“Who wants to go for a walk?”: Pace Synchronization in Domestic Dogs

Have you ever been dragged on a walk by an unfamiliar dog?

One thing is common across the world: dogs love to go on walks. They are so enthusiastic, sometimes, that even the most experienced dog walker can be surprised by the strength they use to pull at the leash. If so, this may be an attempt to set the pace; something their usual walker has already done, and this dog wants to walk at their standard pace.

Behavior synchronicity has been studied in humans. We do it when we dance and sing together, and we even do it unconsciously when we absentmindedly mirror our companion’s actions out on a date. (They take a sip? You take a sip. They run a hand through their hair? You run a hand through your hair.)  This behavior is considered evolutionary adaptive, or useful to signal your “fitness” as a social human being and your ability to make more successful, social human beings. Recently, three researchers—Duranton, Bedossa, and Gauntet—took it upon themselves to study this same behavior in man’s best friend, Canis familiaris.

Why dogs? Dogs have been integrated into human lives for millennia, and they exhibit knowledge of our social cues.

The study, conducted in France, set unleashed dogs free to roam in an unfamiliar room with their owners for 15 minutes. By observing the dogs’ behavior, the researchers found that the dogs would synchronize their pace to their owners’, whether they were exploring the room or staying close to their owner’s side. Then, the dogs were taken to parks they were familiar with and set unleashed with their owners; again, the dogs matched their pace to their owners’ (who would change their pace every ten seconds based on auditory cues from the researchers) without any physical cue like a leash to guide them.

What does this say about our dogs? By synchronizing their activity to ours, dogs are sending the message that they are also evolutionarily fit. They can sense our actions and match them, to the best of their ability. Not only does this indicate their intelligence, but it also reinforces the man’s-best-friend bond we, as the pace-setters, feel with these animals that seem so perceptive.

Duranton, C., Bedossa, T., & Gaunet, F. (2018). Pet dogs synchronize their walking pace with that of their owners in open outdoor areas. Animal Cognition, 21(2), 219–226. Retrieved from http://0-search.ebscohost.com.sophia.agnesscott.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eoah&AN=44699209&site=pfi-live