How is it possible that a hunting dog, after following an animal’s track for kilometres, can return to its owner without any problem? And why do even experienced dogs sometimes get lost? Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, talks about the fascinating abilities of dogs, her research on orientation and magnetoreception, and also how pure coincidence – and a dachshund named Bertík – led her to science.
Interview conducted by: Hana Brinkeová, April 2025
What led you to a scientific career? Did you always want to be a scientist?
Pure coincidence. At the end of secondary school, when a young person is deciding what they want to do in life, science and a scientific career meant nothing to me at all. I had a career planned in construction and engineering. In the end, I ended up spending a long 15 years in the family business; however, nature and animals always attracted me, even fascinated me. At the age of ten, I persuaded my parents to get me my first dog, a dachshund named Bertík. Gradually, I began breeding dachshunds, established the Valentinka breeding kennel, and started focusing on both hunting cynology and dog shows, as well as developing the breeding programme. Hand in hand with show and work successes went the desire to learn more about dogs – to delve into the mysteries of their physiology, genetics, nutrition, and training. I started attending various courses, and at that time a friend told me that the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague had opened a programme in Cynology and Hobby Animal Breeding. And what do you do when you start to get bored shortly after turning thirty? You go back to studying. Part-time. For no particular reason. Just for fun. And for the feeling that there is always something new to learn and that your brain did not completely stagnate at work. And then it all fell into place. During my studies, I happened to meet the right people – Associate Professor Hart, Professor Burda, and Professor Bartoš – who involved me in their dog projects and unknowingly ignited the scientific spark in me.
What do you enjoy most about scientific work, and what is the most challenging aspect?
I enjoy the diversity and the constantly emerging new challenges. One day you are out in the field with dogs, the next day you are at the computer going through data, and the following day you are working with students. Each day is filled with something new, and you are never bored. With each new insight, more and more doors open that you are eager to walk through. But at the same time, all of this together makes scientific work quite demanding.
How would you describe your field to someone who has never heard of it?
We study the spatial orientation of animals and their sensory biology, with a focus on magnetoreception. At the moment, we are working with hunting dogs. This means that we observe hunting dogs – specifically dachshunds, terriers, and hounds – watching how they can move and navigate effectively in a forest environment during their normal hunting activities. It is known that when following an animal’s track, dogs can move several kilometres away from their owners, only to return later through dense and confusing forest terrain without any problem. We observe everything that helps them succeed in returning – how they use their senses, the influence of the environment, their personality traits, and even how the owner affects their behaviour.
Do you have any unforgettable experiences from field research?
There are many unforgettable experiences. I recall a situation when the dogs got lost on their way back from a track, and we only found them the next day, happily waiting for us at a nearby refugee camp. Or the time a colleague tried to jump over a ditch full of thick, black mud – unfortunately, her foot slipped, and you can imagine the rest. Perhaps the scariest experience we had was during a night data collection, when a red light appeared behind us in the darkness, blinking and refusing to go away. It was at human height, and we even thought we could hear voices. We left the forest in a hurry, only to discover the next evening that it was a completely harmless light from a distant transmitter. The blinking was caused by the wind moving the branches. As for the voices, we probably imagined them. I should add that this was an area where no one should be at night, so the suspicion of some shady presence was not unreasonable.
Science can sometimes involve failures. Have you ever had a moment when an experiment did not go as expected, and how did you deal with it?
Unfortunately, that is an unpleasant, though necessary, part of research. In a way, it can push you forward, but it is never enjoyable. When you work with living organisms, it is hard to avoid. In our case, the dogs simply decide not to behave according to expectations or the rules from books, and you have no choice but to repeat the entire experiment with a different set of conditions.
How did you come to study the navigational abilities of dogs?
As I mentioned, I have been breeding (and still breed) hunting dogs, specifically dachshunds, which naturally have excellent orientation abilities. I could see this every day in the forest, but it was only when GPS collars appeared that it became clear their abilities were extraordinary. This led to the topic of my master’s thesis and the first indication that magnetoreception might be involved in navigation processes in dogs.
What fascinates you most about this topic?
The incredible ability of dogs to orient themselves in an unfamiliar environment and solve situations in which a human would already be sitting on a stump in despair.
Could you briefly explain what “homing” in dogs actually means?
Homing can be defined as the ability to return (after being displaced) to a familiar target location. In the case of dogs, it can be understood as the ability to return to their owner, to a car, or home after following an animal track for several hundred metres to kilometres, very often through unfamiliar terrain.
How do dogs usually find their way back to their owner? Which senses play a key role in this?
This is precisely the goal of our research. Especially in situations where they are in unfamiliar terrain, have no known landmarks, and yet are able to head back in the shortest possible direction. We have confirmed the involvement of magnetoreception, but smell, sight, and hearing are certainly also involved. The most probable is a combination of multiple sensory inputs.
Your research focuses on hunting dogs. Are they better at orientation than other breeds, and if so, why?
I would not say better or worse. However, hunting dogs have more opportunities to develop their sense of orientation. Moreover, the way they work – especially hounds, dachshunds, and terriers – is ideal for our research. These breeds were bred for independent work away from their owner and have no problem moving really long distances, often kilometres. Once they finish following a track, they return on their own, without a need to be called. From the perspective of our research, this is an extremely important trait, as it eliminates the experimenter’s influence on their homing strategies.
What led you to the idea of examining why some dogs get lost on their way back?
Although dogs have excellent orientation abilities, from time to time one of them fails to find the way back and gets lost. We noticed that this does not concern only young and inexperienced individuals – it happens to very experienced dogs as well. And we wanted to understand why their orientation suddenly fails. From video recordings we can see that these dogs are genuinely struggling: they repeatedly try to find the correct direction, return again and again to the last known point, but cannot resolve the situation. Not even very experienced individuals who have successfully dealt with other complex situations in the past.
What do we know about the causes of why some dogs fail to return?
At the moment, nothing. As far as we know, no research of this kind has ever been conducted. From this perspective, our study is unique and unprecedented. Overall, research into dogs’ orientation abilities is still in its infancy. The second and most recent systematic study was carried out in 1965, and since then – nothing. And it is hardly surprising. Not only is this research exceptionally time-consuming, but you also need suitable dogs who are both willing and able to work, you need tracking equipment, and above all you need access to spacious sites with sufficient game that are also safe for the dogs. These days, this combination is difficult to find.
What methods do you use in your research? How does tracking dogs in the field work?
We conduct field research in the natural environment of both game and hunting dogs. The dogs are equipped with GPS collars and wear small durable cameras, so we have information about their behaviour and their surroundings. The dogs are allowed to move freely and search for game or its tracks, which is a common activity for a hunting dog. Once the dog finds a track and sets off, the owner stays where they are and waits until the dog returns. This can take several dozen minutes. We focus on the return part of their route – that is, how the dog makes its way back. Whether it returns along its own track or by a completely different path using shortcuts, which senses it uses during the return, and whether anything occurred that might have complicated the journey. And sometimes the dog does not return at all, and we eventually have to locate and retrieve it using GPS.
Your study works with GPS data and video recordings. What are the most interesting moments you have captured thanks to these?
We have plenty of amazing and unusual footage. For example, a video where a dog finds a sleeping wild boar that has no idea a hunting dog is standing right above it. The dog had to nudge it to wake it up. Or a situation where the dogs recorded people stealing cast antlers.
Could your findings help dog owners reduce the risk of losing their pets, or be useful, for example, in training working dogs?
We believe so – once we know the causes. Then it will be possible to formulate practical recommendations.
Does your work have relevance for other fields, such as studying orientation in other animals?
It could – failures of orientation abilities have been described in other animal species as well. Unfortunately, the causes of this phenomenon are not well understood. We hope that our findings will help in this regard.
What other questions would you like to explore in your research in the future?
In the footage from the video cameras, we noticed unusual behaviour that has not yet been described in dogs. It seems that this behaviour occurs in connection with navigation processes. It is particularly pronounced in situations where the dog is lost and no longer knows which way to go. We plan to study this behaviour in more detail. Additionally, we plan to move the dogs from the field to a controlled environment with magnetic coils and focus on their magnetoreceptive sense.
What would you recommend to young people considering a career in science?
It is never too late to start. I myself began much later than usual, and I do not regret it. The hardest part was making the decision to leave security behind and venture into the unknown. So, my message would probably be: “Do not be afraid to leave certainty and step into the unknown. It is worth it.” And do not forget to surround yourself with people who inspire you. Science is a team discipline, and a good team is half the success.
What is your view on popularization of science? Is it important for scientists to share their findings with the public?
Absolutely. It is a mistake to isolate yourself in a scientific bubble and not communicate with the wider world. Talking about science with people outside the field can be very refreshing. You learn things you had never even considered before. Science should not remain hidden in labs.
Do you have a message for our readers who love dogs and nature?
I do. Observe your dogs and be like them – full of life, energy, and carefree. Go outside happily, enjoy everything new, and explore all the unknown. Science often begins with simply observing what is happening around us. So, take your dog and head out into the countryside! At the very least, your dog – and your body – will be endlessly grateful.