Fixed Players, Fluid Moves: Refining Strategy While Preserving Identity in Free-Ranging Dogs

Animals exhibit active decision-making in noisy environments, driven by various factors such as foraging, shelter-seeking, predator evasion, or mate finding. While some reactions are innate, following fixed patterns, others are adaptable and context-dependent. Researchers explored the delicate balance between behavioral consistency and plasticity in free-ranging dogs exposed to an aversive, edible, and familiar food source.

By examining behavioral frequencies, latency measures, feeding efficiency, interaction time, and location effects, the study aimed to understand how repeated exposure influenced foraging behavior. Contrary to the assumption of significant behavioral reorganization, most behaviors remained stable across the trials. Initial approach latency, strongly repeatable within individuals, appeared to be primarily shaped by stable personality traits, rather than momentary external factors.

Both eating behavior and bowl nudging exhibited selective changes over multiple exposures, with modest sex differences observed in several behaviors. As behavioral sequences became increasingly similar over time, consistent individual differences persisted, highlighting the persistence of behavioral tendencies. The findings suggest that animals adapt by making small adjustments to specific behaviors while preserving the stability of their overall behavioral architecture.

This separation of risk assessment from resource utilization efficiency might explain how stable personalities can coexist with the rapid, flexible decisions required in unpredictable, human-shape environments.