Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs
Abstract Most of the research on color vision related behaviors in dogs has involved training the dogs to perform visual discrimination tasks. We investigated the importance of color to untrained Indian free-ranging dogs (FRDs). Using one-time multi-option choice tests for color preference in 134 ad...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Animal Cognition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01928-9 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823861730370912256 |
|---|---|
| author | Anamitra Roy Aesha Lahiri Srijaya Nandi Aayush Manchalwar S. Siddharth J. V. R. Abishek Indira Bulhan Shouvanik Sengupta Sandeep Kumar Tushnim Chakravarty Anindita Bhadra |
| author_facet | Anamitra Roy Aesha Lahiri Srijaya Nandi Aayush Manchalwar S. Siddharth J. V. R. Abishek Indira Bulhan Shouvanik Sengupta Sandeep Kumar Tushnim Chakravarty Anindita Bhadra |
| author_sort | Anamitra Roy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Most of the research on color vision related behaviors in dogs has involved training the dogs to perform visual discrimination tasks. We investigated the importance of color to untrained Indian free-ranging dogs (FRDs). Using one-time multi-option choice tests for color preference in 134 adult dogs, we found the dogs to prefer yellow objects over blue or gray ones while there was no preference between blue and gray. We next pitted a yellow object against a gray object that had food. Here, the dogs ignored the food (biscuit or chicken) to approach the yellow object first indicating the color preference to be quite strong. Color preference has previously been investigated in many other animals and has implications for behaviors like mate choice and foraging. Our study provides a new perspective into the ecology of Indian FRDs and might have implications for companion dogs as well, if they too show this preference. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-767a7856949d493f8facebb330795c55 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1435-9456 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Cognition |
| spelling | doaj-art-767a7856949d493f8facebb330795c552025-02-09T12:47:15ZengSpringerAnimal Cognition1435-94562025-02-012811910.1007/s10071-024-01928-9Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogsAnamitra Roy0Aesha Lahiri1Srijaya Nandi2Aayush Manchalwar3S. Siddharth4J. V. R. Abishek5Indira Bulhan6Shouvanik Sengupta7Sandeep Kumar8Tushnim Chakravarty9Anindita Bhadra10Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataDepartment of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) KolkataAbstract Most of the research on color vision related behaviors in dogs has involved training the dogs to perform visual discrimination tasks. We investigated the importance of color to untrained Indian free-ranging dogs (FRDs). Using one-time multi-option choice tests for color preference in 134 adult dogs, we found the dogs to prefer yellow objects over blue or gray ones while there was no preference between blue and gray. We next pitted a yellow object against a gray object that had food. Here, the dogs ignored the food (biscuit or chicken) to approach the yellow object first indicating the color preference to be quite strong. Color preference has previously been investigated in many other animals and has implications for behaviors like mate choice and foraging. Our study provides a new perspective into the ecology of Indian FRDs and might have implications for companion dogs as well, if they too show this preference.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01928-9Color preferenceCognitionBehaviorDogFree-ranging dogsFRDs |
| spellingShingle | Anamitra Roy Aesha Lahiri Srijaya Nandi Aayush Manchalwar S. Siddharth J. V. R. Abishek Indira Bulhan Shouvanik Sengupta Sandeep Kumar Tushnim Chakravarty Anindita Bhadra Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs Animal Cognition Color preference Cognition Behavior Dog Free-ranging dogs FRDs |
| title | Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs |
| title_full | Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs |
| title_fullStr | Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs |
| title_short | Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs |
| title_sort | ready set yellow color preference of indian free ranging dogs |
| topic | Color preference Cognition Behavior Dog Free-ranging dogs FRDs |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01928-9 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anamitraroy readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT aeshalahiri readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT srijayanandi readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT aayushmanchalwar readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT ssiddharth readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT jvrabishek readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT indirabulhan readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT shouvaniksengupta readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT sandeepkumar readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT tushnimchakravarty readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs AT aninditabhadra readysetyellowcolorpreferenceofindianfreerangingdogs |