Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that dogs are most influenced by watching videos of other animals, especially dogs. Evaluating how a dog responds to a video can help evaluate an animal’s vision. The research was published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science.
“More sensitive ways to assess vision in dogs are needed. We hypothesize that videos can hold a dog’s attention long enough to assess visual function, but it was important to create content appropriate for animals,” the authors said.
To better understand what type of screen content dogs are most attracted to, the team created a web survey where dog owners around the world could report their dogs’ habits. In total, the authors received surveys from 1246 people.
Dog owners also had the opportunity to show their dogs four short videos of possible objects of interest. They were then asked to rate their dog’s interest in each video and how closely the dog followed moving objects on the screen.
It turns out that sports and herding breeds are more likely to watch videos. Moreover, people are not attracted to dogs for observation purposes. According to the authors, future research will focus on developing and optimizing video-based methods that can assess changes in visual attention as dogs age.
Previous scientists discovered Mice that become cannibals after mating.