Familiar Dog Research Articles

Puppy Socialisation Experiences in Relation to Age and COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions in the UK and ROI.

Limited socialisation can contribute to the development of undesirable dog behaviours. The COVID-19 lockdown potentially limited socialisation opportunities, which may negatively impact the future behaviour of puppies raised during lockdown. Data were gathered from longitudinal study participants in the United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland via multiple questionnaires between May 2016 and November 2022. The impact of age and lockdown phase (pre-, during, and post-) on the types of socialisation experiences of 8-to-19-week-old puppies and the recency of socialisation experiences of approximately 6-month-old puppies were examined. Puppies under 19-weeks had significantly more types of socialisation experiences (from a predefined list) as they aged, and pre-lockdown compared to post-lockdown, but not between other lockdown phases. Most 6-month-old puppies had met a new adult or dog outside the household, a familiar dog, and/or a child within the last 1-7 days, and this was similar between lockdown phases. During lockdown, 6-month-old puppies experienced longer periods between meeting a new adult in their home. Puppies were hypothesised to have had fewer experiences during lockdown, but this was not found. However, the quantity and quality of these experiences may have been affected. Future research within this longitudinal study will explore relationships between the timing and type of experiences had by puppies and their subsequent behaviour.

Network analysis reveals abnormal functional brain circuitry in anxious dogs.

Anxiety is a common disease within human psychiatric disorders and has also been described as a frequently neuropsychiatric problem in dogs. Human neuroimaging studies showed abnormal functional brain networks might be involved in anxiety. In this study, we expected similar changes in network topology are also present in dogs. We performed resting-state functional MRI on 25 healthy dogs and 13 patients. The generic Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire was used to evaluate anxiety symptoms. We constructed functional brain networks and used graph theory to compare the differences between two groups. No significant differences in global network topology were found. However, focusing on the anxiety circuit, global efficiency and local efficiency were significantly higher, and characteristic path length was significantly lower in the amygdala in patients. We detected higher connectivity between amygdala-hippocampus, amygdala-mesencephalon, amygdala-thalamus, frontal lobe-hippocampus, frontal lobe-thalamus, and hippocampus-thalamus, all part of the anxiety circuit. Moreover, correlations between network metrics and anxiety symptoms were significant. Altered network measures in the amygdala were correlated with stranger-directed fear and excitability; altered degree in the hippocampus was related to attachment/attention seeking, trainability, and touch sensitivity; abnormal frontal lobe function was related to chasing and familiar dog aggression; attachment/attention seeking was correlated with functional connectivity between amygdala-hippocampus and amygdala-thalamus; familiar dog aggression was related to global network topology change. These findings may shed light on the aberrant topological organization of functional brain networks underlying anxiety in dogs.

Reading the mind in the eyes in PTSD: Limited Moderation by the presence of a service dog

Persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently experience relationship failures in family and occupational domains resulting in loss of social supports. Prior research has implicated impairments in social cognition. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) measures a key component of social cognition, the ability to infer the internal states of other persons based on features of the eyes region of the face; however, studies administering this popular test to persons with PTSD have yielded mixed results. This study assessed RMET performance in 47 male U.S. military Veterans with chronic, severe PTSD. Employing a within-subjects design that avoided selection biases, it aimed specifically to determine whether components of RMET performance, including accuracy, response latency, and stimulus dwell time, were improved by the company of a service dog, an intervention that has improved social function in other populations. RMET accuracies and response latencies in this PTSD sample were in the normal range. The presence of a familiar service dog did not improve RMET accuracy, reduce response latencies, or increase dwell times. Dog presence increased the speed of visual scanning perhaps consistent with reduced social fear.

Association between coat colour and the behaviour of Australian Labrador retrievers

BackgroundMaking assumptions regarding temperament and intelligence based on the physical appearance of dogs can be a conscious or unconscious human act. Labrador retrievers with chocolate-coloured coats are anecdotally considered to be less trainable and more hyperactive and aggressive than their black or yellow peers. To test these assertions, we analysed the owner-reported behavioural traits of Labradors in relation to both their observable coat colour, and their TYRP1 and MC1R genotypes.ResultsWe used the results of an owner-based questionnaire to determine scores for 21 behavioural traits and test whether these scores varied with coat colour (n = 225). Familiar dog aggression was the only trait that was found to vary significantly with coat colour (P = 0.013). Yellow Labradors had a higher score than chocolate Labradors, even when corrected for multiple testing (P = 0.021).We repeated the analyses for a subset of 63 Labradors with available genotyping data for the genes (MC1R and TYRP1) that are known to determine the primary coat colours in Labradors. Familiar dog aggression scores varied with both the observed coat colour and MC1R genotype. Dogs homozygous for MC1R recessive allele (with yellow coat colour) scored higher for familiar dog aggression than either black or chocolate Labradors. However, no association maintained significance when incorporating Bonferroni correction. Dog trainability scores decreased additively as the number of recessive brown alleles for TYRP1 increased. This allelic association was independent of the observable coat colour. Dogs homozygous for the brown allele were considered less trainable than dogs with no brown alleles (P = 0.030).ConclusionsOur results do not support that chocolate-coloured Labradors are more hyperactive or aggressive than either black or yellow Labradors. Trainability scores varied with TYRP1 genotype but not the observable coat colour. Further validation is required.

Contexts and consequences of dog bite incidents

Abstract Dog bites are a contentious issue within the United Kingdom due to their effect on public health and increasing incidence. Despite multiple expert-led dog bite prevention schemes being available, there is limited evidence regarding the surrounding factors and likely causes of a dog bite (e.g., dog/human behavior). An online convenience sample questionnaire was distributed through social media between December 2015 and February 2016 targeting self-identified dog bite victims within the United Kingdom. A total of 484 responses were received. Victims were aged between 1 and 77 years when bitten. Most dogs (66.1%) were known to the victim. The most common context of a dog bite is related to interacting or attempting to interact with the dog (e.g., stroking, playing, handling, and restraining); however, in many cases, the dog approached the victim (50%). In 27% of cases, the dog was known to have bitten someone previously. If the upper extremities were bitten, it was likely the person approached the dog, whereas for the lower extremities, it was more likely the dog approached the person. Most injuries did not require medical treatment (62.3%), and there was no follow-on consequence for the dog involved (59.9%). Bites to an owner from their own dog were more likely to be seen as accidental and unintentional than bites from a less familiar dog. This study found contexts in which dog bites occur vary widely, and thus, a number of different prevention measures are required, including addressing repeat biters.

Descriptive study of dog bites in France—Severity factors, factors of onset of sequelae, and circumstances. Results of a survey conducted by InVS and Zoopsy in 2009-2010

Abstract An interdisciplinary epidemiologic survey was undertaken on dog bites in France from May 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Medical information was collected from 8 emergency services, and a telephone questionnaire was conducted by veterinary behaviorists. A second questionnaire was conducted 1 month after the dog bite to determine how the bite wound had healed. In children, dog bites were more frequent on the head and neck, but the lesions were more severe in adults. Bites were more numerous and more severe when the victim knew the dog that bit them. No association was found between the severity of the bite and the type of dog that bit, including breed, sex, and weight. In adults, bites occurred primarily as a result of the victim trying to separate 2 fighting dogs, whereas children were bitten when they interacted with a familiar dog. Among those who responded to the follow-up questionnaire 1 month after the bite, 39% reported sequelae. Esthetic sequelae were the most (80%) of sequelae reported. Women and adults reported more sequelae than did men and children. Measures should be adopted based on the results of this survey.

Human-directed aggression: are we barking up the wrong tree?

The impact of dog bites on human health has been extensively documented in the literature and risk factor analysis has been very useful in the search for causal mechanisms of...

Behavioural testing based breeding policy reduces the prevalence of fear and aggression related behaviour in Rottweilers

Behavioural testing allows to exclude dogs that are fearful and aggressive from the breeding population, but relatively little is known about the effectiveness of such strategies in practice. From 2001 till 2009 parent purebred Dutch Rottweilers had to pass the Socially Acceptable Behaviour (SAB)-test for their offspring to obtain a pedigree certificate. We evaluated if this breeding policy of excluding fearful and aggressive Rottweilers, as diagnosed by the SAB-test, indeed reduced the prevalence of fear and aggression in the Dutch Rottweiler population. Owner-reported assessments of their dogs’ behaviour were compared between groups of Rottweilers with or without pedigree certificates, assuming the Rottweiler look-a-likes to represent the control condition of no breeding policy regarding fear and aggression. A total of 822 Rottweiler owners filled out the Canine Behavioural Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) on problem behaviour, including 7 behavioural categories related to fear and aggression. Problem behaviour prevalence and explanatory factors were investigated by multivariable logistic regression.The prevalence of Stranger-directed fear (P<0.05) and Non-social fear (P<0.01) was lower in the group of pedigrees than in the group of look-a-likes, with a same tendency for Stranger-directed aggression (P=0.056). Analysing the combined C-BARQ scores for the behaviour categories that are assessed with the SAB-test, namely Stranger-directed aggression, Dog-directed fear/aggression, Stranger-directed fear and Non-social fear, revealed that one sixth of the pedigree Rottweilers showed these behaviours compared to one third of the look-a-likes (P<0.0001). Strong associations were found between Stranger-directed aggression and Dog-directed fear/aggression (P<0.001) or Social Fear (P<0.001), indicating the role of fear in aggression towards unfamiliars. The association between Stranger-directed aggression and chase proneness (P<0.01) seems to illustrate how different motivations may underlie a same manifestation of aggression. Familiar dog aggression associated with Owner-directed aggression (P<0.001), implicating that such aggressions may have do with conflicts over status. Found associations between types of fear/aggression will have in part reflected shared underlying causes, and reflect the known comorbidity of problem behaviours. Their associations with dog and/or owner characteristics indicated several possible risk factors for fear/aggression. However, associations with common risk factors like sex and reproductive status were not found.Taking into account behaviour test outcomes in Rottweiler pedigree certification was associated with a reduced prevalence of fear and aggression. The exclusion of fear/aggressive individuals from the breeding population on the basis of SAB-test outcomes may have had favourable effects on population genetics or incited preventive actions by breeders like not putting a dog forward for pedigree certification. In our view, validated behaviour tests like the SAB-test can help to reduce unwanted behaviours in dog populations by breeding policies.

Validation of the Socially Acceptable Behaviour (SAB) test in a Central‑Italy pet dog population.

Aggressiveness is reported to be the most important public health issue related to both owned and free‑roaming dogs. Common approaches to assess canine aggressiveness are temperament tests. The main aim of this study was to evaluate whether one such test, the Socially Acceptable Behaviour (SAB) test, created to evaluate aggressive and fearful behaviour in dogs in the Netherlands, could be used reliably to assess dog aggression and fear in a population of owned dogs in Central Italy. Reactions to the test were recorded and compared to the owners' perception of their dog's aggressiveness using a validated questionnaire (C‑BARQ). Dogs showing aggressive reactions during the test obtained significantly higher (more aggressive) scores on the C‑BARQ subscales 'stranger‑directed aggression' (SDA p<0.001), 'owner‑directed aggression' (ODA p = 0.03), and 'familiar dog aggression' (FDA p = 0.006), than dogs who did not react aggressively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that 7 of the SAB‑subtests were predictive of the SDA score. The findings indicated that aggression directed toward unfamiliar people can be reliably assessed using the SAB test for a population of Italian pet dogs.

More than noise?—Field investigations of intraspecific acoustic communication in dogs (Canis familiaris)

Besides being a widely investigated behavioural phenomenon, barks of dogs often represent a factor of nuisance for people. Although some argue that dog barking has no or only minimal communicative function, it was shown recently that these acoustic signals carry various information that humans can decipher. However, apart from a few laboratory studies, until now no targeted research has been done about the communicative role of barks in the intraspecific domain. In this field experiment companion dogs were tested with bark playbacks at home, in a suburban environment. From a hidden sound system, placed near to the gate outside of the property, each subject was exposed to pre-recorded barks of an unfamiliar and a familiar dog. Barks for the playbacks were recorded in two different contexts: when the dog was either left alone or when it was barking at a stranger at the fence. We found differences in the behaviour of dogs depending on both the familiarity and context of the playback barks. The position of the dogs (near the house or near the gate) was mainly influenced by the context of the barks (p=0.011), in a significant interaction with the familiarity of the barking dog (p=0.020). Subjects stayed at the gate (nearest to the source of the sound) the longest when they heard an unfamiliar dog barking at a stranger (padj=0.012). Meanwhile they stayed at the house mostly during the barks of a lonely unfamiliar dog (padj=0.001). Dogs oriented more towards the house (where the familiar dog stayed during the experiment) when they heard the familiar dog's barking (p=0.019). Subjects barked more often when they heard the ‘stranger’ barks, independently of the familiarity of the caller (p=0.035). As a conclusion, dogs seemingly distinguished among the callers based on familiarity and between the contexts of the barks. This is the first study on companion dogs in their natural environment that found evidence that dogs are able to extract detailed information from the barks. The relevance of our findings for the management of excessive bark is discussed.

Retrospective review of dog bite injuries in children presenting to a South Australian tertiary children's hospital emergency department.

To describe the characteristics, circumstances and consequences of dog bite injuries in children in order to inform the discourse concerning preventative approaches. A retrospective review of children presenting to the emergency department (ED) of the Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) in South Australia between the years 2009 and 2011 was performed. A total of 277 children presented to the WCH with dog bite injuries between 2009 and 2011. Of those, 141(51.0%) were referred for admission. Injury rates were highest in those aged 0-4, declining thereafter with age. In the 0-4 year age group, 89.5% of children presented after being bitten by a familiar dog with 92.5% occurring at home. The head/neck region constituted the most common location for injuries. We found that 67.5% of dog bite injuries were provoked and occurred between the child and a familiar dog (78.0%). Dogs from the bull terrier group (20.0%) and Jack Russell Terriers (11.0%) were the two most documented breeds. Almost half of the children presenting during the specified timeframe required at least one operation under a general anaesthetic. Two children were referred to a psychologist for management of post-traumatic stress. Dog bite injuries are common in children and often require admission for inpatient care. This presents as a significant public health burden. For this reason, prevention initiatives need to be implemented on an ongoing basis.

Scent of the familiar: An fMRI study of canine brain responses to familiar and unfamiliar human and dog odors

Understanding dogs’ perceptual experience of both conspecifics and humans is important to understand how dogs evolved and the nature of their relationships with humans and other dogs. Olfaction is believed to be dogs’ most powerful and perhaps important sense and an obvious place to begin for the study of social cognition of conspecifics and humans. We used fMRI in a cohort of dogs (N=12) that had been trained to remain motionless while unsedated and unrestrained in the MRI. By presenting scents from humans and conspecifics, we aimed to identify the dimensions of dogs’ responses to salient biological odors – whether they are based on species (dog or human), familiarity, or a specific combination of factors. We focused our analysis on the dog's caudate nucleus because of its well-known association with positive expectations and because of its clearly defined anatomical location. We hypothesized that if dogs’ primary association to reward, whether it is based on food or social bonds, is to humans, then the human scents would activate the caudate more than the conspecific scents. Conversely, if the smell of conspecifics activated the caudate more than the smell of humans, dogs’ association to reward would be stronger to their fellow canines. Five scents were presented (self, familiar human, strange human, familiar dog, strange dog). While the olfactory bulb/peduncle was activated to a similar degree by all the scents, the caudate was activated maximally to the familiar human. Importantly, the scent of the familiar human was not the handler, meaning that the caudate response differentiated the scent in the absence of the person being present. The caudate activation suggested that not only did the dogs discriminate that scent from the others, they had a positive association with it. This speaks to the power of the dog's sense of smell, and it provides important clues about the importance of humans in dogs’ lives.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Canine Behavior.

Analysis of Pediatric Facial Dog Bites

The aim of this study was to characterize and report the epidemiological data regarding pediatric facial dog bites. For this study, a retrospective chart review was used. This study was performed at a large tertiary pediatric hospital. All children younger than 18 years who sought medical attention after a facial dog bite between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2008, were included. Demographic and epidemiologic data were collected and analyzed. A total of 537 children were identified. The average age was 4.59 ± 3.36 years, with a slight male preponderance (52.0%). The majority of dog bites occurred in children 5 years of age or younger (68.0%). Almost all (89.8%) of the dogs were known to the children. When circumstances surrounding the bite were documented, over half (53.2%) of the cases were provoked. The most common breeds were mixed breed (23.0%), Labrador retriever (13.7%), Rottweiler (4.9%), and German shepherd (4.4%). Inpatient treatment was required in 121 (22.5%) patients with an average length of stay of 2.96 ± 2.77 days. Children 5 years or younger were more likely to be hospitalized than older children. Children 5 years old and younger are at high risk for being bitten in the face by a familiar dog and are more likely to require hospitalization than older children. Certain dog breeds are more likely to bite, and there is often a history of provocation. There is a tremendous financial and psychosocial burden associated with dog bites, and prevention strategies should focus on education with the aid of public policies and better documentation and reporting systems.

A Case of Too Much Doggy Love

Animal bites, especially bites to the head, neck and face, are common injuries in children.1 It is estimated that in the pediatric population dog bites account for 0.3% to 1.5% of all presentations for medical care.1 Children are most likely to be bitten by a familiar dog at home and are frequently bitten due to a provoked attack.1-3 Appropriate adult supervision could prevent many of these bites from occurring.

Familiarity Bias and Physiological Responses in Contagious Yawning by Dogs Support Link to Empathy

In humans, the susceptibility to yawn contagion has been theoretically and empirically related to our capacity for empathy. Because of its relevance to evolutionary biology, this phenomenon has been the focus of recent investigations in non-human species. In line with the empathic hypothesis, contagious yawning has been shown to correlate with the level of social attachment in several primate species. Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have also shown the ability to yawn contagiously. To date, however, the social modulation of dog contagious yawning has received contradictory support and alternative explanations (i.e., yawn as a mild distress response) could explain positive evidence. The present study aims to replicate contagious yawning in dogs and to discriminate between the two possible mediating mechanisms (i.e., empathic vs. distress related response). Twenty-five dogs observed familiar (dog’s owner) and unfamiliar human models (experimenter) acting out a yawn or control mouth movements. Concurrent physiological measures (heart rate) were additionally monitored for twenty-one of the subjects. The occurrence of yawn contagion was significantly higher during the yawning condition than during the control mouth movements. Furthermore, the dogs yawned more frequently when watching the familiar model than the unfamiliar one demonstrating that the contagiousness of yawning in dogs correlated with the level of emotional proximity. Moreover, subjects’ heart rate did not differ among conditions suggesting that the phenomenon of contagious yawning in dogs is unrelated to stressful events. Our findings are consistent with the view that contagious yawning is modulated by affective components of the behavior and may indicate that rudimentary forms of empathy could be present in domesticated dogs.

Immune gene diversity in grey wolves (Canis lupus)

s / Journal of Veterinary Behavior 8 (2013) e27ee46 e33 The behavior of 22 dogs (11 females and 11males)was analysed in a modified version of the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test. The stranger was played by a 25 year old woman, while the presumed attachment figure was played by a conspecific living in the same household. Eighteen social and non-social behaviors were observed. The twodogswere left free in theunknown room, therefore for social behaviors only those started by the tested dog were statistically analysed. Data were analyzed by a Wilcoxon test (P < 0.05). Dogs in isolation were found to cry more than in the presence of the stranger or the other dog. Moreover, when dogs were alone, they displayed more behaviors directed to the door and spent more time close to the door. For such behaviors, no difference was found when comparing episodes in the company of the stranger or the other dog. Concerning social behaviors, dogs behaved similarly towards stranger and conspecifics for physical contact, proximity and attention seeking behaviors. Unlike previous research on dog attachment to owner, dogs’ behavior related to stranger and cohabitant dogs were quite similar, so the presence of an intraspecific attachment in dogs was not demonstrated. However, results show that dogs were more stressed when alone than in the company of a familiar dog; and the presence of a human being, although unfamiliar, has a similar ameliorative effect.

The Effect of Familiarity on Behavior of Kenneled Dogs During Interactions With Conspecifics

Kenneled environments often prevent direct physical contact between dogs, potentially causing stress, and so it has been recommended that such contact should be provided. This study examined the effect of familiarity on the behavior of dogs during off-lead interaction. Kenneled dogs (3 breeds) were given 15-min off-lead interactions with a familiar dog and an unfamiliar dog; the behavior of the focal dog and the distance between the dogs were recorded. More time in contact and interaction behaviors were recorded at 0 to 3 min with unfamiliar dogs than with familiar dogs. At 9 to 12 min, familiar pairs spent more time within 5 body lengths and more time being followed than unfamiliar pairs, who spent more time at more than 5 body lengths apart. This suggests that the initial interaction is more important when dogs are unfamiliar, but once this “greeting” has occurred, unfamiliar pairs are more likely to investigate their surroundings independently rather than together. Breed differences were observed only at 0 to 3 min. The study suggests that familiarity should be taken into account when assessing the effectiveness of conspecific contact as a potential enrichment for kennel-housed dogs.

Effects of Presence of a Familiar Pet Dog on Regional Cerebral Activity in Healthy Volunteers: A Positron Emission Tomography Study

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the effects of the presence of a familiar pet dog on brain activity and psychophysiology in human volunteers. Fourteen participants (2 men, 12 women; mean age ± SD = 43.0 ± 10.8 years) were enrolled in the study. Uptake of 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) on whole-brain positron emission tomography (PET) scans in the presence (but without interaction) and absence of their own pet dog was analyzed. In addition, an electrocardiograph was recorded to assess heart rate variability. Psychological condition was determined using the Stress Response Scale-18 (SRS-18). PET brain images were analyzed and compared between the two conditions (t-tests; p < 0.001) using a statistical parametric mapping program (SPM-5). Deactivated brain areas were detected in the left middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann area: BA 8), the right fusiform gyrus (BA 20), the left putamen, and the thalamus in the presence of the pet dog, indicating reduced regional brain activities associated with stress perception and sympathetic arousal. Similarly, SRS-18 scores were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the presence of the pet dog, indicating a lowered stress response. However, autonomic function was not found to differ significantly between the two conditions. Overall, these results suggest that the participants were “relaxed” in the psychological sense. PET with [18F]FDG appears to be a useful tool for examining the brain mechanisms underlying the psychophysiological well-being associated with the human–animal bond in terms of regional brain responses.

Why do children get bitten in the face?

The majority of dog bite accidents happen at home and involve children under the age of 7 (Kahn et al, 2003) and a familiar dog. The prevalence of bites in...

Dog bite injuries a preventable hazard?

Estimates indicate 1.5% of the population is bitten by a dog annually (though probably 50% of bites remain unreported), and that the incidence is increasing. However, dogs are popular pets...