Influence of delayed timing of owners' actions on the behaviors of their dogs, Canis familiaris

This study examined the influence of delayed actions from the owner, including commands, reinforcement, and punishment, on already-learned behaviors in 10 dogs. The delay times were set to 2.0, 1.0, 0.5, 0.27, and 0.13 seconds (s). Responses to commands with a delay (Delayed) were compared with those that were not delayed (Nondelayed). The results indicated that appropriate responses to commands decreased in 2.0, 1.0, and 0.5 s delayed conditions. As delay time increased, response to commands decreased. The numbers of commands used by handlers to make their dogs obey was significantly increased with a 2.0 and 1.0 second delay compared to the nondelayed trials. The time required for dogs to obey the commands was significantly increased in 2.0, 1.0, and 0.5 s delayed conditions compared to those of the nondelayed trials. There were no significant differences between the 0.27 s, 0.13 s, and the nondelayed condition. These results suggest that timing is an important factor affecting a dog's behavior not only while learning new things, but also in the production of learned desirable behaviors that could occur during everyday interactions.