Abstract
Simple SummaryWe explored 370 human-dog interactions in an animal shelter when volunteers walked shelter dogs on a leash, considering the effects of canine demographics and the results of the shelter’s canine behavioural assessments. Results showed that dogs that were more relaxed during the shelter assessment (i.e., when socialising with humans or being left alone in a new environment) were less reactive on the leash, with lower tension and pulling frequency. Moreover, socialised and relaxed dogs displayed more positive body language, such as tail in a high position, gazing at the handler, and exploring the environment. When walking with these dogs, volunteers utilised fewer verbal guidance cues and body language during the walk. In addition to the canine behaviour assessment, there were correlations between canine demographics (i.e., age, skull shape, body size, and previous ownership history) and the behavioural interaction and humans’ perception. Finally, volunteers perceived the walk as less satisfactory when they needed to pull the leash harder during the walk. This research suggests that the RSPCA behavioural assessment may be useful in predicting the behaviour of shelter dogs when walked by volunteers. Inappropriate leash reactivity is one of the most common problems in shelter dogs, which negatively affects the health of dogs and reduces their adoptability. We explored 370 human-dog interactions, involving 74 volunteers and 111 dogs, in an animal shelter when volunteers walked shelter dogs on a leash, considering the effects of canine demographics and the results of the shelter’s canine behavioural assessments. The interaction was video recorded and coded using ethograms, and a leash tension meter was used to measure the pull strength of dogs and handlers. Results showed that dogs that were more relaxed during the shelter assessment (i.e., when socialising with humans or being left alone in a new environment) were less reactive on the leash, with lower tension and pulling frequency. Moreover, socialised and relaxed dogs displayed more positive body language, such as tail in a high position, gazing at the handler, and exploring the environment. When walking with these dogs, volunteers utilised fewer verbal cues and body language during the walk. In addition to the canine behaviour assessment, there were correlations between canine demographics and the behavioural interaction and humans’ perception. Finally, volunteers perceived the walk as less satisfactory when they needed to pull the leash harder during the walk. This research suggests that the RSPCA behavioural assessment may be useful in predicting the behaviour of shelter dogs when walked by volunteers.
Highlights
An animal shelter is a challenging environment for dogs, causing both short-term and long-term stress, with acutely elevated cortisol levels within five days of dogs being transferred into a shelter [1]
A previous study on the canine behavioural assessment using a fake toddler or fake cat has shown that instead of testing the dog’s response to a real toddler or a cat, the test is likely testing its response to a foreign object [70,71,72]
Different from many human-dog interaction studies with participants being owners and dogs being pets [28,56], this study was conducted in a shelter setting, where volunteers generally shared a short-term relationship and a weaker bond with shelter dogs
Summary
An animal shelter is a challenging environment for dogs, causing both short-term and long-term stress, with acutely elevated cortisol levels within five days of dogs being transferred into a shelter [1]. Positive human-dog interactions that help alleviate the stress of dogs are important in an animal shelter [4]. There are a variety of human-dog interactions that occur routinely in shelters, including petting [4], training [5] and on-leash dog walking [6]. Physical characteristics of dogs influence the human-dog interaction. Dogs with wider heads are more likely to display self-grooming but less likely to chase [11]. Small-sized dogs are generally preferred by the general public [3], and there is a trend of people favouring breeds with shorter and wider heads [12,13,14]
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