| Popis: |
Despite the serious problems with their general health and longevity, small brachycephalic breeds, especially the French bulldog, are becoming increasingly popular among pet owners. The motivations for the choice of short-nosed breeds have been extensively investigated in recent years; however, this issue has been addressed mainly by relying on owner reports, resulting in somewhat vague explanations of "cute looks", referring to the child-schema phenomenon and "behaviour well suited for companionship". In this study, we set out to compare the behaviour of two brachycephalic (English and French bulldogs) and a mesocephalic (Hungarian mudi) breed in a problem-solving context. The dogs were given the task of opening boxes containing food rewards. We investigated human-directed behaviour elements over success and latency (indicators of motivation and ability). ... We found that the short-headed breeds were less successful but much more oriented toward humans than mesocephalic dogs. Owners might interpret these behaviours as "helplessness" and dependence. The results support the hypothesis that infant-like traits may be present not only in appearance but also in behaviour in brachycephalic breeds, eliciting a caring behaviour in owners. |
