New University of Portsmouth study shows that dogs may know what is '˜relevant' to humans

Tests on 72 dogs at the University of Portsmouth discovered the animals seemed to ‘know’ which objects were most relevant to their keeper.

Researchers observed the dogs’ interest in opaque boxes, each containing a single object such as a notepad, a stapler or a dog toy.

The tests, which were carried out by Patrizia Piotti and Dr Julianne Kaminski at the university’s Dog Cognition Centre, established that dogs were helpful to the person because they repeatedly indicated hidden objects without being rewarded.