https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4871 Showing—intentional communication—in dogs (Canis familiaris) Heberlein, Marianne T. E. Marianne T. E. Heberlein 0009-0005-5726-5178 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Oberliessen, Lina V. Lina V. Oberliessen Viranyi, Zsofia Zsofia Viranyi 0000-0003-3963-8426 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Lutonsky, Christiane Christiane Lutonsky 0009-0008-2482-3534 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Turner, Dennis C. Dennis C. Turner Frontiers Media Sa journal article open access eng Introduction: The characterization of imperative pointing as intentional communication, aimed at eliciting specific actions from a partner, has been debated, with some suggesting it reflects an understanding of others as causal agents rather than attributing intentional states to them. While gaze alternation has been identified as an important form of intentional communication in humans and apes, its interpretation in dogs remains unclear. Methods: This research investigates dogs’ capacity for gaze alternation and other showing behaviors, examining their flexibility in adjusting to the cooperativeness or knowledge state of their human partners. Two experiments were conducted: (1) hiding food in the presence of dogs either with or without their owners observing the hiding procedure, and (2) hiding food in the presence of dogs and a cooperative or a competitive human partner. In the first experiment the behaviors of 21 dogs and in the second experiment 23 dogs were analyzed. Results: Dogs exhibited more gaze alternation and food-directed showing behaviors when their owner lacked knowledge of the food location and in the presence of a cooperative partner. Conversely, they showed an empty hiding place to the competitive partner, suggesting an understanding of the partner’s intention to consume the hidden reward. Discussion: In the two independent experiments, we showed how flexibly dogs adapt their showing behavior to the knowledge or expected behavior of their human partners. These findings confirm dogs’ comprehension of the informative value of their behavior, suggesting that their showing behavior is a form of intentional communication. Canis Familiaris Gognition Intentional Communication Dog Gaze Alternation Intentional Referential Showing http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:4871/download 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608797 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:605 application/pdf Frontiers in Psychology issn:1664-1078 VoR Frontiers in Psychology 16 983.57 kB 2025