Dogs are skilled at learning from both humans and other dogs, but the influence of social rank within multi-dog households has been less studied. Pongrácz, Dobos, Prónik, and Vékony (2025) investigated this dynamic using the well-established detour task alongside the Dog Rank Assessment Questionnaire (DRA-Q) to classify dogs as dominant or subordinate.
The study compared two demonstrator conditions: an owner or a cohabiting dog. Results revealed striking differences. Dominant dogs learned more effectively from their owners than from their subordinate canine companions. In contrast, subordinate dogs improved their success only when watching their dominant household partner, but not when observing the owner. Dogs with higher agonistic rank also increased their detour speed more often than subordinates in the Owner-demonstration group, while no rank-based differences appeared when the demonstrator was another dog.
These findings suggest that dogs’ reliance on social models is deeply shaped by household hierarchy and align with the hypothesis that owners serve as the primary resource for dominant dogs. Subordinate dogs, however, appear to defer to dominant canine partners in learning contexts, even outside of competition. This research underscores the complex ways in which social structures and everyday experiences affect learning strategies in domestic dogs.
Source: Pongrácz, P., Dobos, P., Prónik, F., & Vékony, K. (2025). Done deal—cohabiting dominant and subordinate dogs differently rely on familiar demonstrators in a detour task. BMC Biology, 23.
