Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

I did reveal breed differences in both the problem-solving test and in the pointing test, although they were not in the communication behaviours that were the focus of the study. The lower performances of the German Shepherds in the pointing test could be due to intrinsic lower trustfulness of German Shepherd dogs in strangers.

The latency of choice was correlated to the intensity of the dogs but also to the body posture and the physical contacts with the experimenter. Overall, the latency of choice could be an indicator of the level of trust of the dog (trust in its choice, in the experimenter, and self-confidence).

I also conclude that this study and the parallel one on Labrador types give strong indication of the impact of recent breeding for a different purpose, and show that types of a same breed can differ as much or more than two different breeds.