DOG-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP AFFECTS PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIOR IN THE DOG

In this paper we present evidence that simple problem solving in the d og is strongly influenced by the relationship with the owner Twenty-ei ght dog-owner pairs were observed in a novel situation and when perfor ming a simple problem-solving task. Dogs were categorized according to their relationship with the owners (''companionship'' or ''working re lationship''). In addition to the behavioral analysis of the dogs, the anthropomorphic attitudes of the owners were assessed by a questionna ire. Factor analysis showed two factors of correlated behavioral varia bles (''social dependence,'' ''social play'') of the dogs that referre d to the dog-human relationship. Dogs in a companion relationship beha ved socially dependently, showing a decreased performance in the probl em solving task and were viewed more anthropomorphically by the owners . Results suggest that the dogs' decreased problem-solving performance is less dependent on their cognitive abilities; instead the strong, d ependent relationship with the owner prevents them from completing the task successfully. On the basis of our results, we argue that the dec reased problem solving ability in the domestic dog is not due to their domestication but their strong attachment to humans.