An optimist sees the doughnut, but a pessimist sees the hole. So goes the old saying. Our dog, meanwhile, sees a shopping bag and imagines there’s a pack of chocolate croissants inside it. That’s because there once was and he devoured every one of them. He has always remembered this, despite conveniently forgetting that, 30 minutes later, he was in the vet’s having his stomach pumped.
Our Lenny, you see, is an incurable, redoubtable optimist. He expects good things to occur, whatever the situation. A trip to the recycling bin will lead to a game of ball in the garden. The opening of the fridge will result in a tasty treat. Any car journey offers the promise of an outing to the beach. Every time he chases a squirrel, he truly believes he will catch it.
So, despite his somewhat downbeat countenance, doleful eyes, this dachshund is a cheery soul with a Panglossian attitude, ready to believe that everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.
I have always thought that he was just a dog being a dog, but today, from the frontiers of veterinary science, comes the news that Lenny has, in fact, the potential to become a high -achieving animal. Researchers at the University of Bristol have concluded that dogs with an optimistic outlook on life are better at their chosen tasks.
While Lenny’s responsibilities are largely sofa-based, this study has a more serious purpose, designed to increase the efficiency of dogs who have a proper job. Medical detection dogs perform a critical role for people who are managing life-threatening conditions by sniffing out changes in body odour that may signify, for instance, the presence of cancer, or alert individuals to the threat of an epileptic seizure. And it turns out that the dogs do their job better if they’ve got a cheery disposition. Rather like humans, in fact.
This may seem like a statement of the obvious, but it’s vital in determining a dog’s suitability for this life-or-death task. “It is really important to understand the personality differences of dogs,” the study’s leader, Dr Nicola Rooney, said. “It can help you train them and treat them in the right way.”
For the dog owner, however, this leaves the ticklish question of understanding canine personality traits. Specifically, is your dog an optimist or not? It’s not enough that we have to stay positive in the face of global economic uncertainty, but we now have to worry whether our dog is keeping his or her chin up as well.
In determining our best friend’s outlook, I’m not sure the scientists’ methodology is that helpful. They used a sample of 68 dogs, who were taught that a bowl placed in a certain location was full of food. In another location, it was always empty. Then a bowl was put in between the two locations. The dogs who bounded towards this bowl were deemed to be of, if you like, a bowl half-full nature. And, put simplistically, it turned out that they proved better at their jobs.
square SIMON KELNER
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Read MoreNow, I don’t know about your dog, but I don’t think Lenny would be inclined to make a calculation, unconscious or not, in the researchers’ bowl test. He will look for food in the most unpromising of locations, never mind in a bowl designed for the purpose of eating, and any amount of disappointment won’t stop him returning with vigour, just in case. So not only is he an optimist, he’s a stoic, a perseverer, and an irredeemable romantic.
What’s more, he’s a scent hound, so maybe his proclivity towards detection should be put to a more public-spirited endeavour beyond the rooting out of a chocolate croissant. But as I write this, there Lenny is, waiting for something to happen, plaintive but hopeful. You can’t subdue an optimistic spirit. Now, where’s that ball….?
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