You Scratch my Back , I Scratch Yours ... Or Do I ?
Research study tries to pin down whether dogs reciprocate with other dogs , humans
By Kristina Spaulding , Ph . D , CAAB , and Irith Bloom , CPDT-KSA , CDBC , KPA CTP , VSPDT , CBATI
ooperation occurs when two or more animals act together to achieve a shared goal . Common examples of cooperative behavior include play and group hunting . Cooperation is closely tied to the concept of reciprocation , or the act of “ returning a favor .” We know dogs can cooperate in hunting and play , but do they reciprocate with other dogs ? How about with people ?
Previous research on dogs shows some evidence of reciprocity toward other dogs . For example , in one study ( Gfrerer and Taborsky , 2017 ), helper dogs were trained to pull a tray with food toward the subject dog . The subject dog was then tested in one of three conditions : 1 ) with a previously cooperative dog , 2 ) with an unknown dog , or 3 ) with an empty kennel . The subject dogs pulled the tray more often after receiving food — both with the previously helpful dog and the unfamiliar dog ! What does this mean ? It may mean that dogs become more generous in general after receiving help from another dog , rather than focusing specifically on the helpful individual .
The same researchers also conducted a follow-up study . In the follow-up study , the dogs had the option to help a previously helpful dog or a previously uncooperative dog . If the subject dog was initially paired with an unhelpful dog , they still got food , but it was provided by a human experimenter , rather than by the other dog . Interestingly , in this follow-up study , subject dogs did return the favor to previously helpful dogs , but not to unhelpful dogs .
Researchers are still actively studying the question of reciprocity in dogs , and several questions remain unanswered . For example , did the dogs in the first study really reciprocate or was something else going on ? If dogs do reciprocate , will they show similar behavior with people ? What factors might influence the likelihood of reciprocation and how might that behavior be connected to other behaviors ?
Jim McGetrick , a doctoral student at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna , Austria , and colleagues recently investigated whether dogs reciprocate food sharing behaviors with people . Although this is the first study of its kind (“ Dogs fail to reciprocate the receipt of food from a human in a food-giving task ” published in July 2021 ), we do know that dogs are able to distinguish between cooperative and uncooperative humans .
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Spring 2022 39