Rosco is enrolled in a community science project that is studying healthspan in dogs. The project is supported by ambitious researchers collaborating between the University of Washington and Texas A&M University. At 16+ years of age, Rosco has much to contribute.
As part of his citizen science duties, Rosco participated in the Treat Hide and Seek game today. Rosco watches while I hide a treat in one of two boxes. After a set amount of time, Rosco searches for the treat. As the wait time increases, Rosco's search behaviors might change. Our task is to report Rosco's search behaviors back to the Dog Aging Project's research team. We did exactly that.
The general impression: with longer time to "think it over," Rosco's success rate increased initially. This continued until the final of 14 rounds when he had to wait a full 40 seconds before searching. Then he asked for a break, which we took.
Here's a brief video clip of Rosco playing the Treat Hide and Seek game:
