Are dogs able to sense their owners' preferences?

Drawing on studies of cognitive and emotional development in young children, researchers have shown that humans’ expressions of preference can be perceived and understood by their furry companions to the extent that they guide the animals’ perceptual focus, but not their actions.   Studies on cognitive and emotional development in animals often face similar challenges to those in young children who have not yet begun to speak. Researchers therefore drew inspiration from studies on infants to test dogs’ ability to use human emotional expressions as informative cues. The idea is to determine whether dogs understand the subjectivity of desire—that is, that their preferences are not necessarily the same as those of others. An 18-month-old child, for example, will be able to recognize the preference of the adult in front of them and offer that specific option, whereas a 15-month-old child will tend to offer the adult what they themselves prefer. An 18-month-old child, therefore, has the ability to infer others’ preferences and recognize how desire can be inferred from emotional expressions. Building on this research with infants, researchers sought to determine whether dogs’ behaviors could be guided by their humans’ preferences, even when those preferences conflict with the dogs’ own choices. Other studies have already examined this question, but not in a context of conflicting preferences and often with a reward at stake. But if dogs are indeed capable of setting aside their own interests, they will retrieve the object that pleases the human, even if they prefer another one and without receiving a reward. Initially, the humans expressed interest in a bracelet and aversion to a toy—which the dog preferred—through facial and body gestures as well as vocalizations. When asked to fetch without guidance, all the dogs returned with the toy, demonstrating that their preferences took precedence over the positive emotional state signaled by the owner. To confirm that the human’s preference was indeed recognized by their furry companions, the researchers expanded their study. In a second phase, the objects were placed in an inaccessible location. The dogs paid equal attention to both objects when the owner’s positive state conflicted with their own opinion (a preference for the bracelet). However, when the owner agreed with them (also preferring the toy), the dogs spent more time looking at the toy. Dogs are certainly capable of perceiving and understanding their humans’ preferences to the point of guiding their perceptual focus; however, this influence is not strong enough for them to override their own preferences for an object. This is the first time a study has observed canine behavior in a situation involving conflicting preferences. It therefore deepens our understanding of perception, social cognition, and sensitivity to emotional expressions in these animals.