The Effects of Cue Modality on Reliability and Generalization of Training Outcomes with Domestic Dog

Gestural and vocal communication between humans and dogs have each been widely studied. However, when training dogs humans use a combination of gestural and vocal cues. The use of this compound stimulus raises questions regarding the reliability of responses when the quality of 1 component of the compound stimulus (e.g., the gestural or vocal component of the cue) worsens or is removed. Furthermore, limited research has examined stimulus generalization in dogs trained with a combination of gesture and vocal cues. For this study, we conducted 2 experiments. In experiment 1, we assessed the reliability of responding to gestural-only, vocal-only, and combined presentation of cues. In experiment 2, we assessed the effects of cue modality on the generalization of learned behaviors across 3 novel conditions. For both experiments, we found no statistically significant differences across conditions. However, in Experiment 2, we did find differences in the number of trials required to meet generalization criteria based on cue modality and that in all 3 novel situations, dogs consistently generalized more readily when presented with the combined cues. These differences suggest that the presentation of the combination of vocal and gestural cues may increase the reliability of correct responses across novel situations.