A recent study has found that the best way to capture a dog’s attention is by both pointing at something and looking at it. This method, known as referential communication, is important for how humans interact and helps babies learn to speak.
Dogs are known to respond to cues from humans, but many dog owners often struggle to direct their pets’ attention to specific items, like a chewed-up shoe or a toy on the floor. Understanding how to communicate effectively with dogs has been unclear until now.
In an interesting new study, researchers from the Max-Planck Institute in Germany examined how dogs react to human cues. They tracked the eye movements of 20 dogs using special headgear while their owners attempted to get their attention on a hidden food reward. The study explored five methods: pointing, pointing and gazing, just gazing, fake throwing, and plain communication without action.
Results showed that when owners simply pointed, the dogs often looked at the owner’s hand. However, when pointing was combined with direct eye contact, the dogs were more likely to focus on the hidden treat. This suggests that the combination of these two gestures is particularly effective.
The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, highlight that when both pointing and gazing are used together, dogs maintain longer attention on the object of reference. This dual approach seems to significantly enhance the dogs’ response compared to using single gestures alone, like fake throwing.
The researchers concluded that these two signals may work together in a way that increases the effectiveness of communication with dogs. This insight can help dog owners improve their interactions with their pets and enhance training sessions.
