Does your dog follow instructions? Scientists might know why.

BBC News

12-02-2025

Is your dog good at following instructions? Scientists believe they have discovered how.They've been researching the best tactics to get dogs to pay attention and follow instructions you give them and it's simpler than you might expect...Just point and stare!
Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna in Austria used eye-tracking helmets on 20 dogs to determine how they responded to different cues from humans. The dogs in the study were different breeds including Staffordshire terriers, Australian shepherds, poodles and some mongrels. Using two bowls, only one of which contained a treat, the dogs were tested in different scenarios - scientists pointing at a bowl, looking at the bowl, or doing both at the same time. They also used the classic dog owner prank of pretended to throw a ball in the direction of the bowl, while really keeping it in their hand.
After the signal was given, cameras on the dogs helmets tracked where the dogs looked. The scientists then studied the results. They found that dogs seemed to understand instructions best when the scientist both pointed and stared at the bowl that contained the treat.And maybe unsurprisingly dogs understood least when the scientists pretended to throw the ball.
Researchers believe that these findings begin to show that dogs follow human cues beyond simple instructions . However, there is still more research to be done before scientists can draw complete conclusions. More understanding is needed on exactly how much dogs can understand and how this compares to the way humans learn.