Will your dog save you in an emergency?

CBC Radio interviewed Bill Roberts, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontario, after hearing about his study disproving the concept of canine bravery. Turns out the study was pretty specific, testing whether a dog would go to a bystander for help if its master was in trouble. They staged different situations and tried them out on a bunch of different breeds, none of which performed well.

A lot of people called in to CBC, protesting with examples of their own pet's exceptional rescue behavior. One woman, without really knowing it I think, put her finger on the problem with Robert's study. When her dog, who was afraid of the water, saw her mother struggling in the ocean waves, the caller said, "The dog saw there was a job to be done, and jumped in to help." The key there is in the "job;" dogs love to work but it has to be clear to them what there is to be done. Most dogs would not know that going to a bystander would do anything to rescue their master.

The idea that they would has been promoted by programs like Lassie or, my favourite, The Littlest Hobo, where the dogs were choreographed to appear like they were "problem solving." Most of us saw through that, which is not to say that we don't like the myth though, of the super-intelligent, loyal, good Samaritan pooch. As for people so for dogs.

The most interesting question, AIH host Carol Off asked was whether it could have been that that the dogs in the study could tell it was a study, not real, a ruse? I think that's very likely but before that would even be a relevant question Roberts should be looking at other types of rescue situations, ones involving water for example.

Listen to As It Happens from Wednesday, Nov. 1st
(Go to Part 1 at 20:46 for the bit on Roberts)

Least you doubt the capabilities of dogs, check out Skidboot. wow.
http://lassiegethelp.blogspot.com/2006/10/skidboot-dog_06.html