An experiment conducted on the memory performance and adherence to instructions of a group of preschoolers in the presence of a real dog, a stuffed dog, and a human confederate found that the presence of a well-trained dog reduces the need for instructional prompts with respect to object recognition.

Researchers observed a group of 12 preschool children in the presence of a well-behaved real dog, a stuffed dog, and a human confederate. Each child was shown 10 objects and, later, were shown one of these original objects and a “distracter.” When asked to identify which object the children had seen before, within the presence of a well-trained dog the children required fewer instructional prompts than when in the presence of either a stuffed dog or a human confederate.