Abstract
Our aim was to investigate cardiovascular activation by measuring changes in facial and body surface temperature using infrared thermography, and neuroendocrine activation using salivary cortisol (CORT) and serotonin concentration (SER) in dogs exhibiting aggressive reactivity in real time. Based on two factors, owner-reported past aggressive behaviors, and detailed behavioral observations collected during a Socially Acceptable Behavior test consisting of 16 subtests and, each individual was categorized as aggressive or non-aggressive. CORT and SER showed no difference in neuroendocrine activity between dogs, but aggressive dogs with higher levels of aggression were found to have lower SER. Aggressive dogs also had an increase in facial temperature from pre-test values. The discovery of a correlation between tail wagging and left tail wagging with aggression level and aggression-related behaviors in aggressive dogs is further evidence of the right hemisphere specialization for aggression previously reported in the literature. This study provides the first evidence that both cardiovascular and neuroendocrine systems are activated during an active act of aggression in dogs.
Highlights
The response of animals to environmental stimuli, often referred to as reactivity [1], varies from individual to individual
The selected dogs were of similar age and coat length (4.3 cm ± 0.9 vs. 6.4 cm ± 4; t = 1.70, p = 0.1), but aggressive dogs were heavier than non-aggressive dogs (33.6 kg ± 3.1 vs. 25.3 ± 9.3 kg; t = −2.84, p = 0.01)
Dog groups did not differ in CORT or serotonin concentration (SER), but timing of sampling influenced CORT (Table 3), with CORT tending to be lower at home than before the test (p = 0.06)
Summary
The response of animals to environmental stimuli, often referred to as reactivity [1], varies from individual to individual. Animals adopt different individual behavioral strategies or coping styles that are stable over a longer time [2]. An individual coping style is an adaptive strategy characterized by a set of behaviors and physiological responses to reduce the impact of a stressor and is characteristic of a particular group of individuals [2]. Animals, including dogs, can be described as proactive or reactive copers [3] and exhibit behavioral patterns that can distinguish them as aggressive or non-aggressive individuals, respectively [4]. Aggressive reactivity in dogs, especially when directed toward humans, is a widely recognized problem that poses a public health and animal welfare concern [5]. For the study of real-time behavior, it is recommended to measure multiple physiological parameters simultaneously [10], non-invasively, so that measurement devices and procedures do not interfere with behavioral responses [11]
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