# Showing Behaviour in One Hundred and One Dogs: Gazing, Breed and Cephalic Index

## TL;DR

This study found that dogs of all breeds and head shapes use similar visual signals to communicate with humans, suggesting that experience, not genetics, shapes this behavior.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence that breed and head shape do not influence dogs' showing behavior, emphasizing the role of life experience.

## Key findings

- Gaze alternation and looking at the reward are key elements of showing behavior in dogs.
- Breed and Cephalic Index had no significant effect on the dogs' visual communication patterns.
- The study used a large and diverse sample of 101 dogs from 43 breeds to assess these behaviors.

## Abstract

Dogs are very good at communicating with humans. One important way they do this is by using visual signals, such as looking back and forth between a person and an object they cannot reach, to show where a desired resource is located. This behaviour is known as showing behaviour. Previous research has focused on the role of age and training, but it is still unclear whether dog breed or head shape influence this type of communication. In this study, we tested 101 pet dogs from 43 different breeds using a simple task in which food was hidden or placed out of reach. We recorded how often dogs looked at their owner, at the food, and alternated their gaze between the two. Our results show that gaze alternation and looking at the reward are key elements of showing behaviour. Importantly, these behaviours did not differ across breeds or head shapes, suggesting that everyday experience with humans, rather than selective breeding, plays a major role in shaping dogs’ visual communication.

Dogs exhibit sophisticated interspecific communication skills, including the use of visual signals to indicate the location of inaccessible resources, known as showing behaviour. Previous studies have investigated factors such as age and training, but the effects of breed and cranial morphology remain unclear. Here, we tested a uniquely large sample of 101 pet dogs from 43 different breeds, using a standardized out-of-reach/hidden object task to assess three key visual behaviours: gaze at the owner, gaze at the reward, and gaze alternation between owner and reward. Dogs were tested in familiar environments without pre-training, and owners were instructed to remain passive to avoid unintentional cues. Our results confirm the importance of gaze alternation and gazing at the reward as central components of showing behaviour, particularly when both owner and reward were present. Contrary to expectations, we found no effect of breed or Cephalic Index on these behavioural patterns, suggesting that life experiences rather than artificial selection can influence visual communicative strategies in this specific context. The exceptionally large and diversified sample of this study provides unprecedented insight into the consistency of visual signalling across dog breeds.