Behaviour Of Domestic Dogs Research Articles

Puppy whines mediate maternal behavior in domestic dogs

In mammals, offspring vocalizations typically encode information about identity and body condition, allowing parents to limit alloparenting and adjust care. But how do these vocalizations mediate parental behavior in species faced with the problem of rearing not one, but multiple offspring, such as domestic dogs? Comprehensive acoustic analyses of 4,400 whines recorded from 220 Beagle puppies in 40 litters revealed litter and individual (within litter) differences in call acoustic structure. By then playing resynthesized whines to mothers, we showed that they provided more care to their litters, and were more likely to carry the emitting loudspeaker to the nest, in response to whine variants derived from their own puppies than from strangers. Importantly, care provisioning was attenuated by experimentally moving the fundamental frequency (fo, perceived as pitch) of their own puppies' whines outside their litter-specific range. Within most litters, we found a negative relationship between puppies' whine fo and body weight. Consistent with this, playbacks showed that maternal care was stronger in response to high-pitched whine variants simulating relatively small offspring within their own litter's range compared to lower-pitched variants simulating larger offspring. We thus show that maternal care in a litter-rearing species relies on a dual assessment of offspring identity and condition, largely based on level-specific inter- and intra-litter variation in offspring call fo. This dual encoding system highlights how, even in a long-domesticated species, vocalizations reflect selective pressures to meet species-specific needs. Comparative work should now investigate whether similar communication systems have convergently evolved in other litter-rearing species.

Why do dogs wag their tails?

Tail wagging is a conspicuous behaviour in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Despite how much meaning humans attribute to this display, its quantitative description and evolutionary history are rarely studied. We summarize what is known about the mechanism, ontogeny, function and evolution of this behaviour. We suggest two hypotheses to explain its increased occurrence and frequency in dogs compared to other canids. During the domestication process, enhanced rhythmic tail wagging behaviour could have (i) arisen as a by-product of selection for other traits, such as docility and tameness, or (ii) been directly selected by humans, due to our proclivity for rhythmic stimuli. We invite testing of these hypotheses through neurobiological and ethological experiments, which will shed light on one of the most readily observed yet understudied animal behaviours. Targeted tail wagging research can be a window into both canine ethology and the evolutionary history of characteristic human traits, such as our ability to perceive and produce rhythmic behaviours.

Testing the Accuracy of Wearable Technology to Assess Sleep Behaviour in Domestic Dogs: A Prospective Tool for Animal Welfare Assessment in Kennels.

Sleep is a physiological process that has been shown to impact both physical and psychological heath of individuals when compromised; hence, it has the potential to be used as an indicator of animal welfare. Nonetheless, evaluating sleep in non-human species normally involves manipulation of the subjects (i.e., placement of electrodes on the cranium), and most studies are conducted in a laboratory setting, which limits the generalisability of information obtained, and the species investigated. In this study, we evaluated an alternative method of assessing sleep behaviour in domestic dogs, using a wearable sensor, and compared the measurements obtained to behavioural observations to evaluate accuracy. Differences between methods ranged from 0.13% to 59.3% for diurnal observations and 0.1% to 95.9% for nocturnal observations for point-by-point observations. Comparisons between methods showed significant differences in certain behaviours, such as inactivity and activity for diurnal recordings. However, total activity and total sleep recorded did not differ statistically between methods. Overall, the wearable technology tested was found to be a useful, and a less-time consuming, tool in comparison to direct behavioural observations for the evaluation of behaviours and their indication of wellbeing in dogs. The agreement between the wearable technology and directly observed data ranged from 75% to 99% for recorded behaviours, and these results are similar to previous findings in the literature.

When the owner does not know: comparing puppies and adult dogs’ showing behavior

Domestic dogs have been shown to engage in interspecific communication with their owners using a flexible repertoire of signals (i.e., gaze, vocalizations, and postures). This ability is influenced by ontogenetic development as well as breed selection. Different aspects of this phenomenon have been studied using the out of reach/hidden object task in which a piece of food is shown to the dog and then hidden in an unreachable spot by the experimenter. Dogs’ behavioral displays toward the target and the owner (ignorant about the location of the food) have been observed. The complex communicative behavior dogs exhibit in this context is defined as showing behavior and includes attention-getting components directed toward the owner, and directional components directed toward the target. No study has investigated the ontogenetic development of this behavior. In the current study, we compared the showing behavior in 4–6 month old puppies and 2–11 year old adults in an out of reach task involving the hiding of a food reward in one of two cabinets. Dogs were exposed to three conditions: (1) Owner with Food (OF), (2) Owner No Food (ONF), and (3) Alone with food (AF). Dogs showed more gaze alternations when both the food and the owner were present confirming the intentional and referential nature of this behavior. Contrary to our expectations, we found no differences between the showing behaviors of 4–6 month old puppies and adult dogs. This study provides interesting preliminary evidence of showing behavior in puppies. Further studies are needed to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing this communicative behavior (i.e., breed, level of training). Furthermore, longitudinal studies should be performed from the age of 2 months up to 1 and 2 years to better clarify the influence of development and experience on showing behavior in domestic dogs.

Challenging stereotypes improves understanding of canine behavioral genetics.

A recent study by Morrill et al. (2022) highlights important connections between genetics and behavior in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), while also contesting the idea that common breed stereotypes accurately predict individual dog behavior. These findings challenge scientists and dog professionals to deepen our understanding of dog behavior, moving past generalizations and toward approaches that better account for the behavior of individuals.

Maternal behavior in domestic dogs

Maternal behavior in domestic dogs

Risk factors for aggressive behaviour in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), as reported by owners in mainland China

This study aimed to identify the risk factors for aggressive behaviour in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in Mainland China. This information has never been estimated before for owned dogs in China, therefore, there has been a lack of information to help guide veterinarians and dog behaviourists when giving advice to owners of dogs considered to have such behaviour problems. In order to establish this information, questionnaires were completed in electronic and paper format by dog owners: 2575 completed questionnaires were received. The majority of owners (2215, 86 %) reported that their dogs exhibited at least one behaviour they considered a problem: the main behaviour problem categories reported by owners were barking (871, 33.8 %), lunging and biting other dogs or people (586, 22.7 %), urinating inappropriately (566, 22 %), being destructive (537, 21.9 %), and eating non-food items (354, 13.7 %). When asked specifically about aggressive (any of growling, baring teeth, snarling, snapping or biting) and biting behaviours, 1578 owners (61 %) reported their dogs regularly being aggressive to other dogs or people, and 883 (34 %) reported that their dog had bitten other dogs or people. By using binomial logistic regression analyses, significant risk and protective factors were found for aggressive (X2(24, N = 2575) = 112.613, Nagelkerke R2 = .058, p < 0.001) and biting (X2(24, N = 2575) = 101.087, Nagelkerke R2 = .053, p < 0.001) behaviour. Variable categories with the largest odds ratios (>2.5) for being reported for aggressive behaviour include: terriers; and little time spent with the owner. Variable categories with the largest odds ratios (>2.00) for being reported for biting include: living with children older than 10 years of age; and being acquired from ‘other types’ of sources (compared to e.g. being found as a stray, which was protective). These results are very similar to those found in other geographical areas, for example in the USA, Sweden and Taiwan. The investigation of risk factors for aggressive behaviour will help veterinarians and dog behaviourists provide more appropriate advice to owners regarding their dogs’ aggressive behaviour, which will in turn improve dog welfare and public safety in China.

Hormonal Correlates of Exploratory and Play-Soliciting Behavior in Domestic Dogs.

Exploration and play are considered to be crucial behaviors during mammalian development. Even though the relationship between glucocorticoids and exploratory behavior, stress, and anxiety is well described in the literature, very little is known about their role in play behavior in non-rodents. Likewise, the functional role of the “social hormone” oxytocin in exploration, play, stress, and anxiety is still unknown. The present work addresses this literature gap by studying plasma hormone profiles for cortisol (CORT) and oxytocin (OT) of domestic dogs exposed to a novel arena containing two unfamiliar trainers who did not interact with the dogs. We provide evidence suggesting a functional relationship between hormonal measures of cortisol and oxytocin and adaptive behavior (play-soliciting and exploration) in freely behaving domestic dogs. We have taken into account several possible factors in our analyses and interpretations, from the nature and quality of the measurements to demographic factors to statistical robustness. Our results indicate that reduced CORT levels are associated with increments of both play-soliciting behavior frequency and exploratory behavior duration. Furthermore, taken together, our data and our simulations suggest a relationship between OT and the enactment of play-soliciting behaviors by freely behaving domestic dogs that must be further investigated. Future studies should consider naturalistic structured and semi-structured experimental approaches linking behavior with (neuro) physiological measures, taking into account demographic factors such as age and relevant interphase factors such as the sex of the dog; and socio-historic factors such as the playfulness of the dog, history of interaction with young humans, among others, to take full account of interaction between humans and animals in comparative studies (Parada and Rossi, 2018).

A ball is not a Kong: Odor representation and search behavior in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) of different education.

There has been a growing interest in the cognitive skills of domestic dogs, but most current knowledge about dogs' understanding of their environment is limited to the visual or auditory modality. Although it is well known that dogs have an excellent olfactory sense and that they rely on olfaction heavily when exploring the environment or recognizing individuals, it remains unclear whether dogs perceive odors as representing specific objects. In the current study, we examined this aspect of dogs' perception of the world. Dogs were presented with a violation-of-expectation paradigm in which they could track the odor trail of one target (Target A), but at the end of the trail, they found another target (Target B). We explored (a) what dogs expect when they smell the trail of an object, (b) how they search for an object, and (c) how their educational background influences their ability to find a hidden object, by comparing family dogs and working dogs that had passed exams for police or rescue dogs. We found that all subjects showed a flexible searching behavior, with the working dogs being more effective but the family dogs learning to be effective over trials. In the first trial, dogs showed measurable signs of "surprise" (i.e., further searching for Target A) when they found Target B, which did not correspond to the odor of Target A from the trail. We conclude that dogs represent what they smell and search flexibly, which is independent from their educational background. (PsycINFO Database Record

Supplemental Material for A Ball Is Not a Kong: Odor Representation and Search Behavior in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) of Different Education

Supplemental Material for A Ball Is Not a Kong: Odor Representation and Search Behavior in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) of Different Education

Correlates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-Like Behavior in Domestic Dogs: First Results from a Questionnaire-Based Study

Correlates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-Like Behavior in Domestic Dogs: First Results from a Questionnaire-Based Study

Sampling maternal care behaviour in domestic dogs: What’s the best approach?

Our understanding of the frequency and duration of maternal care behaviours in the domestic dog during the first two postnatal weeks is limited, largely due to the inconsistencies in the sampling methodologies that have been employed. In order to develop a more concise picture of maternal care behaviour during this period, and to help establish the sampling method that represents these behaviours best, we compared a variety of time sampling methods Six litters were continuously observed for a total of 96h over postnatal days 3, 6, 9 and 12 (24h per day). Frequent (dam presence, nursing duration, contact duration) and infrequent maternal behaviours (anogenital licking duration and frequency) were coded using five different time sampling methods that included: 12-h night (1800–0600h), 12-h day (0600–1800h), one hour period during the night (1800–0600h), one hour period during the day (0600–1800h) and a one hour period anytime. Each of the one hour time sampling method consisted of four randomly chosen 15-min periods. Two random sets of four 15-min period were also analysed to ensure reliability. We then determined which of the time sampling methods averaged over the three 24-h periods best represented the frequency and duration of behaviours. As might be expected, frequently occurring behaviours were adequately represented by short (oneh) sampling periods, however this was not the case with the infrequent behaviour. Thus, we argue that the time sampling methodology employed must match the behaviour of interest. This caution applies to maternal behaviour in altricial species, such as canids, as well as all systematic behavioural observations utilising time sampling methodology.

Acculturation - Perceptions of breed differences in behavior of the dog (Canis familiaris)

AbstractThis study borrows the concept ofacculturationfrom Social Anthropology to explore human perception of breed behavior in domestic dogs. A core component of acculturation studies is thecontact hypothesis.This concept proposes that once culturally diverse individuals come into contact with each other and are able to develop an understanding of their differing cultures, prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination should be reduced resulting in more positive interactions in the future. Accordingly it is hypothesized that people with more limited contact with dogs will be more likely to accept breed stereotypes and less likely to recognize the significance of individual variation within breeds. Items within a survey were developed to investigate if personal perception of breed-typical behavior is associated with the informant’s experience with dogs. This was tested with reference to response to three statements premised on somatotyping assumptions (the tendency to link behavior with certain types of physical characteristic). The results were consistent with the prediction that level and quality of contact are major influences on the tendency to believe popular breed stereotypes, despite scientific evidence which challenges the justification for such generalizations. These results are of scientific, ethical, and practical significance since they suggest breed stereotyping in dogs is a similar phenomenon to the racial stereotyping of people.

Human-directed gazing behavior in domestic dogs (canis familiaris)

in comparison to 1399 grass-eating events. The results of the current study suggest that grass-eating behavior in domestic dogs is innate and that the mother’s eating habits further facilitate the puppies’ grass eating. As the puppies matured and were weaned, they spent more time eating grass, further supporting the notion that grass is seen as a food source (Bjone et al., 2007). Some researchers contend that dogs use grass as an emetic. However, the low prevalence of vomiting in the current study does not support this claim.

Maternal influence on grass-eating behavior in puppies

Very little is known about grass-eating behavior or its origin in the domestic dog, Canis familiaris. Grass eating is observed in both wolves and dogs, suggesting that the behavior was preserved through domestication and is innate. The nursing mother may also influence grass-eating behavior in her puppies. The current study investigated the influences of the mother and puppy age on grass eating in 5to 7-week-old puppies. Six litters from mixed-breed bitches participated in the study. Puppies from each litter were randomly allocated to 2 groups. One group was presented with grass in the presence of the mother (n 5 13), and the other group was presented with grass without their mother present (n 5 13) throughout the study. Artificial grass (corkscrew Vallisneria aquarium plant) was included in addition to live kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) to control for the puppies’ natural propensity at this age to chew on objects and to distinguish this behavior from chewing and eating live grass. Grass-eating behaviors were observed on 3 consecutive days for each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh weeks of age, totaling 9 testing days. The puppies spent significantly more time eating the kikuyu grass than chewing on the artificial grass (t(25) 5 10.18, P , 0.001). All puppies were observed eating grass despite the presence or absence of their mother, and there was no main effect of treatment group on the amounts of time spent eating grass (F(1,22) 5 3.1; P 5 0.09). Three mothers spent less than 2 minutes each eating grass, whereas the other 3 mothers spent more than 10 minutes eating grass, resulting in an interactive effect between treatment groups and how frequently the mothers ate grass. The puppies with frequent grass-eating mothers present spent more time eating grass than their littermates who were not with their mothers during testing (P , 0.001) and puppies with infrequent grass-eating mothers present (p 5 0.001). Grass eating increased from 5 weeks of age to 6 and 7 weeks of age as the puppies matured (F(2,44) 5 11.1; P, 0.001). The study dogs exhibited 6 vomiting events in comparison to 1399 grass-eating events. The results of the current study suggest that grass-eating behavior in domestic dogs is innate and that the mother’s Interactions between dogs and humans 97

Effect of reinforcement, reinforcer omission and extinction on a communicative response in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris)

There is a controversy about the mechanisms involved in the interspecific communicative behaviour in domestic dogs. The main question is whether this behaviour is a result of instrumental learning or higher cognitive skills are required. The present investigations were undertaken to study the effect of learning processes upon the gaze towards the human's face as a communicative response. To such purpose, in Study 1, gaze response was subjected to three types of reinforcement schedules: differential reinforcement, reinforcer omission, and extinction in a situation of "asking for food". Results showed a significant increase in gaze duration in the differential reinforcement phase and a significant decrease in both the omission and extinction phases. These changes were quite rapid, since they occurred only after three training trials in each phase. Furthermore, extinction resulted in animal behaviour changes, such as an increase in the distance from the experimenter, the back position and lying behaviour. This is the first systematic evaluation of the behavioural changes caused by reward withdrawal (frustration) in dogs. In Study 2, the gaze response was studied in a situation where dogs walked along with their owners/trainers. These results show that learning plays an important role in this communicative response. The possible implications of these results for service dogs are discussed.

The effect of feeding enrichment toys on the behaviour of kennelled dogs ( Canis familiaris)

In general, an animal's inability to perform specific behaviours (for example, due to a lack of suitable stimuli or physical restraint) is often viewed as a cause of reduced welfare of animals kept in captivity. There is increasing evidence that the opportunity to display more species-specific appetitive behaviours is beneficial to captive animals. The present pilot study aimed to investigate the effects of feeding enrichment toys on the behaviour of domestic dogs ( Canis familiaris) housed under laboratory conditions. The behaviour of eight laboratory dogs (Toy group) was observed in their home cage during three trials (pre-toy, toy interaction and post-toy). During the toy interaction trial, the animals received the ‘Kong extreme™’; a rubber dog toy stuffed with dog treats. The behavioural observations of the Toy group were compared to those of a sham-treated control group without a feeding enrichment toy, which consisted of nine laboratory dogs that were simultaneously observed. This study demonstrated that the presence of these food enrichment toys stimulates appetitive behaviours and increases the level of activity (exercise), measured in terms of time budgets and the total number of behavioural transitions. Moreover, it also appears to result into lower barking frequencies. The provision of a relatively simple feeding enrichment toy appears to be a useful tool to stimulate appetitive and more variable behavioural patterns, at least in the short-term, thereby promoting the welfare of (laboratory) dogs housed in kennels. The method of feeding enrichment used in this study may also be useful for dogs in other facilities which lack sufficient stimuli, such as animal shelters. Future studies should include a larger sample, more control groups and additional observation methods to detect, for example, low-frequency behaviours. Furthermore, they should also focus on individual food preferences (long-term) habituation effects and the provision of feeding enrichments under social housing conditions.

Association of inflammatory markers elevation with aggressive behavior in domestic dogs

We tested the hypothesis that elevations of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) could be associated with the presence of aggressive behavior in domestic dogs. Serum concentrations of CRP and IL-6 were determined by ELISA in eighteen adult male German Shepherd dogs showing no clinical signs but aggression. Eighteen healthy male dogs with a negative history of behavioral and neurological disorders were used as controls. Compared with normal dogs, those with aggression had significantly higher levels of CRP (P < 0.05) and IL-6 (P < 0.01) after adjustment for age, body weight, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, total protein, total bilirubin and cholesterol. Our pilot data suggest for the first time that an activation of systemic inflammatory processes may contribute to the pathophysiology of aggression in domestic dogs. Further investigations are needed regarding the impact of our findings on treatment strategies.

Aetiology of separation-related behaviour in domestic dogs

A longitudinal study of seven litters of labrador retrievers and five litters of border collies from eight weeks to 18 months of age indicated that the majority showed some degree...

On the effects of domestication on canine social development and behavior

Social development and behavior are compared for 4 Eastern timber wolves ( C. lupus lycaon) and 4 Alaskan Malamutes ( C. familiaris). The two groups were born a year apart, but all were fostered at approximately 10 days of age on the same lactating female wolf, reared jointly by the authors and the foster mother, housed in the same facility, and subjected to the same regimen of maintenance and social contact with adult members of the animal colony. It is suggested that many of the observed group differences can be attributed to selection in domestic dogs for prolongation of juvenile behavior and morphological characteristics. Discussion then focuses on the evolution and ontogeny of ritualized aggression in wolves and the effects of domestication on agonistic behavior in domestic dogs. It is suggested that the disintegration of ritualized aggression in dogs is, in part, a consequence of neotenization. Also implicated in the breakdown of this behavioral system is human provision of food, which relaxes (1) the behavioral consequences of injuries sustained in fighting and (2) the selective advantage enjoyed by group-hunting species who have evolved social systems of population regulation.