When do domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, start to understand human pointing? The role of ontogeny in the development of interspecies communication

A decade of research indicates that domestic dogs are sensitive to a variety of human social cues, including pointing with the hand and arm. Previous studies conducted with puppies as young as 6 weeks old have reported that puppies are able to follow a human pointing gesture, even when they have had little human contact. These results have led some experimenters to conclude that ontogeny does not contribute to dogs' ability to understand human cues. To determine the age at which domestic dogs first show the ability to understand human pointing cues, we tested puppies in their human caregivers' homes when the puppies were 9-24 weeks old. We found little evidence that puppies younger than 21 weeks had the ability to follow human pointing gestures. (C) 2009 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.