Looking back at 'looking back': operationalising referential gaze for dingoes in an unsolvable task.

This paper examined the performance of dingoes (Canis dingo) on the rope-pulling task, previously used by Miklósi et al. (Curr Biol 13:763-766, 2003) to highlight a key distinction in the problem-solving behaviour of wolves compared to dogs when in the company of humans. That is, when dogs were confronted with an unsolvable task, following a solvable version of the task they looked back or gazed at the human, whereas, wolves did not. We replicated the rope-pulling task using 12 sanctuary-housed dingoes and used the Miklósi et al. (Curr Biol 13:763-766, 2003) definition of looking back behaviour to analyse the data. However, at least three different types of look backs were observed in our study. We, then developed a more accurate operational definition of looking back behaviour that was task specific and reanalysed the data. We found that the operational definition employed greatly influences the results, with vague definitions potentially overestimating the prevalence of looking back behaviour. Thus, caution must be taken when interpreting the results of studies utilising looking back as behaviour linked to assistance seeking during problem solving. We present a more stringent definition and make suggestions for future research.

Spontaneous tool-use: an observation of a dingo (Canis dingo) using a table to access an out-of-reach food reward.

Opportunities to observe non-human animals exhibiting naturalistic 'high-order' behaviour are rare. Examples featuring canids, although often anecdotal and involving captive animals are potentially valuable, as they may provide an opportunity to examine complex problem-solving behaviour not easily observed in free-ranging settings. This paper describes observations of two captive male dingoes (Canis dingo), representing possible examples of high-order behaviour. The first set of observations involved a sub-adult male that spontaneously (i.e., without training) learned to move objects around his enclosure, apparently to multiple ends, such as in an effort to gain the additional height required to attain objects otherwise out of reach, or to attain a better view of his surroundings. The second set of observations involved an adult male that learned to open a gate, possibly in an effort to gain access to a female. These observations add to the small number of anecdotal accounts offering a window into the cognitive abilities of canids, and the observations involving the sub-adult male appear to be the first documented cases of tool-use in a canid.