Citizen Scientists Conduct Research on Dog Intelligence with Their Pets

Citizen scientists may be contributing to research on dogs. A total of 500 citizen scientists from around the world have turned in data for a study on what goes on inside the minds of their dogs.

The new study aims to find out about a dog's cognitive skills and problem-solving. The citizen scientists had to conduct a series of game-like tests with their dogs.

For example, one of these tests involved hiding a treat from the dog under one of two cups. While the dog's vision was obscured, the owner then switched the food to the other cup. If the dogs could smell the food, they should have been able to choose the correct cup. However, the owners found that most dogs went to where they last saw the food.

The data was collected through a website called Dognition.com. This allowed owners to easily submit their data after conducting these series of game-like tests.

"The data these dog owners are producing is quality data," said Evan MacLean, one of the researchers, in a news release. "It matches the results we see coming out of the top research groups all over the world."

In this case, the researchers found that dogs have a unique set of cognitive skills that they use to navigate the world around them. Some dogs were found to be good communicators, some had better memories, and others were better at taking their owner's perspective.

The researchers are currently looking forward to further data from citizen scientists. This study, in particular, highlights the importance of citizen science. More specifically, it reveals that these types of techniques can be used to gather large amounts of data in a relatively short period of time.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.

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