Using Longitudinal Cognitive Developmental Measures and Socialization to Predict and Enhance Military Working Dog Performance
Abstract
Dogs are critical in detecting explosives in a variety of contexts. The challenge is identifying the best dogs that will be most likely to perform after training. If dogs with the most potential for protecting soldiers in the field or civilians here at home are identified earlier in life, we will increase the supply of the most effective dogs and reduce the time and funds required to train them. Detecting bombs is cognitively challenging for dogs. It requires a good nose, memory, self-control, communicative skills and more. Some dogs are better prepared to meet the cognitive challenge detecting bombs presents. We will use our cognitive assessment tool designed and validated during our previously funded ONR project to examine how dogs with the most potential can be identified as puppies. We will do this by studying how cognitive abilities critical for bomb detection develop during the last period of rapid brain growth in working dog puppies. We will also examine how plastic this development is by comparing the cognitive development of two groups of working dogs being reared in two different ways. Our work is designed to help save lives, time and funds by better understanding how dogs develop the cognitive skills they need to successfully find explosives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 2020
- Source ID
- N000142012343
Entities
People
- Brian Hare
Organizations
- Duke University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy