Border Collies are consistently at the forefront of science when it comes to dogs. The recent study which identified envy, specifically “inequity aversion” in dogs was carried out using a Border Collie test subject. And really, what other breed could you use to maximize the likelihood of consistent results and ease of training?
Scientists in Austria report in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that a dog may stop obeying a command if it sees that another dog is getting a better deal.
The study tried to quantify the behavior by using well-trained dogs that readily offer a paw on command. The researchers used two dogs side by side but treated them differently, giving one a better reward (sausage) and the other a lesser one (bread) when the paw was given, or giving one dog no reward at all.
They found that the quality of the reward made little difference. But in the case in which one dog got no treat at all, that dog became less and less inclined to obey the command.
Watch the video of the experiment.
If you want to read the New York Times article and don’t want to give them your e-mail, you can always find current working logins at BugMeNot.
I’m not surprised that Border Collies (and perhaps other dogs) show such complex reasoning and emotion. While I’m sure fellow dog owners often prescribe deep thought or intent into our dog’s actions, anthropomorphizing human traits on to them that are likely inappropriate and unfounded. But this study shows that we might be underestimating how sophisticated dogs really are.
I have pride in my dogs. And they apparently have envy in each other. But what happens when pride devolves into envy, envy grows into greed, and greed leads to theft? Well, look no further than the New York Times for your answer. It appears that they haven’t learned their lesson from the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal.
Take a look at this graphic they published with their dog envy story published December 2008:
And now take a look at this graphic by Louis Agassiz Fuertes published in “The Book of Dogs” and by National Geographic in March 1919:
Notice anything? I swear, sometimes a photographic memory is a curse. I often experience déjà vu, which I think is an artifact from my mind preserving certain elements with crystal clarity but losing the context of those memories. So when I experience something very similar again, I can’t quite place the previous exposure and my urge to recall the greater details becomes a mini obsession.
Luckily, it only took my subconscious a few days to piece together a 90 year old painting from National Geographic with the week old image from the New York Times. CSI, eat my shorts.
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Yeah, if one Border Collie can display inequity aversion, 4 are certainly masters at collective bargaining!
And in a side note, the illustrator got back to me on my one word e-mail “Amazing.” (with the attached animated gif):
“I have done this column for 4 years or so and in that time I have encountered 2 dog topics. Sadly, I can’t and have never been able to draw dogs. So yes, this was one of 3 references, mostly for the face, others for the body. I get why, but I hate the snarkiness of your comment, I guess because I hate the fact that I can’t draw a dog to save my life.”
I’ve got mad skills, folks. I can be snarky with a single word!
Yeah, why is everyone mixing the poodles with the dumb breeds? Where’s the Bordoodle? Why water down the smarts with these designer dogs? Why not keep them brilliant?
A lot of people don’t feel threatened by dogs that are smarter than they are. =P
Probably because a lot of people feel threatened by a dog that’s smarter than they are. 😛
Whoops, feel free to delete one of those. =P