Recent research shows that when given a choice, many dogs favor verbal praise from their owners over food treats. This pioneering study is among the first to integrate brain imaging with behavioral tests to uncover dogs' true reward preferences.
Researchers trained dogs to link three objects to specific outcomes: a pink toy truck signaling a food reward, a blue toy knight indicating praise from the owner, and a neutral hairbrush offering no reward as a control.
The dogs were then scanned in an MRI machine, completing 32 trials per object while their brain activity was recorded.
All dogs exhibited stronger neural responses to reward signals than the no-reward control. Notably, four dogs showed the strongest activation for owner praise, nine displayed equal responses to praise and food, and two favored food stimuli.
