Ethiopian village dogs: Behavioural responses to a stranger's approach

Abstract

We studied the behavioural ecological characteristics of free-roaming dogs ( Canis familiaris) in four Ethiopian villages via observational surveys. The Ethiopian village dogs surveyed in this study have similar characteristics to other free-roaming dog populations in the world: (1) they are almost entirely unrestrained, (2) there is a male-skewed sex ratio in the adult population, (3) the majority appear not to be owned (or at least not declared so) and (4) many of them are found around people's dwellings. We also evaluated ‘village’ dogs’ attitudes towards people using a stranger-approach test. Eighty-five dogs were approached by an unfamiliar Caucasian woman in different contexts and the dogs’ vocal behaviour before the approach, reaction to the approach and approaching distance between dogs and observer were systematically recorded. We found variability in village dog behavioural responses to a stranger depending on dogs’ location (inside house, outside house, street), social setting (alone, pair, group) and village. Dogs inside homes and dogs that were alone were more likely to vocalize towards the observer than dogs in the street. Avoiding was the most common reaction exhibited by village dogs, especially when approached in the streets, suggesting that most of them are shy of people. However, 11% responded aggressively towards the observer; all of these dogs vocalized towards the observer before she approached them. One third of the dogs maintained a neutral attitude apparently ignoring the observer. Slightly less than one third of village dogs could be approached closely (0–2 m), one third could be approached at a medium distance (2–5 m), and over one third could not be approached at all (>5 m). Altogether, our findings showed that the dog populations in the villages we studied were not behaviourally homogeneous, within and between villages. Our study suggests that behavioural investigations are useful for characterizing free-roaming/village dogs’ attitudes, especially when assessing any risk dogs pose to the human population. Our observations suggest that people might have greater chances of being bitten by dogs that: vocalize towards people, are alone or in pairs, and are found inside households. Our “approach test” proved to be a simple, effective way of measuring dog attitudes, which could be easily implemented in different parts of the world by training local people. Quantifying behavioural responses of village dogs towards people would be particularly important in areas of the world where potentially fatal dog-transmitted diseases, such as rabies, are still prevalent.