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Have humans made dogs STUPID? Pets are 'lazy thinkers' compared to wild wolves and domestication may be to blame

Study compared how 10 wolves and 20 dogs solved a puzzle to reach food
Wolves were more persistent and successful than the domestic animals
The dogs looked to humans for guidance rather than tackling the problem
Scientists say domestication has changed how dogs tackle problems

Published: 06:51 EST, 16 September 2015 | Updated: 08:50 EST, 16 September 2015

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They may be man's best friend, but dogs have little to thank humans for it seems.

Research suggests the domesticated pets can't solve problems as well as their wild cousins because living with us has made them 'incapable of thinking for themselves.'

In tests, experts presented a 'puzzle box' containing food to a group of dogs, and a group of wolves and while the wolves were capable of breaking inside, the dogs looked to humans for help.

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Domestication appears to have left dogs less able to solve problems than their wild wolf counterparts. Instead of tackling new problems themselves they look to humans for help. The picture above shows a dog that has got its head stuck in a decorative wall

Just one domesticated dog was able to solve the puzzle while the majority declined to even attempt the problem.

Instead they showed signs of look to the humans for some guidance on what they should do.

CLIMATE CHANGE SHAPED DOGS

Researchers studying fossils of the early ancestors of dogs that lived up to 40 million years ago believe the predators evolved as a direct consequence of climate change.

The study claims the process transformed man's best friend from a creature that behaved more like a cat, into the canines we know and love today.

Ancestors of dogs living in North America 40 million years ago resembled small mongooses and in a similar way to cats, were ambush predators.

But a few million years later, the thick forests that once covered the continent, began to give way to grasslands and conditions became cooler and drier.

This led to a transformation in the body shape and hunting behavior of dogs, turning them into animals that no longer surprised their prey, but instead chased it down.

This evolutionary transition was tracked by scientists who examined the elbows and teeth of 32 species of dog that lived between 40 million and two million years ago.

Dr Monique Udell, an animal behaviour researcher at Oregon State University who conducted the study, said humans appear to have conditioned the animals to not think for themselves.

The results may explain why dogs so often seem to get themselves into a tangled mess with their lead or get their heads stuck in railings or inside boxes.

Dr Udell said: 'Wolves may have more opportunities for independent problem-solving within their environment, and a greater history of success obtaining trapped food independently owing to their relative strength.

'Consequently, dogs' behaviour may be the product of conditioned dependence on humans, or conditioned inhibition of independent problem-solving behaviour when confronted with a novel task.'

Dr Udell gave 10 wolves, 10 pet dogs and 10 shelter dogs a clear box containing a piece of sausage.

To get inside, the dogs needed to pull off the lid using a length of rope.

They were presented with the puzzle both when a familiar human was present and when the human was not absent.

They were additionally given two minutes each to get inside the box.

Eight of the 10 wolves managed to solve the puzzle and eat the snack while just one of the 20 dogs managed the problem.

Dr Udell, whose work is published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, said the wolves tended to be more persistent than the dogs.

Researchers gave 10 wolves (stock image), 10 pet dogs and 10 shelter dogs a clear box containing a piece of sausage. To get inside, the dogs needed to pull off the lid using a length of rope. Eight of the 10 wolves managed to solve the puzzle and eat the snack while just one of the 20 dogs managed the problem

Dogs like this Shiba Inu above often get themselves into difficult situations, becoming stuck in hedges, railings or even tangled in their own lead. They may get into these situations due to their tendency to look to humans to help them solve problems rather than tackle problem solving by themselves

When encouraged by a human, the dogs had more contact with the puzzle but only a moderate increase in success.

Dr Udell said it appears dogs have adopted a strategy that matches their lifestyle - where humans will often do things for them.

'Social sensitivity appears to play an important role in pet and shelter dogs' willingness to engage in problem-solving behaviour, which could suggest generalized dependence on, or deference to, human action,' she said.

'While an increased proclivity for looking at humans may represent a cognitive shift in dogs compared with wolves, it does not necessarily suggest cognitive advancement.

Dogs heightened social response may interfere with their problem-solving behaviour, leading to sticky situations like the one above where a dog in Thailand got its head stuck inside a plastic container to reach food

'These results suggest dogs' heightened social response may, in turn, interfere with independent problem-solving behaviour.'

Marc Bekoff, an animal psychologist at the University of Colorado in Boulder, told New Scientist that dogs looking at humans for help with problem solving may actually be cleverer than wolves as they have more advanced social skills.

However, he said it was difficult to generalise when comparing the behaviour of dogs and wolves.

He said: 'The incredible amount of behavioural variability among dogs makes it impossible to talk about "the dog".'