Does Nose Work Training Affect Dog Executive Function and Physical Fitness in Humans and Dogs?

Among domesticated animals, dogs are physically and behaviorally diverse. While centuries of breeding for specific traits accounts for many of these differences, myriad factors influence variation in cognitive and physical abilities among individual dogs. Here, we investigate whether training for nose work-type sports affects dog executive function and physical fitness in both dogs and their human companions. Given the demands of such training, we hypothesized that dogs and people who participate in nose work would have higher physical fitness, and the dogs would have advanced executive function compared to those that do not do the sport. Twenty-six dogs and seventeen human companions were recruited for this pilot study. Humans completed a questionnaire that included the Dog Executive Function Scale, information about dog training, and a 7-day physical activity recall. Humans and dogs performed a battery of fitness tests, and dogs completed two cognitive tests. We found that fitness scores did not differ between groups (nose work/non-nose work) in dogs or people, and nose work training associated with higher reported dog executive function scores. Notably, more formal nose work training was associated with less "giving up" in an unsolvable task, implying that training quality may impact task persistence in dogs.