and consider when training. By testing Holden, I can better tailor his training to how he learns and understand why he may be better at one kind of sport or activity than another.

Another assumption that is made about the sporting breeds is that they have a better memory than the herding breeds, however the herding breeds are better at making inferences. Sporting dogs must remember where a bird was shot for a faster retrieval, they work off nose and memory. While herding breeds need to have constant vigilance when herding a flock.

Through the five parts of the cognition testing, I found that Holden is better at making inferences than using his memory. Some sporting dog he is, ha-ha! He did score decently in memory, he just scored better in inference testing than the memory tests. He is still a very smart boy.

What this means in how his brain works, is that he learns by solving problems rather than remembering a pattern or sequence. When training I need to keep myself out of his process as much as possible and let him figure things out. I also need to be conscious of my body language and eye contact that is given. Most of all allow him to make choices in training, rather than showing or telling him what to do.

Inference tests

There were three parts in the inference portion of the test: distracting pointing cue, marker cue, and causality.

During the distracting pointing cue test the dog observes you putting the reward underneath a bucket, but you point and say look at the opposite bucket without the food. The dog is then released and decides. This measures the dog’s tendency to use human gestures to solve a problem even though they are given the answer.

Holden scored a 100% on distracting pointing cue

For the marker cue test the dog is shown the reward but is blind as to the location the reward goes, they must rely on inference of a neutral marker that is placed on top of the bucket that holds the reward. This test measures the dog’s tendency to make spontaneous inferences about a neutral object’s relevance.

Holden scored an 83% on marker cue.

(However, I believe that he would have scored 100% if I had not accidentally made eye contact with him on trial 4. This was to our benefit, because I now know that his decision can be swayed by even the littlest of eye contact.)

In the causality test the dog is shown the reward but is blind to the location the reward goes and the buckets are no longer visible, instead one bucket is used to hold the reward and is hidden underneath a cloth. This test measures the dog’s willingness to search once the visual provided has been taken away.

Holden scored a 66% on causality.

After putting all three scores together the average for the inference test as a whole is an 81%. He needed to score 75% or higher on inference to be in this category.

Memory Test

There are two parts to the memory test: working memory and working memory with distractions.

For the working memory test three buckets are arranged on the floor, the dog is shown the reward, and which bucket it is placed under. The buckets are then hidden from the dog’s view for three rounds at 20 seconds and three rounds at 40 seconds. The buckets are then revealed, and the dog is released to make a choice. This measures the dog’s short-term and long-term memory.

Holden scored a 50% on working memory.

During the working memory with distractions test it is the same set up and steps as working memory, except that the handler has to distract the dog during the 20 and 40 seconds of waiting time. This measures the dog’s ability to focus on a task while distractions are present.

Holden scored a 66% on working memory with distractions.

I was confused as to how Holden could have done better when he was being distracted than when he was supposedly focused on the task. He did better for two reasons. The first being that when aroused it brings down a dog’s ability to learn. While waiting during the 20 and 40 second periods, Holden was nonstop barking which can be an indicator of a high state of arousal in a dog. But while waiting for the distraction test, he was relaxed while getting scratches by me. The other reason being that just like humans with ADHD, dogs can have an easier time concentrating on task when there is more than one thing going on.

Results

Going forward I plan to take the results from this test and apply them to multiple areas of training. I have already made evaluations in past bird dog training and testing, one example which revolves around his tracking. Moving forward Holden will be dabbling in two new activities: agility and narcotics detection. I am curious to see what he takes to naturally.

(These modes of testing are used in both guide dog programs and for K9 detection dogs.)