The breakfast effect: Dogs (Canis familiaris) search more accurately when they are less hungry

We investigated whether the consumption of a morning meal (breakfast) by dogs (Canis familiaris) would affect search accuracy on a working memory task following the exertion of self-control. Dogs were tested either 30 or 90 min after consuming half of their daily resting energy requirements (RER). During testing dogs were initially required to sit still for 10 min before searching for hidden food in a visible displacement task. We found that 30 min following the consumption of breakfast, and 10 min after the behavioral inhibition task, dogs searched more accurately than they did in a fasted state. Similar differences were not observed when dogs were tested 90 min after meal consumption. This pattern of behavior suggests that breakfast enhanced search accuracy following a behavioral inhibition task by providing energy for cognitive processes, and that search accuracy decreased as a function of energy depletion.

► Breakfast consumption, self-regulation and memory by dogs were examined.
► Dogs were tested 30 or 90 min following breakfast or breakfast omission.
► Breakfast only enhanced memory relative to no breakfast 30 min after consumption.
► Breakfast consumption has a beneficial but transient effect on canine memory.