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LisetteGonzalez
Writing39C
ProfessorMcClure
30July2015
CognitioninDogs:Howmuchdotheyknow?

Asdogsbecamedomesticated,manypeoplehaveabusedtheirpowerovertheseanimals
whohavedonenothingbutprovide,protect,andlovetheverypeoplewhoharmthem.Dogs
haverecentlyevolvednaturallytomeetdifferentneedssuchasguarddogs,policedogs,or
specialneedsdogs,eachhavingtheirownsetofqualitiesmeantforthatcriteria.However,
pictureourcaninefriendssufferingfromexaggeratedanddistortedfeatures,squashedmuzzles,
andhairlessbodies,whichdiminishesananimalslifeandsometimesprovesfatal,causedby
unnaturalbreeding(Gibson44).Inasense,theydontknowthepaintheybringtodogsandthat
theseanimalsareactuallycapableofcomprehendingwhatishappeningtothem.MarcBekoff,
cofounderofEthologistsforEthicalTreatmentofAnimals,mentions,inallmammals,theresa
limbicsystemandtheamygdala,areasinthebrainrelatedtofeelingslikepainandhunger,
meaningeveryanimalishardwiredtohaveanemotionallifehelpingprovethattheseanimals
feelwhattheyarebeingputthrough(Clemmitt878).Iwillreviewdifferentstudiesand
argumentsinwhichtheprocessofdogbreedingbegan,howdogcognitionprovesthatit
possiblyaffectsdogs,consideringtheycomprehendwhatishappening,andwhatisbeingdoneto
preventsuchcrueltreatmentofanimalsthatpracticallysharethesamemindashumans.
Oncepeoplerealizedtheycouldmanipulateadogsappearanceforshows,itmarkedthe
starttoseriousproblemsfordogs.TheKennelClubsinEnglandwereformedin1873andthey
createdtherightlookfordogstocompeteindogshows,stoppingatnocost(Hancock).Itused

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tobethatdogsnaturallybredforqualitiesthatwouldhelphumans,suchashuntingand
protection.Aspeoplegrewmorecomfortablewithdogs,thesequalitieswerenolongerthemain
reasonforbreeding.ProblemscontinuedastheAmericanKennelClub(AKC)wasfoundedin
1884intheUnitedStates.Theymanagedover100breedsofdogs,keepingaregistryofancestry
justtomaintainpurebreddogsinlineforspectaclesputonbyhumans(Cohen,HartCohen26).
PaulMcGreevyandFrankNicholas,bothprofessorsofVeterinaryScience,arguethat
appearancewasprioritizedoverfunctionalityasdogbreederscompetedtogivetheirdogthebest
traits(McGreevy,Nicholas330).Thesedogsfacedandstillfacehealthproblemsassociatedwith
selectivebreeding,includingheartproblems,eyedisorders,andskindisorders.JohnSmith
Baxter,avetfromLeeds,hadnoticedtheplatellasofatopCruftsspanielslippingoutofplace,
certainitwascausedbyaninheritedabnormalityfrominbreeding(Gibson44).Dogsgetputin
thesepositions,andsometimesgettossedouttothestreetswhentheydontmeettheirowners
needsandtheresaveryhighpossibilitytheseanimalsknowwhatisbeingdonetothemandfeel
justasmuchpainasanyhuman.Luckilysciencehasalreadybegantopartakeinthissubject,
creatingandresearchingnewexperimentsfordogs,someofwhichIwillreviewinthenextfew
pages.
Scientistshavebeenstudyinganimalcognition,tounderstandthembetter,knowwhat
theythink,oriftheythink.Dogshavebeenloyaltohumanseversincetheyweredomesticated,
soitisonlyreasonabletofigureoutwhattheyfeel,especiallywhentherearepeoplewhodoubt
theirmentalcapacities.
AstudyconductedbySanniSomppi,LauraHanninen,OutiVainio,
facultyofVeterinaryScience,andHeiniTornqvist,ChristinaKrause,facultyofBehavioral
Sciences,allfromtheUniversityofHelsinki,usingeyetrackinghave
helpedfurtherprovethat

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dogscanmentallyrelatetohumansandmonkeysinaway(172).Dogsweretrainedtositina
certainpositionandlookatavarietyofimagestoseehowtheyreacttoeachone.Most
importantlytheymadesuretherewasnohumaninterferenceaswithpreviousexperiments,the
dogownersmayhavesubconsciouslyinfluencedthedogbecausedogsarehighlysensitiveto
humangesturesandattentionalstates(
Somppi,Tornqvist,Hanninen,Krause,Vainio164).For
thisexperimentthough,
noneofthedogswerecuedtolookatimagesorforcedtostayintheir
designatedpositionsothatitselfshowedtheirabilitytofollowcommandsastheyweredirected
inthebeginning.Theireyesweretrackedwithaninfraredbasedeyetrackingsystemthatwas
calibratedtoeachdogseyes(
Somppi,Tornqvist,Hanninen,Krause,Vainio165)
.Inoneofthe
sessionsthedogswereshownfourimages,adog,ahuman,anobject,andaletter.Thedogs
eyesweretrackedandtheresultsshowedthattheyfixatedonthedogpicturemoreandfora
longerperiodoftimethananyotherpicture,suggestinganexpertiseintheperceptionofown
species(
Somppi,Tornqvist,Hanninen,Krause,Vainio166
).Figure1showstheexacteye
movementsofthedogstested,wherethelinesrepresentthetracedpathoftheireyemovements
andthecirclesrepresentafixedgaze.Thelargerthecircle,thelongerthegaze.

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Figure1.
Somppi,Sani,Tornqvist,Heini,Hanninen,Laura,KrauseChristina,VainioOuti.
"Dogsdolookatimages:Eyetrackingincaninecognitionresearch".
AnimalCognition
Vol.15
(2012):166.Print.

Obviouslydogswereabletodistinguishmanythings,showingtheirmentalcapabilities,although
scientistsarestillnotabletoproveexactlywhattheysee.Thefactthattheycanrecognize
picturesdemonstratestheyarecapableofformingmentalrepresentationsthroughpictures
(
Somppi,Tornqvist,Hanninen,Krause,Vainio172
)Iftheycandothiswiththeirminds,what
elsearetheycapableofdoingorknowing?
Objectpermanenceandsocialcueingarebothsimpleandinterestingformsofcognition,
whereoneisthetheideathatanobjectexistseventhoughitisnotvisibleandtheotheris
directingtoanobjectbypointing,respectively.Objectpermanencewasoriginallyusedfor
studiesinvolvinginfants,untilthe1980sand1990swhenpsychologistsappliedittodogsand
foundtheyhadconsistentlevelsofperformance(Clotfelter,Hollis293).Inanexperiment
conductedbystudents,thesephenomenonsweretestedfordogs,inanefforttounderstanddog
cognition.Successratesslowlydroppedasdogsmovedfromstagetostageintheobject
permanenceexperiment,butnonethelessshowedtheirabilitytounderstandtheexercise.Itis
possibletoothatthedogsoptedoutasathirdchoice,becauseofanuncertainfeeling,
describedbyJ.DavidSmith,apsychologyprofessoratStateUniversityofNewYork,proving
recognitionoftheirownmentalfeelingofuncertainty,asignofmetacognition(Clemmitt

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875).Figure2showsthesuccessratesfromtheobjectpermanenceandsocialcueingexperiment,
withasteadydropineachlevelforobjectpermanence(visible,sequential,invisible).

Figure2.
Clotfelter,EthanD.,Hollis,KarenL."CognitioninDomesticDogs:Object
PermanenceandSocialCueing".
AmericanBiologyTeacher(NationalAssociationofBiology
Teachers)
Vol.70(2008):295.Print.

Socialcueingpresenteddifferentresultsasdogsperformedbetter,leadingresearcherstobelieve
onlycertaincognitiveabilitieswereselectedduringdomesticationforhumandog
communication(Clotfelter,Hollis293).Fordogstodisplaysuchcharacteristicsonlygives
furtherevidenceofthemindstheyhaveanduseonadailybasis.Sothequestionremains,do
dogsknowwhatisgoingon?Dotheproblemsofinbreedingorbreedingingeneralaffectthem
inanyway?Ifithasbeenproventhatthegapbetweenhumanandanimalmindsisgetting
smaller,itsverylikelytheyexperienceandunderstandthetroublestheyareputthroughwhenit
comestothisissue.

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Breedingdogscontinuestobeanissue,butpeoplecontinuedoingit,despitethescience
provingtheproblemsdogsface,whethertheyarephysicalormental.Deleteriousgenesare
usuallykeptatlowlevelsbecauseofnaturalselection,butoncehumansinterferewith
inbreeding,thoselevelschangefortheworse.Genepoolsbecomelimitedasdogssufferthrough
problemstheyshouldnthavefacedinthebeginning(McGreevy,Nicholas334).Paul
McGreevyandFrankNicholas,bothprofessorsofVeterinaryScienceattheUniversityof
Sydney,discussintheirarticleaboutdogbreedingproblemshowpeopleoftenoverselectthe
traitstheyfavor,causingbehaviorproblemsthat,insomecases,leadtoeuthanasia(McGreevy,
Nicholas332).Alteringadogsappearance,incertainbreeds,canalsoaffectthemphysically,
disruptingtheirwaysofcommunication.Difficultiesindisplayingtheirteethorevenwagging
theirtailisproofofthechallengesadogfaceswhentheirownertriestorefinetheminto
somethingtheyareclearlynot(McGreevy,Nicholas332).Peopletendtoforgettheenvironment
dogsneedtosurvive,whichissolelybasedoncommunicationwithhumans.Scienceshowsthere
aremanyanimals,includingdogs,whohavelearnedhundredsofspokenwordsandcommands,
evidenceshowingtheirknowledgeofthehumanlanguage,socuttingoffthatrelationship
distanceshumansfromdogs,abondthattookyearstobuild(Clemmitt877).Dogscontinueto
showpeoplehowmuchtheyactuallyknowandthethingstheyareabletolearnandthereare
peoplewhoknowandunderstandtheimportanceofimprovingthewelfareofdogs,considering
weliveinaworldwheretheyarebeginningtobecomemorethanjustanimals.
Scienceandresearchhashelpedprovethementalcapabilitiesdogsarecapableofandthe
effectsdogbreedinghasontheseabilities.Oneofhumansclosestcompanions,thedog,is
mistreatedandloved,aclosefamilymemberandastrayanimal,yettheycontinuetointegrate

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themselvesintoaworldthatusesthemwithoutdiscipline.Animalactivist,TempleGrandin,
takesthetimetoremindeveryone,Peoplewouldnthavebecomewhowearetodayifwehadnt
coevolvedwithdogs.(Klinkenborg).Dogshavebeenabletoshowhumanswhattheyare
capableof,mentally,throughmanyexperimentsandexercisesand,althoughtherewillalwaysbe
skeptics,peopleneedtorealizetheyarefilteringanimal'sintelligence,basedhumanlives,and
theirwellbeingshouldalwaysbeapriority.Puppylemonlawshavebeenenacted,mostly
towardspuppymills,tomakesuredogbreedersraisethesedogsinahealthyandconsiderate
environmentasanattempttocontrolbreeding.(Cohen,HartCohen29).Peopleareawareofthis
problem,hencetheselaws,soitiscrucialthatbreedsocietiesandassociationsalsoplayarolein
thisissuebyregulatinghowbreedersalterandmanipulatetheirdogsforshows.Bydoingthis,
theynotonlyliberatedogsoftheirpain,butalsoencouragethemtogrowandthinklikethey
naturallyshould.Iflessattentionwerepaidtotraitsofonlyperipheralimportance,itwouldbe
possibletoimposequitestrongselectionforrelevanttemperamentandperformance,says
McGreevy,andusestheracinggreyhoundasanexample,statingtheyhavefewerorthopaedic
problems(333).Dogsaredevelopingamindthatismorehumanlike,sosaysPsychology
professorfromtheUniversityofKentucky,ThomasZentall,Humansarespecial,buttheymay
notbeasspecialastheythink,(Clemmitt881).Soitisuptoeveryonetohelpsolvethis
breedingproblemanywaypossibleinordertoprotectoneofourlongtimefriends.

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WorksCited

Clemmitt,Marcia.AnimalIntelligence.
CQResearcher
20.37(2010):869892.Web.
Clotfelter,EthanD.,Hollis,KarenL."CognitioninDomesticDogs:ObjectPermanence
andSocialCueing".
AmericanBiologyTeacher(NationalAssociationofBiology
Teachers)
Vol.70(2008):293298.Print.
Cohen,LloydD.,HartCohen,DebraS.ShowDogsandBreeding.
GPSolo
July2009:
2630.Web.
Gibson,Helen.AFlawedBeauty.
TimeEurope
6Aug.2001:44.Web.
Hancock,David."WhattheVictoriansDidforDogs."
CharwynneDogFeatures
.N.p.,n.d.
Web.<http://www.davidhancockondogs.com/archives/archive_399_493/461.html>.
Klinkenborg,Verlyn."WhatDoAnimalsthink?".
Discover,
KalmbachPublishingCo.,01
May2005.Web.n.d.
McGreevy,PaulD.,Nicholas,FrankW.SomePracticalSolutionstoWelfareProblemsIn
DogBreeding.
AnimalWelfare
8(1999):329341.Print.
Somppi,Sani,Tornqvist,Heini,Hanninen,Laura,KrauseChristina,VainioOuti."Dogs
dolookatimages:eyetrackingincaninecognitionresearch".
AnimalCognition
Vol.15
(2012):163174.Print.