ABS 2023
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Preference between Food and Petting in Free-ranging Dogs for Positive Social Association with Humans
Srijaya Nandi1, Aesha Lahiri1, Tuhin Subhra Pal1, Anamitra Roy1, Rittika Bairagya2, Anindita Bhadra1. 1Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India; 2Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Haringhata, West Bengal, India

Free-ranging dogs (FRDs) are freely-breeding, not under direct human supervision and constitute about 80% of the world’s dog population. Since they live in proximity to humans, they encounter them on a daily basis. They receive food and petting as positive rewards from humans. We investigated their preference between food and petting for developing positive social association with an unfamiliar human. We tested 61 FRDs in West Bengal, India. They were provided with food and petting by two unfamiliar persons (familiarization phase: FP), following which they were tested for their preferred person (test phase: TP). The reward provided by the two unfamiliar humans was randomized across the dogs tested. A concurrent choice test (TP) was conducted following the FP on first 5 days while only TP was conducted on subsequent 5 days. The person providing food was preferred on the first day while the choice was based on chance on the subsequent days. This highlights that though food serves as a better motivator in the short-term, both rewards serve well in the long-run. This study provides insights into the process underlying the development of positive dog-human relationships on the streets.�