Assistance dogs can be trained to accompany people with visual, hearing, motor or psychological impairments or disabilities. But some dogs are more suited to this task than others. US and UK researchers have created an innovative tool to help trainers spot them.
Scientists at the University of East London and the University of Pennsylvania have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that evaluates a dog’s personality. The tool is based on data from almost 8,000 Canine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaires (C-BARQ). For over 20 years, this test has been a benchmark in the evaluation of potential working dogs.
But some of the 100 questions that make up the C-BARQ are subjective, which can bias the results of the questionnaire. Artificial intelligence can remedy this problem by “adjust(ing) for outlying responses”, as James Serpell, a professor of ethics and animal welfare emeritus at the UPenn School of Veterinary Medicine, explains in a news release.
The algorithm devised by Professor Serpell and colleagues groups the C-BARQ results into five main categories: “excitable/attached”, “anxious/fearful”, “aloof/predatory”, “reactive/assertive” and “calm/agreeable”. These categories give an idea of a pooch’s personality and, therefore, of its professional potential.
After all, assistance dogs need to be able to perform different actions and adapt to any environment to help their owners on a daily basis. They need to be patient and have good stress management skills. This is why trainers prefer calm dogs, who are docile by nature. Generally speaking, a dog with a strong character will be much harder to train.
The researchers are convinced of the potential of their canine personality test algorithm, although they consider that more research is required. “The novel AI-based methodology in this research may be useful in the future to enhance the selection and training of dogs for specific working and non-working roles,” the scientists write in a paper, published in the journal Nature.
Indeed, while this AI software has been designed to facilitate the selection of future assistance dogs, it could also be used in shelters to reduce the likelihood of adoptive families reconsidering their choice because they don’t get on with their new canine companion. – AFP Relaxnews