A Critical Summary of Péter Pongrácz et al, 2005, The pet dogs ability for learning from a human demonstrator in a detour task is independent from the breed and age, Applied Animal Behavior Science 90, pp 309-323.
Using a detour task around a V-shaped transparent fence, Péter Pongrácz et al (2005) researched the pet dogs’ problem solving ability and capacity to learn from human, in this case from its owner. The main result was that there is no significant differences between breeds or dogs with different age in this task. In fact, living with human seemed to be more effect to dogs’ abilities because dogs are socialized to human environment. However, there might have been found some differences if researchers had used more difficult tasks to …show more content…
Resulting from this, dogs have different physical and mental characteristics. In this study, Péter Pongrácz et al (2005) selected 10 breeds and separated them to three groups (utility, shepherd and hunting dog group). Every dogs was at least 10-month-old pet dogs from Hungarian pet dog schools so they were living normal pet dog’s life in normal family. Researchers expected that it is possible to find significant differences between different breeds, breed groups and dogs’ age in their social learning and problem solving abilities. Not only this but also lack of research was the reason to conduct this study. Péter Pongrácz et al pointed out that previous research focused on differences between wolves’ and dogs’ behavior and dogs as an animal species but not as a variable group of …show more content…
However, researchers admitted that they might have used too easy detour task and there should have been more dogs measured in this study. In spite of some problems, I give my permission to researchers because this study proved the importance of human environment and activities with human to dogs’ abilities. In any case, this is good news to dogs’ owners. In brief, researchers did not discovered any significant differences between breeds in problem solving and social learning abilities. However, they found differences in eye contact which refer to the meaning of breed selection. In addition, results proved that there is needed further research probably with a bigger
Using a detour task around a V-shaped transparent fence, Péter Pongrácz et al (2005) researched the pet dogs’ problem solving ability and capacity to learn from human, in this case from its owner. The main result was that there is no significant differences between breeds or dogs with different age in this task. In fact, living with human seemed to be more effect to dogs’ abilities because dogs are socialized to human environment. However, there might have been found some differences if researchers had used more difficult tasks to …show more content…
Resulting from this, dogs have different physical and mental characteristics. In this study, Péter Pongrácz et al (2005) selected 10 breeds and separated them to three groups (utility, shepherd and hunting dog group). Every dogs was at least 10-month-old pet dogs from Hungarian pet dog schools so they were living normal pet dog’s life in normal family. Researchers expected that it is possible to find significant differences between different breeds, breed groups and dogs’ age in their social learning and problem solving abilities. Not only this but also lack of research was the reason to conduct this study. Péter Pongrácz et al pointed out that previous research focused on differences between wolves’ and dogs’ behavior and dogs as an animal species but not as a variable group of …show more content…
However, researchers admitted that they might have used too easy detour task and there should have been more dogs measured in this study. In spite of some problems, I give my permission to researchers because this study proved the importance of human environment and activities with human to dogs’ abilities. In any case, this is good news to dogs’ owners. In brief, researchers did not discovered any significant differences between breeds in problem solving and social learning abilities. However, they found differences in eye contact which refer to the meaning of breed selection. In addition, results proved that there is needed further research probably with a bigger