# Influence of agility training on body-size and object solidity perception in pet dogs

## TL;DR

This study explores how agility training affects pet dogs' perception of their body size and object solidity, finding that experience influences body-awareness.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel two-choice paradigm to assess body-awareness in dogs, considering the impact of agility training.

## Key findings

- Dogs could correctly assess their body size but results for shape perception were less conclusive.
- Agility-trained dogs showed better shape perception and faster decision-making in certain tasks.
- Dogs demonstrated some understanding of material solidity.

## Abstract

Several studies suggest that dogs are a suitable model to study body-awareness in a systematic and ecologically relevant manner. However, previous studies used a single door paradigm, which does not allow for the control of motivation and thus may yield false positive results. Moreover, it is unclear how life experience might influence body-awareness. In this study, we tested self body-size and -shape as well as object solidity perception in pet dogs and agility trained dogs in a two-choice paradigm. The subjects had to walk through one of the two openings in a fence to reach a reward. The openings were of different shape and/or size (Experiment 1) or covered by different materials (Experiment 2). Dogs could correctly assess their size, while the results are less conclusive for shape perception. They also showed some understanding of the solidity of materials. Agility dogs took less time to reach the reward in Experiment 1, but took more time in Experiment 2. They also showed better shape perception. These results show that life experience has an effect on body-awareness.