Are dogs good at spotting movement? Velocity thresholds of motion detection in Canis familiaris

One of the most basic aspect of motion perception is the ability to discriminate moving objects from motionless ones. Perceptual limits in this ability, however, have only been determined in a handful of species, which does not include the dog. In this study, we used a modified method of limits to assess velocity thresholds of motion perception in dogs. Subjects (N = 6) underwent a two-alternative forced choice training, through which they learned to select a stationary random-dot display (S+), paired with a display of dots moving with a clear supra-threshold velocity (S-). Comparatively, dogs velocity detection thresholds are lower than those of other non-primate species, and possibly similar to those of non-human primates. The findings suggest that dogs’ visual system is particularly specialized for the perception of slow movement, which may reflect the dogs’ nature of distance-hunter.