Body Awareness Does Not Need a Pedigree: Mixed-Breed Dogs Rely More on Self-Representation Than Social Learning in a Spatial Task

Body awareness allows the individual to negotiate spatial tasks by referencing their own body. Here, we tested whether biologically meaningful factors, such as an alternative solution (detour around an obstacle) and learning from a human demonstrator, would affect dogs' reliance on their body size in an aperture test. We hypothesized that the dogs would choose the socially reinforced solution over a shortcut, and they would choose the shortcut when the opening was comfortably large. We tested N = 45 adult, mixed-breed dogs, by using a 3 m long, transparent fence. The dogs had three trials with closed doors and then three trials with either a small (but passable) or a large open door. In the demonstration group the experimenter performed a detour before the first three trials, then we opened the large door. The dogs preferred the shortcut, where they relied on body awareness, as they either hesitated or opted for a detour when the small door was open. The dogs who watched the demonstration for longer in trial 3 chose the door less often in trial 4, which indicates social learning. By testing mixed-breed dogs, our results are minimally influenced by functional breed selection and serve as valuable baseline for testing complex socio-cognitive traits in companion dogs.