Object-directed behaviors and human-directed sociability are linked in free-ranging dog puppies
Title (eng)
Object-directed behaviors and human-directed sociability are linked in free-ranging dog puppies
Manon Delaunay
Abstract (eng)
Most behavioral studies in dogs have investigated sociability and exploration of novelty as separate traits, often using different test settings and behavioral measures. However, this approach does not allow to assess whether these traits may instead reflect a shared underlying mechanism, such as a general tendency to approach novel stimuli, regardless of their social nature. In this study, we exposed pre-weaned free-ranging dog puppies to an unfamiliar human and a novel object. Free-ranging dog puppies were chosen to minimize the effect of experience and breed-selection biases. At 3 weeks of age, behaviors such as interaction, activity, and tail-wagging toward a novel object predicted similar behaviors toward a human, suggesting a unified trait rather than separate traits for sociability and object exploration. This challenges the traditional dichotomy between human-directed sociability and object exploration, proposing a common underlying mechanism. Nevertheless, puppies also showed more frequent behaviors with the social stimulus, likely due to greater sensitivity to animated stimuli.
Keywords (eng)
Canine BehaviorBiological SciencesCognitive Neuroscience
Type (eng)
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
Is in series
Title (eng)
iScience
Volume
28
Issue
9
ISSN
2589-0042
Issued
2025
Number of pages
14
Publication
Cell Press
Version type (eng)
Date issued
2025
Access rights (eng)
License
Rights statement (eng)
© 2025 The Authors
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https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4896 - Other links and identifiers
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- RightsLicenseRights statement© 2025 The Authors
- DetailsResource typeText (PDF)Formatapplication/pdfCreated06.02.2026 09:25:33 UTC
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