INFLUENCE OF PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE ON TASTE BEHAVIOR OF DOGS TOWARD SUCROSE AND SACCHARIN

A study of the influence of congenital factors and past experience on taste preference for several aqueous solutions was carried out on 13 newborn puppies and 20 adult dogs. The adult dogs showed a strong rejection of saccharin (0.1%) and quinine (0.01%), a mild rejection of saline (0.9%), and a strong preference for sucrose (10%). Since pups showed the same rank order of preferences for these solutions, the preferences appear to be congenital. Nevertheless, the preference of adult dogs for sucrose (relative to water) could be transformed into a rejection after imposition of four days of continuous access to water and saccharin solution; this conditioned rejection was extinguished with repeated exposure during the next few days. Conversely, the rejection of saccharin was sometimes replaced by preference during the first day that followed several days of experience with water and sucrose; this again was extinguished rapidly. In some cases, when saccharin followed a previous experience with sucrose, the dogs exhibited characteristics of experimental neurosis (in the Pavlovian sense); that is, they reduced intake of both water and saccharin, showing a decrease of total fluid intake of more than 85%. © 1969.