Socialization in Commercial Breeding Kennels: The Use of Novel Stimuli to Measure Social and Non-Social Fear in Dogs

Margaret Pritchett; Shanis Barnard; Candace Croney

doi:10.3390/ani11030890

Socialization in Commercial Breeding Kennels: The Use of Novel Stimuli to Measure Social and Non-Social Fear in Dogs

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030890 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 890

Author(s):

Margaret Pritchett ◽

Shanis Barnard ◽

Candace Croney

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Social Fear ◽

Commercial Breeding

Understanding the behavioral welfare of dogs in commercial breeding kennels (CBKs) is important for improving breeders’ management practices as well as dog welfare. In the current study, breeding dogs from CBKs were exposed to novel stimuli to evaluate their behavioral responses, with emphasis on indicators of fear. Subjects were presented with a standard stranger-approach test, a traffic cone, and a realistic dog statue. Sixty dogs were exposed to the three stimuli and behavioral responses were scored using an ethogram developed for this study. Dogs spent significantly more time investigating the environment, staying further away from the stimulus, and they took longer to approach and investigate when presented with the cone than with the dog statue or stranger (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that the cone elicited more fear-related behaviors than the dog statue and stranger. Given these results, in addition to socializing their dogs to unfamiliar people and other dogs within their kennels, commercial breeders should be encouraged to increase the exposure of their dogs to more diverse novel stimuli to reduce non-social fear and support the welfare of dogs while they reside in the kennel and when they transition to new homes.

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Evaluating FIDO: Developing and pilot testing the Field Instantaneous Dog Observation tool

Pet Behaviour Science ◽

10.21071/pbs.v0i4.5766 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Amy E. Bauer ◽

Mary Jordan ◽

Monica Colon ◽

Traci Shreyer ◽

Candace C. Croney

Keyword(s):

Canis Lupus ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽

Pilot Testing ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Commercial Breeding ◽

High Degree ◽

Canine Behavior

Field assessments of the health and welfare of kenneled dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) must be both accurate and rapid. In order to facilitate such evaluations, especially by individuals with limited training in canine behavior and welfare, a non-invasive tool was developed and pilot-tested utilizing dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities. Behavioral responses to approach were organized into three categories: red, indicating a fearful response to approach, green, indicating an affiliative or neutral response to approach, and yellow, indicating an ambivalent response to approach. The inter-rater reliability (IRR) of the tool when used by both behavioral experts and novice raters was evaluated with and without the presence of the dog’s familiar caretaker. Utilizing Cohen’s kappa, the experts had almost perfect levels of agreement (kappa=0.87). The novice raters had substantial levels of agreement (kappa=0.74). Overall, the dogs assessed by the novice raters had high proportions of green responses to approach and there was no statistically significant effect of caretaker presence on the proportion of green responses to approach. The assessment tool evaluated herein appears to have a high degree of IRR whether used by experts in canine behavior or by novice raters and may be a useful screening tool to determine the need for more in-depth welfare assessments.

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Evaluation of an easy-to-use protocol for assessing behaviors of dogs retiring from commercial breeding kennels

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0255883 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (8) ◽

pp. e0255883

Author(s):

Shanis Barnard ◽

Hannah Flint ◽

Traci Shreyer ◽

Candace Croney

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Behavioral Assessment ◽

Food Motivation ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Reactivity Test ◽

Novel Objects ◽

Commercial Breeding ◽

High Internal Consistency ◽

Main Factors ◽

Larger Sample

Objective, reliable behavioral tests are needed to refine on-site welfare assessments of dogs housed at commercial breeding (CB) kennels and provide a basis to inform predictions of their behavior when retired from such kennels. This study tested the reliability, construct validity, and applicability of a protocol for the behavioral assessment of dogs from CB kennels that might be useful in comprehensive welfare assessments of this population. A sample of 447 dogs from 26 CB kennels in the Midwestern US were assessed in their pens. Responses to an approach test (performed on three consecutive days) and a behavioral reactivity test (e.g., traffic cone, toys, umbrella) were recorded. Results showed moderate to perfect (Kw = 0.51–1.00) inter-rater reliability between three independent observers. Approach test-retest analysis showed high correlation of approach test scores on days 1, 2 and 3 (r = 0.85, p<0.0001). Exploratory factor analysis extracted four main factors: Food Motivation (F1), Sociability (F2), Boldness (F3) (e.g., response to novel objects), and Responsiveness (F4) (e.g., response to an umbrella opening) confirming the ability of the test to measure behaviors of interest. All factors showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.81–0.93) further supporting the robustness of the test construct. The demonstrated reliability of this protocol suggests that it may be usefully applied to assessing the behavior of dogs as a component of their welfare assessment in CB kennels. Doing so using even larger sample sizes may yield insights on the effects of housing and management practices on dog welfare while at the kennels, which may also help inform approaches that improve rehoming outcomes for retiring breeding dogs. Practical applications and limitations are outlined.

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Elaborating the role of reflection and individual differences in the study of folk-economic beliefs

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18000274 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Author(s):

Kevin Arceneaux

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

History Of ◽

Economic Beliefs

AbstractIntuitions guide decision-making, and looking to the evolutionary history of humans illuminates why some behavioral responses are more intuitive than others. Yet a place remains for cognitive processes to second-guess intuitive responses – that is, to be reflective – and individual differences abound in automatic, intuitive processing as well.

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A Clinical Study of Twenty-seven Children Exhibiting Functional Hearing Loss

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/0161-1461.1201.26 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 26-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Donald L. McCanna ◽

Giacinto DeLapa

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Clinical Study ◽

Early Identification ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Upper Elementary ◽

Elementary Grades ◽

Ability Level ◽

Hearing Problem

This report reviews 27 cases of children exhibiting functional hearing loss. The study reveals that most students were in the upper elementary grades and were predominantly females. These subjects were functioning below their ability level in school and were usually in conflict with school, home, or peers. Tests used were selected on the basis of their helping to provide early identification. The subjects' oral and behavioral responses are presented, as well as ways of resolving the hearing problem. Some helpful counseling techniques are also presented.

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Olfactory Modulation of Steady- State Visual Evoked Potential Topography in Comparison with Differences in Odor Sensitivity

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027//0269-8803.16.2.71 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 71-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Caroline M. Owen ◽

John Patterson ◽

Richard B. Silberstein

Keyword(s):

Steady State ◽

Visual Evoked Potential ◽

Evoked Potential ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Simultaneous Recording ◽

Odor Concentration ◽

Odor Detection ◽

Detection Response ◽

Response Groups ◽

Visual Evoked

Summary Research was undertaken to determine whether olfactory stimulation can alter steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) topography. Odor-air and air-only stimuli were used to determine whether the SSVEP would be altered when odor was present. Comparisons were also made of the topographic activation associated with air and odor stimulation, with the view toward determining whether the revealed topographic activity would differentiate levels of olfactory sensitivity by clearly identifying supra- and subthreshold odor responses. Using a continuous respiration olfactometer (CRO) to precisely deliver an odor or air stimulus synchronously with the natural respiration, air or odor (n-butanol) was randomly delivered into the inspiratory airstream during the simultaneous recording of SSVEPs and subjective behavioral responses. Subjects were placed in groups based on subjective odor detection response: “yes” and “no” detection groups. In comparison to air, SSVEP topography revealed cortical changes in response to odor stimulation for both response groups, with topographic changes evident for those unable to perceive the odor, showing the presence of a subconscious physiological odor detection response. Differences in regional SSVEP topography were shown for those who reported smelling the odor compared with those who remained unaware of the odor. These changes revealed olfactory modulation of SSVEP topography related to odor awareness and sensitivity and therefore odor concentration relative to thresholds.

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