Dogs can find the payoff-dominant outcome in the Assurance game

Studies on coordination often present animals with the choice of either cooperating or remaining inactive; however, in nature, animals may also choose to act alone. These situations can be modeled with the Assurance game, an economic game that has recently been used to explore social decision-making in primates. Here, we investigated the ability of dyads of pet dogs to coordinate in the Assurance game. Pairs were presented with two alternatives: they could individually solve an apparatus baited with a low-value reward (Hare) or they could work together to solve a cooperative apparatus baited with one high-value reward for each dog (Stag). All individuals matched their partner's choices, but once we controlled for side-bias, only four dyads consistently coordinated on the payoff-dominant strategy (Stag-Stag). Thus, some dogs are capable of finding coordinated outcomes, as do primates, at least in a context in which their partner's actions are visible and coordination always results in the biggest payoff for both individuals.