Results

“The ghostly winter silence had given way to the great spring murmur of awakening life.”

Jack London, The Call of the Wild

Male dogs VS Female dogs

The only significant difference between male and female dogs was in the amount of time the animals spent outside of the camera view during the free-talk phase of the experiment, with male dogs spending significantly more time away from the camera’s field of view.

Boxplot representing the amount of time spent outside of camera view during the free-talk phase by male (dark blue) and female (light blue) dogs.

Free-talk VS Request phase

Between the free-talk phase and request phase, there were three behaviors that had a significant difference.

There was a significant increase in the amount of time spent by the dog looking at the tripod during the request phase.

Boxplot representing the amount of time spent by the dog looking at the tripod during the free-talk (dark blue) and request phases (light blue).

There was also a significant increase in the amount of times dogs displayed a gaze-alternating behavior in the request phase.

Boxplot representing the rate of occurence of gaze-alternating behavior during the free-talk (dark blue) and request phases (light blue).

The third significant difference found between phases was a significant decrease in the amount of time spent by the dog in contact with the owner, with a larger display of this behavior in the free-talk phase.

Boxplot representing the amount of time spent by the dog in physical contact with the owner during the free-talk (dark blue) and request phases (light blue).

Correlations

Between behaviors

Several significant positive correlations were found between behaviors analysed:

  • Amount of time spent wagging tail over the level of the spine and the rate of occurences of whimpering, both in the request phase.
  • Amount of time spent by the dog doing a stepping behavior and the occurence of whimpering. This was found both in the free-talk and request phases.
  • Amount of time spent outside of camera view during the free-talk phase and the amount of time the dog spent panting in the request phase.
  • Amount of time spent standing but not walking and the amount of time spent by the dog looking at the empty tripod, both in the free-talk phase.
  • Rate of occurence of shaking off events in the free-talk phase and the rate of occurence of barking events in the request phase.
  • Rate of occurence of shaking off events and rate of occurence of yawning, both in the request phase.
  • Amount of time spent wagging tail over the level of the spine and the amount of time spent by the dog jumping up on their owner, both during the request phase.
  • Rate of occurence of paw-lifting events during the free-talk phase and the amount of time spent by the dog with belly up during the request phase.

There were two significant negative correlations found between behaviors analysed:

  • Rate of occurence of gaze-alternating behavior during the free-talk phase and the amount of time spent in contact with the owner during the request phase.
  • Amount of time spent standing and walking and the amount of time panting, both during the free-talk phase.

Between behaviors and dog-owner information

Significant positive correlations were found between behaviors analysed and the information given by the owner in the original questionnaire:

  • Amount of time spent with tail wagging below level of spine, in free-talk and request phases, and the weight of the dog.
  • Age of the dog and age of the owner.
  • Amount of time spent standing and walking during the free-talk phase and the dog having been in a training school.

Two significant negative correlations were found between behaviors analysed and the information given by the owner in the original questionnaire:

  • Amount of time spent looking at the owner during the free-talk phase and the dog having a recent or long-lasting injury.
  • Amount of time spent looking at the empty tripod during the request phase and the dog having a recent or long-lasting injury.

Between behaviors and MDORS results

Significant positive correlations were found between behaviors analysed and the MDORS results obtained:

  • Amount of time spent jumping up at the owner during free-talk phase and the score the owners gave on MDORS Subgroup 2 (Dog-Owner interaction).
  • Rate of occurence of whimpering events during the denial phase and the score the owners gave on MDORS question 15 (“My dog gives me a reason to get up in the morning.”).
  • Amount of time spent sitting during the request phase and the score the owners gave on MDORS Subgroup 3 (Perceived cost).

Significant negative correlations were found between behaviors analysed and the MDORS results obtained:

  • Amount of time spent wagging tail under the level of the spine during the request phase and the score the owners gave on MDORS question 7 (“How often do you buy your dog presents?”).
  • Amount of time spent panting during the free-talk phase and the score the owners gave on MDORS question 14 (“If everyone else left me my dog would still be there for me.”).
  • Amount of time spent standing but not walking during the request phase and the score the owners gave on MDORS Subgroup 3 (Perceived cost).
Discussion