The ability to detour around barriers to obtain a treat has been previously studied in dogs, and the results of these studies indicate that dogs are able to learn how to detour the barrier by watching humans (Pongrácz et al., 2001; Pongrácz et al., 2003; Pongrácz et al., 2005). Although the dogs in this study were not specifically trained to detour the barrier, the owner’s presence in area 3 during the exposure phase usually encouraged the dogs to come into area 3 as well, suggesting that they had ample opportunities to learn how to approach area 3 through observation.