Working dogs in dynamic on-duty environments: The impact of dark adaptation, strobe lighting and acoustic distraction on task performance

• Published in: PloS one 2024-01, Vol.19 (2), p.e0295429
• Main Authors: Elizabeth L Sheldon, Carla J Hart, Anna Wilkinson, Carl Soulsbury, Victoria F Ratcliffe, Daniel S Mills
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295429

Sudden changes in sound and light (e.g., sirens and flashing police beacons) are a common component of working dogs' on-duty environment. Yet, how such stimuli impact dogs' ability to perform physical and cognitive tasks has not been explored. To address this shortcoming, we compared the accuracy and time taken for twelve dogs to complete a complex physical and cognitive task, before, during and after exposure to three 'real-world' stimuli: an acoustic distractor (85dB), white strobe lighting (5, 10 & 15 Hz), and exposure to a dazzling white, red, or blue lights. We found that strobe lighting, and to a greater extent, acoustic distraction, significantly reduced dogs' physical performance. Acoustic distraction also tended to impair dogs' cognitive performance. Dazzling lights had no effect on task performance. Most (nine out of twelve) dogs sensitised to the acoustic distraction to the extent of non-participation in the rewarded task. Our results suggest that without effective distractor response training, sudden changes in noise and flickering lights are likely to impede cognitive and physical task performance in working dogs. Repeated uncontrolled exposure may also amplify these effects.