Can free-ranging dogs learn by watching unfamiliar humans? A 2023 study reveals that street dogs may imitate human choices in food selection tasks.
A 2023 study published in Current Zoology by Giulia Cimarelli and colleagues provides the first evidence that free-ranging dogs may use social learning from unfamiliar humans to guide their choices.
The study involved dogs living in urban environments, which were tested in a foraging task involving two differently patterned boxes containing food. In the control group, dogs chose freely. In the experimental group, dogs observed a human selecting one of the boxes before making their own choice.
Results showed that the dogs who observed the human were significantly more likely to choose the same box. This behavior suggests that even unfamiliar humans can serve as cues for decision-making in dogs that live near people but aren’t owned by them.
The researchers conclude that interspecific social learning—learning across species—may help free-ranging dogs successfully navigate human-dominated environments. This points to the adaptive value of observing and mimicking human behavior for survival.
