Dog Behavior Research Articles

Veterinary education and experience shape beliefs about dog breeds. Part 2: Trust

Dog breed stereotypes are frequently used to inform people’s expectations about canine behavior, despite evidence that breed is largely uninformative in predicting individual dog behavior. Further, these beliefs differ among populations. However, it remains unknown how ratings of warmth toward a breed are associated with ratings of other social behavioral domains, and whether differences exist between populations with varying experience with dogs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ratings of trust and warmth among survey respondents including veterinary students, veterinary faculty and staff, undergraduates in animal-health related majors and members of the general public. Using an online survey, respondents rated their likelihood to trust a dog in varying scenarios for 10 different dog breeds. Additionally, respondents used a feelings thermometer to rate how warm or cool they felt towards each breed. Findings revealed differences in feelings thermometer and trust ratings across populations. All ratings were lower among the veterinary academic respondents compared to the general public and undergraduates. Veterinary students further along in their training, as well as undergraduates with clinical experience, reflected perceptions similar to those of the veterinary faculty and staff providing support for cultural transmission of beliefs during veterinary education and training.

Optimizing Three-Tank Liquid Level Control: Insights from Prairie Dog Optimization

The management of chemical process liquid levels poses a significant challenge in industrial process control, affecting the efficiency and stability of various sectors such as food processing, nuclear power generation, and pharmaceutical industries. While Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control is a widely-used technique for maintaining liquid levels in tanks, its efficacy in optimizing complex and nonlinear systems has limitations. To overcome this, researchers are exploring the potential of metaheuristic algorithms, which offer robust optimization capabilities. This study introduces a novel approach to liquid level control using the Prairie Dog Optimization (PDO) algorithm, a metaheuristic algorithm inspired by prairie dog behavior. The primary objective is to design and implement a PID-controlled three-tank liquid level system that leverages PDO to regulate liquid levels effectively, ensuring enhanced stability and performance. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using the ZLG criterion, a time domain metric-based objective function that quantifies the system's efficiency in maintaining desired liquid levels. Several analysis techniques are employed to understand the behavior of the system. Convergence curve analysis assesses the PDO-controlled system's convergence characteristics, providing insights into its efficiency and stability. Statistical analysis determines the algorithm's reliability and robustness across multiple runs. Stability analysis from both time and frequency response perspectives further validates the system's performance. A comprehensive comparison study with state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms, including AOA-HHO, CMA-ES, PSO, and ALC-PSODE, is conducted to benchmark the performance of PDO. The results highlight PDO's superior convergence, stability, and optimization capabilities, establishing its efficacy in real-world industrial applications. The research findings underscore the potential of PDO in PID control applications for three-tank liquid level systems. By outperforming benchmark algorithms, PDO demonstrates its value in industrial control scenarios, contributing to the advancement of metaheuristic-based control techniques and process optimization. This study opens avenues for engineers and practitioners to harness advanced control solutions, thereby enhancing industrial processes and automation.

Subjective vision assessment in companion dogs using dogVLQ demonstrates age-associated visual dysfunction.

Dim light vision as assessed by proxy and clinical tools is commonly impaired in older humans and impacts quality of life. Although proxy visual assessment tools have been developed for dogs, it is unclear if they are sensitive enough to detect subtle visual dysfunction in older dogs. We sought to determine if a newly designed proxy visual function questionnaire could detect age-associated differences in visual behaviors in varying lighting conditions in dogs. A 27-item questionnaire (the dog variable lighting questionnaire, dogVLQ) was designed to assess visual behavior in dogs in different lighting settings. We conducted the dogVLQ, a previously validated visual function questionnaire the dog vision impairment score and performed light- and dark-adapted electroretinography (ERG) on a subset of dogs. Questionnaire scores were analyzed for dog age associations using correlation analysis. Questionnaire responses from 235 dog owners were obtained (122 female, 112 male dogs), 79 of which underwent ERG (43 female, 36 male dogs). Bright light visual behavior was significantly associated with light-adapted bright flash ERG amplitudes, visual behavior in near darkness was associated with dark-adapted ERG amplitudes. The dogVLQ identified worse vision in older dogs in bright light, dim light, and darkness; predicted onset was younger for vision in near darkness. Older dogs had more difficulty navigating transitions between lighting conditions. Subjective dog owner assessment of visual function associates with objective measurement of retinal function in dogs and supports reduced vision-mediated behaviors in older dogs.

The validation of Thai version of Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) and the exploration of dog ownership in Thailand

C-BARQ (Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire) is one of the effective and well-known tools to evaluate dog behavior by owners through a questionnaire. The C-BARQ has been translated into several languages and is used in many countries. The present study aimed to translate and adapt the English version of C-BARQ to the Thai version and validate it regarding the guidelines of cross-cultural adaptation. The C-BARQ was translated into the Thai language and translated back to English. The validation of the Thai C-BARQ was done by 40 dog owner volunteers before releasing the Thai C-BARQ online version via social media advertising for 3 months. According to demographic data, women were the majority of dog owners in Thailand (88.34%), and one-third of respondents (30.16%) lived in Bangkok, the capital city. Thai dogs mostly lived in detached houses (79.93%) and were fed conventional diet (66.83%). The majority (37.99%) of the dog owners were in the adult age group (31–40 years old). Male and female dog populations were almost equal (54.13%: 45.87%) and half of the dogs were neutered (50.63%). By factor analysis, 12 factors with 63 items were identified from the C-BARQ data of 1,827 dog owners. All factors of the Thai version of C-BARQ have acceptable reliability with the coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha values ranged between 0.697 and 0.938. Thus, the validation of Thai version of C-BARQ in the present study could be a dependable and applicable tool for assessing dog behavior in Thailand.

Inattentional blindness in dogs

Inattentional blindness occurs when an individual's attention is highly focused on a task, producing a failure to notice other stimuli in the environment. The current study aimed to assess whether dogs demonstrate inattentional blindness. We divided a cohort of dogs into experimental (n = 12) and control groups (n = 12), balanced by sex and aspects of temperament that could potentially influence inattentional blindness. Dogs were initially trained to run down an empty corridor for five consecutive trials. From trial 6–10, the experimental group was rewarded at the end of the corridor in order to condition an expectation of reward and induce inattentional blindness, while the control group continued to be unrewarded. On trials 11 and 12, a novel object was placed in a side opening halfway down the corridor for all dogs, and dogs’ responses to the object were scored. There were significantly fewer responses to the novel object by dogs in the experimental group compared to the control group, suggesting that dogs fail to attend to novel stimuli in the environment when expecting a reward. These findings provide the first evidence of inattentional blindness in dogs, and have important implications for dog behavior with particular relevance for the training and performance of working dogs.

Perceptions of Taiwanese owners and behaviour veterinarians on behavioural problems in dogs and preferred training approaches

Dogs are popular pets in Taiwan but many owners fail to recognise and address undesirable behaviours exhibited by their dogs. Little is known about dog owner attitudes and perceptions in Taiwan. In this study, an online survey was distributed to Taiwanese dog owners to investigate their perceptions of five behavioural factors, including 35 behavioural descriptions, with 479 completed surveys received. Seven behaviour veterinarians in Taiwan were also invited to complete a similar survey to identify their perceptions of the urgency for seeking help for different behaviours. Results showed that Taiwanese dog owners were most likely to seek professional help when faced with behaviours relating to potential medical issues, fearfulness to sounds, and difficulty in handling. In contrast, Taiwanese behaviour veterinarians considered most of the listed behaviours to be urgent except for changes in appetite and mounting. Taiwanese owners were more likely to apply reward-based or environmental and day-to-day management approaches to deal with 26/35 of commonly seen undesirable behaviours, while aversive methods were more prevalently used in 9/35 of commonly seen undesirable behaviours, specifically behaviours related to destruction, aggression, and undesirable play behaviour. Respondents were most likely to ignore behaviours not involving immediate harm to humans or animals, for example, staring at nothing, mounting objects and people’s legs, tail/shadow chasing, air-snapping and lip-licking. Lastly, human factors (e.g. gender, housing style, and owners’ use of learning resources) influenced how owners perceived and responded to the canine behavioural issues posed in this study. In conclusion, there were discrepancies regarding the perceived urgency of seeking professional assistance between dog owners and behaviour veterinarians in Taiwan. To promote dog health and welfare as well as owner safety, veterinary and dog behaviour professionals in Taiwan are encouraged to incorporate the findings of this study by raising owner awareness of concerning behavioural issues, and promoting training approaches that support healthy dog-owner relationships.

Effect of feeding toy and the presence of a dog owner during the feeding time on dog welfare

Background and Aim: A conventional feeding bowl is the primary method that dog owners use to feed their dogs, but this may not encourage natural behaviors and may even exacerbate unwanted behaviors. This study aimed to compare a conventional feeding bowl to a feeding toy in relation to behavior, cortisol levels, and heart rate variability (HRV). Materials and Methods: The behaviors of four dogs were recorded and analyzed while being fed using either a stainless bowl (B) or a feeding toy (T) and either alone (A) or accompanied by a dog owner (O) for 30 min with each treatment (BA, BO, TA, and TO treatments). The dogs that were fed alone with the stainless bowl (BC) or the feeding toy (TC) were fed for 15 min/day for 7 days with their treatment, and serum cortisol levels measured on the first and last days of treatment. The dogs fed by the stainless bowl (BH) or the feeding toy (TH) with the owner present for 15 min for each treatment had their heart rate (HR) and HRV recorded by Polar® H10 during feedings The results were compared using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), repeated measure ANOVA, and Student’s t-test. Results: The dogs spent more time eating and interacting with the feeding toys than stainless bowls. The activity of the dogs was higher when using feeding toys, particularly with the TO treatment. Cortisol levels were significantly lower on day 7 than on day 1 of the TC treatment. The dogs’ HR was higher during TH treatment than during BH treatment. All HRV parameters were decreased significantly when feeding the dog with the toys. Conclusion: The results of this study support the idea that feeding enrichment supports the natural feeding behaviors of dogs as they mimic hunting and playing behaviors. This reduced unwanted behavior, cortisol levels, and HRV, and increased food consumption, eating duration, and active behaviors. The presence of the dog’s owner is important because it can enhance feeding and active behaviors, and feeding enrichment can improve the dog’s welfare and the dog-human relationship. Keywords: cortisol, dog behavior, dog welfare, dog-human relationship, feeding toy, heart rate variability.

Effect of feeding toy and the presence of a dog owner during the feeding time on dog welfare.

A conventional feeding bowl is the primary method that dog owners use to feed their dogs, but this may not encourage natural behaviors and may even exacerbate unwanted behaviors. This study aimed to compare a conventional feeding bowl to a feeding toy in relation to behavior, cortisol levels, and heart rate variability (HRV). The behaviors of four dogs were recorded and analyzed while being fed using either a stainless bowl (B) or a feeding toy (T) and either alone (A) or accompanied by a dog owner (O) for 30 min with each treatment (BA, BO, TA, and TO treatments). The dogs that were fed alone with the stainless bowl (BC) or the feeding toy (TC) were fed for 15 min/day for 7 days with their treatment, and serum cortisol levels measured on the first and last days of treatment. The dogs fed by the stainless bowl (BH) or the feeding toy (TH) with the owner present for 15 min for each treatment had their heart rate (HR) and HRV recorded by Polar® H10 during feedings The results were compared using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), repeated measure ANOVA, and Student's t-test. The dogs spent more time eating and interacting with the feeding toys than stainless bowls. The activity of the dogs was higher when using feeding toys, particularly with the TO treatment. Cortisol levels were significantly lower on day 7 than on day 1 of the TC treatment. The dogs' HR was higher during TH treatment than during BH treatment. All HRV parameters were decreased significantly when feeding the dog with the toys. The results of this study support the idea that feeding enrichment supports the natural feeding behaviors of dogs as they mimic hunting and playing behaviors. This reduced unwanted behavior, cortisol levels, and HRV, and increased food consumption, eating duration, and active behaviors. The presence of the dog's owner is important because it can enhance feeding and active behaviors, and feeding enrichment can improve the dog's welfare and the dog-human relationship.

Automated sleep classification with chronic neural implants in freely behaving canines

Objective. Long-term intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) in freely behaving animals provides valuable electrophysiological information and when correlated with animal behavior is useful for investigating brain function. Approach. Here we develop and validate an automated iEEG-based sleep–wake classifier for canines using expert sleep labels derived from simultaneous video, accelerometry, scalp electroencephalography (EEG) and iEEG monitoring. The video, scalp EEG, and accelerometry recordings were manually scored by a board-certified sleep expert into sleep–wake state categories: awake, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, and three non-REM sleep categories (NREM1, 2, 3). The expert labels were used to train, validate, and test a fully automated iEEG sleep–wake classifier in freely behaving canines. Main results. The iEEG-based classifier achieved an overall classification accuracy of 0.878 ± 0.055 and a Cohen’s Kappa score of 0.786 ± 0.090. Subsequently, we used the automated iEEG-based classifier to investigate sleep over multiple weeks in freely behaving canines. The results show that the dogs spend a significant amount of the day sleeping, but the characteristics of daytime nap sleep differ from night-time sleep in three key characteristics: during the day, there are fewer NREM sleep cycles (10.81 ± 2.34 cycles per day vs. 22.39 ± 3.88 cycles per night; p < 0.001), shorter NREM cycle durations (13.83 ± 8.50 min per day vs. 15.09 ± 8.55 min per night; p < 0.001), and dogs spend a greater proportion of sleep time in NREM sleep and less time in REM sleep compared to night-time sleep (NREM 0.88 ± 0.09, REM 0.12 ± 0.09 per day vs. NREM 0.80 ± 0.08, REM 0.20 ± 0.08 per night; p < 0.001). Significance. These results support the feasibility and accuracy of automated iEEG sleep–wake classifiers for canine behavior investigations.

Comparative neurogenetics of dog behavior complements efforts towards human neuropsychiatric genetics.

Domestic dogs display a wide array of heritable behaviors that have intermediate genetic complexity thanks to a long history of human-influenced selection. Comparative genetics in dogs could address the scarcity of non-human neurogenetic systems relevant to human neuropsychiatric disorders, which are characterized by mental, emotional, and behavioral symptoms and involve vastly complex genetic and non-genetic risk factors. Our review describes the diverse behavioral "phenome" of domestic dogs, past and ongoing sources of behavioral selection, and the state of canine behavioral genetics. We highlight two naturally disordered behavioral domains that illustrate how dogs may prove useful as a comparative, forward neurogenetic system: canine age-related cognitive dysfunction, which can be examined more rapidly given the attenuated lifespan of dogs, and compulsive disorders, which may have genetic roots in purpose-bred behaviors. Growing community science initiatives aimed at the companion dog population will be well suited to investigating such complex behavioral phenotypes and offer a comparative resource that parallels human genomic initiatives in scale and dimensionality.

Community-Engaged Pedagogy in the Psychology Classroom: Shelter Dogs go to College

Background Community-engaged pedagogy has the potential to benefit both students and the community. Objective The purpose of this project was to design a new undergraduate psychology course according to recommended community-engaged practices and to explore learning outcomes associated with it. The Canine Learning and Behavior (CLB) course, taught by faculty and community co-educators, offered undergraduate psychology students the opportunity to train shelter dogs and write shelter-specific grant applications. Method Learning outcomes were assessed via course grades and self-evaluation questions for students enrolled in the CLB ( n = 21) and in a comparably challenging Sensation and Perception (SnP, n = 47) course, taught within the same semesters by the same faculty instructor. Results In comparison to participation in the SnP course, participation in the CLB course was associated with higher content comprehension, confidence in and familiarity with relevant skills (i.e., dog training and grant writing), as well as awareness of and sense of responsibility to the needs of the community. Conclusion The employment of community-engaged pedagogy can benefit various stakeholders, including students, the community, and in this specific case, shelter dogs. Teaching Implications This proof-of-concept study may encourage psychology educators to integrate community-engaged pedagogy into their curriculum.

Effects of contingent and noncontingent reinforcement on the emotional behavior of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris)

Intermittent schedules of reinforcement are frequently used in dog training. During fixed-time (FT) schedules, reinforcement delivery is time-based and response-independent. In contrast, during fixed-interval (FI) schedules, a response produces a reinforcer if a certain amount of time has elapsed since the last reinforcer was delivered (i.e., FI schedules are time-based and response-dependent). FT schedules are typically used in noncontingent-reinforcement interventions with the aim of decreasing an undesired behavior. Although the effectiveness of these interventions has been reliably shown with human and nonhuman animal learners, little is known about the emotional behavior that is related to these contingencies. In the present study, the target behavior (stepping on a mat) of six dogs was initially trained (shaped) and maintained on a FI 15s schedule. In addition, dogs were exposed to a FT 15s schedule, a combination of FT 15s and FI 15s schedules, and an extinction-only condition (no reinforcement was delivered for the target response). We found that rates of emotional responses (e.g., lip/nose licking, vocalizing) varied in prevalence across dogs and phases. Although lip/nose licking was displayed in high rates across all dogs and phases, it was generally lower in baseline and extinction phases. This suggests that these phases produced less frustration-related behavior. The effect-size calculations for dogs engaging in pacing, sneezing, and vocalizing underscored the varied prevalence of the behaviors across phases and dogs and yielded mostly small- to medium-size effects. These results are especially relevant for the training of companion and working dogs and their well-being during training sessions. Future research should continue investigating emotional behavior in dogs across various schedules of reinforcement (e.g., variable schedules).

The human-animal bond and at-home behaviours of adopted Indian free-ranging dogs

Free-ranging dogs (FRDs) represent the largest population of dogs around the world. Their lives are not under direct human supervision and these dogs can be found in and around all possible forms of human habitation. Increased urbanization, poor population management measures and open garbage dumps have compounded their population over the years, leading to increased dog-human conflict, especially in the Global South. Pet keeping has been on the rise in India but most dogs are commercially acquired and are typically foreign breeds. Adoption of FRDs may be a potential solution for both population management and better welfare. While many studies have been conducted on dog behavior across the Global North, studies pertaining to adoptability, dog-human bonds, and welfare of FRDs have been largely missing. We investigated the in-house behaviour and human-animal bonds among adopted FRDs in India using a mixed method approach. Participants were recruited using social media using a snowball method. Data were collected on demographics and lifestyle of both the owners and their dogs, along with owner responses on the Canine Behaviour and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ, Survey I) and the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS, Survey II). Questions on reasons for adoption, not sterilizing their dogs and behaviour consultation were kept as open responses. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the C-BARQ items to investigate differences in factor structure from previously established studies in Europe and United States. Influence of demographic and lifestyle parameters on factor scores were investigated using logistic regression. We received valid responses from 1484 respondents for Survey I and 427 responses for Survey II from participants, who had filled the surveys for the same adopted FRD. A 13-factor structure emerged from the EFA- Stranger directed aggression, Owner directed aggression, Dog directed aggression, Fear, Nonsocial fear, Touch sensitivity, Separation related problems, Attachment, Excitability, Energy, Chasing, Elimination and Stereotypy. Comparison of scores across sex and neuter status of the dogs revealed differences. Various demographic factors influenced the behaviour of the adopted dogs. Owners reported a very high Emotional Closeness, low Perceived costs and average dog-owner interaction. The dog-owner relationship was mostly influenced by lifestyle and demographic factors rather than the dog’s behaviour. Overall, our results indicate that FRDs can adapt to a domestic life and make good pets. This study is a first attempt to bridge the ethnocultural gap on dog-keeping from India and lays the foundation for multiple avenues for future studies on the welfare of FRDs in the Global South.

Perception and usage of short-term prednisone and prednisolone in dogs.

Corticosteroids are widely used with low rates of reported side effects and a broad level of comfort in the hands of most veterinarians. With a low side effect reporting level of < 5% and high level of comfort there may be complacency and underestimation of the impact side effects of corticosteroids may have on a pet and pet owner. The objective of this clinical study was to describe the experience and perception of an owner who administered anti-inflammatory doses of oral prednisolone and prednisone to their dog for up to 14days. We hypothesized dogs receiving anti-inflammatory doses of prednisone and prednisolone would experience much greater rates of side effects by day 14 then reported in current literature. There were 45 dogs initially enrolled in the study. At each study point, 31 owners provided results. On day 5, 74% (23/31) reported at least 1 change in their dog's behavior including polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, polypnea and/or increased vocalization, with 11 individuals (35%) reporting these changes greatly increased. On day 14, 90% of owners (28/31) reported at least 1 change in their dog's behavior including polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, and/or polypnea as the most common changes noted. Overall, 61% (19/31) of owners reported an increase in filling of the water bowl over baseline and one-third (11/31) of pet owners reported cleaning up urinary accidents for pets who had been continent prior to the start of the study. Pet owner steroid satisfaction remained high through day 14 at 4.5/5 (1 = very unsatisfied, 5 = very satisfied). This study highlights the impact short term anti-inflammatory doses of prednisone or prednisolone have on dog behaviour and confirms our hypothesis that by day 14, 90% of dogs experienced one or more behaviour changes, with polyuria and polydipsia most commonly reported. Adverse events were noted regardless of starting dosage or regimen. Although most pet owners expressed satisfaction with steroid treatment due to its high efficacy, 70% would select a more costly treatment if that treatment had fewer side effects.

Evaluation of a Behavioral Test for Sickness Behavior Associated with Fusarium Mycotoxin Ingestion in Female Beagle Dogs (Canis familiaris).

Animals exhibit behavioral changes during illness, including lethargy, anorexia, fever, adipsia, and anhedonia, which are believed to comprise an adaptive evolutionary strategy. Exploratory and social behaviors generally decrease during illness, but behavioral changes of dogs during illness have not been described. The objective of this study was to evaluate a novel canine behavior test during subclinical illness induced by dietary Fusarium mycotoxin. Twelve mature female beagle dogs received 3 treatment diets: a control diet (control), a diet formulated with grains contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxin (toxin), and the toxin diet together with a toxin binding agent (binder). All dogs received each diets for 14 d in a Latin square design with a 7-d washout period between diet trials. The test consisted of individually releasing dogs into the center aisle of the housing room for 4 min per day, during which interactions with familiar dogs in adjacent kennels were recorded by an observer outside the room who was blind to treatment groups. Total interactions, orientation, and attempted physical contact with other dogs were less frequent during the toxin and binder diet treatments. Conversely, frequencies of physical proximity and olfactory contact with familiar dogs in adjacent kennels were not associated with diet. In conclusion, induction of subclinical gastrointestinal illness influenced aspects of social interactions in beagle dogs. A clinical assessment sheet integrating these findings was developed to aid in early identification of subclinical illness in research dogs based on behavior.

Clinical Signs and Behavior in Dogs with Hypothyroidism

Abstract This descriptive study aims to examine the behavior of dogs diagnosed with hypothyroidism and the potential effect of hormonal treatment. Eight client-owned dogs with clinical hypothyroidism were evaluated using an adapted C-BARQ questionnaire, clinical description, and hematological analysis. Six of the dogs’ behavior was monitored for four months after the treatment initiation. The study found that excitation, whining, and urinating when left alone were frequently observed. Attention-seeking was also a common behavior reported by the owners. The biochemical analysis before the treatment had revealed elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, and alkaline phosphatase levels in the majority of dogs. The study emphasizes the need for prospective studies using a larger sample size to gain further insight into the relationship between hypothyroidism and behavior in dogs. Monitoring changes in behavior over time can provide insight into how thyroid dysregulation may contribute to the onset of certain behavioral patterns. Functional brain imaging and pathohistological brain analysis in dogs with long-term hypothyroidism are also required to confirm the effects of hypothyroidism on canine brain function.

Pain sensitivity differs between dog breeds but not in the way veterinarians believe.

Veterinarians hold distinct breed-specific pain sensitivity beliefs that differ from the general public but are highly consistent with one another. This is remarkable as there is no current scientific evidence for biological differences in pain sensitivity across dog breeds. Therefore, the present study evaluated whether pain sensitivity thresholds differ across a set of dog breeds and, if so, whether veterinarians' pain sensitivity ratings explain these differences or whether these ratings are attributed to behavioral characteristics. Pain sensitivity thresholds [using quantitative sensory testing (QST) methods] and canine behaviors (using owner questionnaires and emotional reactivity tests) were prospectively measured across selected dog breeds. Adult, healthy dogs from 10 dog breeds/breed types were recruited, representing breeds subjectively rated by veterinarians as high (chihuahua, German shepherd, Maltese, Siberian husky), average (border collie, Boston terrier, Jack Russell terrier), or low (golden retriever, pitbull, Labrador retriever) pain sensitivity. A final sample of 149 dogs was included in statistical analyses. Veterinarians' pain sensitivity ratings provided a minimal explanation for pain sensitivity thresholds measured using QST in dogs; however, dog breeds did differ in their pain sensitivity thresholds across the QST methods evaluated. Breed differences were observed for some aspects of emotional reactivity tests; however, these behavioral differences did not explain the differences in pain sensitivity thresholds found. Veterinarians' pain sensitivity ratings were positively associated with dog approach scores for the disgruntled stranger test suggesting that the way dogs greet strangers may be a factor influencing veterinarians' ratings of pain sensitivity across dog breeds. Overall, these findings highlight a need to investigate biological mechanisms that may explain breed differences in pain sensitivity because this may inform pain management recommendations. Further, future research should focus on when and how these breed-specific pain sensitivity beliefs developed in veterinarians, as veterinarians' beliefs could impact the recognition and treatment of pain for canine patients.

Experimental analysis of canine behavior and cognition: Introduction to the special issue.

Over the last 3 decades, the use and popularity of canid models for basic and applied behavioral research has grown dramatically, and for good reasons. Dogs are uniquely among the human world, living and working in our homes and places of employment while an even greater population lives on the outskirts of human life, scavenging and navigating the city life. This provides a rich continuum of environmental contexts for the canine experience, leading to some unique and even human-like behaviors in animals. The articles in this special issue provide additional insight into factors that influence canine welfare, methods for evaluating dogs' preferences and the reinforcing effectiveness of stimuli, trick learning and retention, concept learning, and scent detection performance under sparse reinforcement conditions. Here we provide an overview of these articles and their contribution to our understanding of canine behavior.

Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study

Anxiety and fear are dysfunctional behaviors commonly observed in domesticated dogs. Although dogs and humans share psychopathological similarities, little is known about how dysfunctional fear behaviors are represented in brain networks in dogs diagnosed with anxiety disorders. A combination of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and graph theory was used to investigate the underlying structural connections of dysfunctional anxiety in anxious dogs and compared with healthy dogs with normal behavior. The degree of anxiety was assessed using the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ), a widely used, validated questionnaire for abnormal behaviors in dogs. Anxious dogs showed significantly decreased clustering coefficient ({C}_{p}), decreased global efficiency ({E}_{glob}), and increased small-worldness (σ) when compared with healthy dogs. The nodal parameters that differed between the anxious dogs and healthy dogs were mainly located in the posterior part of the brain, including the occipital lobe, posterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, mesencephalon, and cerebellum. Furthermore, the nodal degree ({K}_{i}) of the left cerebellum was significantly negatively correlated with “excitability” in the C-BARQ of anxious dogs. These findings could contribute to the understanding of a disrupted brain structural connectome underlying the pathological mechanisms of anxiety-related disorders in dogs.

Relationships between demographic characteristics of shelter dogs and performance on tests of a behavioral evaluation and between performance and adoption success

Dog behavior has been studied using diverse methods, including owner-completed questionnaires, records from veterinary clinics that evaluate behavioral problems, and test batteries such as those used by some animal shelters. Measures of prevalence for multiple behavioral issues and analyses of whether dog demographic characteristics are associated with problematic behaviors are commonly reported in studies using questionnaires and clinical records; however, these measures are infrequently reported for all tests and subtests in studies using data from shelter behavioral evaluations. In this study, we determined prevalence of both concerning and dangerous behaviors on 12 tests and subtests of a canine behavioral evaluation by analyzing data collected by the behavioral staff at a NY shelter (n = 1,104 dogs tested between 2014 and 2019). We also examined whether behavior on four tests and subtests with prevalence over 10% (two Sociability subtests, Handling test, and Dog-to-dog meeting subtest) was associated with likelihood of being returned to the shelter post-adoption, and whether dog demographic characteristics (age, sex, reproductive status, and body size) were associated with behaviors on tests and subtests. Of all dogs tested, prevalence measures of dangerous behaviors were always less than 5%. Our measures of prevalence (concerning and dangerous behaviors combined) for food guarding (15.5%), stranger-directed aggression (6.5%), and dog-directed aggression (16.7%) were generally similar to those reported for dogs in other shelters and in homes. For the four tests/subtests examined here, displaying concerning or dangerous behavior was not significantly associated with return to the shelter, and positive predictive values (PPV) were low, which implies that many positive tests will be false positives. We also found few significant associations between demographic characteristics and behavior on tests and subtests and PPV were low. Other factors, such as previous experiences with people and dogs, as well as underlying physiological and neurobiological processes, may be more important influences on a dog’s behavior during a shelter behavioral evaluation than general demographic characteristics. Total number of tests and subtests out of a possible 12 on which dogs were assessed as showing concerning or dangerous behaviors ranged from zero to 7 per dog (median, 0; mean, 0.82). In summary, poor predictive abilities characterized associations between performance on certain tests/subtests of the behavioral evaluation and return to the shelter and between demographic characteristics and behavior on test/subtests. Our data may contribute to the ongoing debate about the usefulness of canine behavioral evaluations in shelters.