Hungry detection dogs give more false alerts, study finds

Hungry detection dogs give significantly more false alerts, according to a study by Australian and New Zealand researchers reported by ERR.

The researchers trained six dogs to distinguish smells using a specialised laboratory device. The dogs were given breakfast either before or after completing their tasks. When they identified the correct smell, they received food as a reward.

The dogs identified the target smell with similar accuracy in both situations, reaching nearly 90 percent. However, they reacted differently to incorrect smells. When working before breakfast, they produced more false alerts, incorrectly marking mixtures that did not contain the substance they were seeking.

The researchers said the findings could be explained by the theory of motivating operations. In simple terms, food becomes a more valuable reward when a dog is hungry.

Hunger made the dogs more eager to work but less selective. They treated a wider range of similar smells as the target, apparently in the hope that a nearly correct response would still earn the long-awaited reward. After eating, the dogs distinguished the target smell more precisely and gave fewer false alerts.

The dogs became more accurate as the day progressed in both groups, regardless of when they had eaten breakfast.

Earlier scientific literature has suggested that a rise in blood sugar after eating could improve memory and performance. The new results instead indicate that false alerts in detection dogs are primarily caused by the broader generalisation that occurs when food is absent. The researchers therefore concluded that dogs should be fed breakfast before the start of a working day to improve accuracy.

The study was published in the journal Learning and Motivation.