Johnson: Study shows dogs collaborate more than we knew

The dog can be a snoring, comatose lump, but if you set a plate of food on the coffee table and walk away for a couple of minutes there’s a darn good chance the next sound to be heard will be the clanging of silverware as the pooch licks it clean.

Dogs are heart thieves for sure, but anyone who has spent time around the canine persuasion knows that isn’t the only thing they are capable of stealing.

In search of ponies

While there are some dogs out there that aren’t interested or won’t risk displeasing their people, for most dogs, opportunistic is an incredibly appropriate adjective, especially when it comes to matters of the belly.

Not only are dogs opportunistic, they aren’t typically known for sharing and can get pretty territorial when it comes to the take — resorting to growling, snapping or carrying their treat off to a secluded spot where they can eat in peace rather than share with another pooch.

Sleeping spots, toys and even attention from their people can bring out the green-eyed monster in the most gentle, lovable of dogs.

For these reasons, squabbles between dogs that live together are not uncommon, and in a plural-dog household, even if everybody gets along well, there can be times it seems they don’t like each other much, or at the very least, put food above friendship in a heartbeat.

The eager, “me-first” attitude that dogs can display in the rush to get that treat or catch the kiddos french-fries before they hit the floor doesn’t always put dogs in the most flattering light when it comes to matters of collaboration.

However, the communal, familial living of dogs is a well established fact — both in the world of their close relative the wolf, and in their close relationship with man — and even though they may scramble to reap the benefits of opportunities, dogs are considered to be one of the most socialized creatures in the animal world.

And, it turns out they may share more of the qualities of collaboration attributed to humans and primates than has previously been thought.

To evaluate the pro-social capacity of dogs and determine just how much they are willing to do for others, Vienna researchers put them to the test to see if they would willingly give another dog a treat.

Placing dogs in separate chambers, one dog was classified as a “donor” while the other was the would-be recipient and the donor dog’s chamber was equipped with a bar, which when pulled, would deliver food to the other dog.

What researchers discovered was that even though they knew they would not benefit and could not get to the food themselves, the donor dogs would pull the bar to give food to other dogs.

Even more interesting, however, the donor dogs were far more likely to pull the bar and give food to a dog they were familiar with than a stranger, and frequently showed an unwillingness to give food to a dog they didn’t know.

While the willingness of a dog to feed another dog, particularly one it knows, may seem to humans a measure of kindness, generosity or even empathy, researchers theorized that it is also highly possible what was really going on was simply the cooperation that would be expected of a social animal that has learned the value of teamwork.

Then again, whether rushing to be first in line for a treat, or giving a treat to a friend to make sure it’s not wasted, its possible dogs just know a good thing when they see it.

Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at:

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