Data from: Effect of canine oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism on the successful training of drug detection dogs

Drug detection dogs can be trained to locate various prohibited drugs with
targeted odors, and they play an important role in interdiction of drug
smuggling in human society. Recent studies provide the interesting
hypothesis that the oxytocin system serves as a biological basis for
co-evolution between dogs and humans. Here, we offer the new possibility
that genetic variation of the canine oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene may
regulate the success of a dog’s training to become a drug detection dog. A
total of 340 Labrador Retriever dogs that were trained to be drug
detection dogs in Japan were analyzed. We genotyped an exonic SNP
(rs8679682) in the OXTR gene and compared the training success rate of
dogs with different genotypes. We also asked dog trainers in the training
facility to evaluate subjective personality assessment scores for each
dog, and examined how each dog’s training success was related to those
scores. A significant effect of the OXTR genotype on the success of the
dogs’ training was found, with a higher proportion of dogs carrying the C
allele (T/C and C/C genotypes) being successful candidates than dogs
carrying the T/T genotype. Dog personality scores of Training Focus
(Factor 1) were positively correlated with an increased likelihood that a
dog would successfully complete training. Although the molecular mechanism
of the OXTR gene and its functional pathway related to dog behavior
remains unknown, our findings suggest that canine OXTR gene variants may
regulate individual differences between dogs in their responsiveness to
training for drug detection.