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Analysis of calming signals in domestic dogs: Are they signals and are they calming?
Journal of Veterinary Behavior 9 (2014) e1ee19
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Veterinary Behavior journal homepage: www.journalvetbehavior.com
Abstracts
ABSTRACTS FROM THE CANINE SCIENCE FORUM AND THE FELINE SCIENCE FORUM, UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN, UK, JULY 2014 1 Puppy behavior during a clinical exam as assessed by veterinarians e Preliminary results C.M.M. LENSEN 1, *, C.P.H. MOONS 2, C. DIEDERICH 1 1 University of Namur, Department of veterinary medicine (IVRU NARILIS), rue de Bruxelles 61, B-5000 Namur, Belgium; [email protected] 2 Ghent University, Department of Nutrition, Genetics and Ethology, Heidestraat 19, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; [email protected] *Corresponding author: [email protected] A puppy’s vaccination visit is a good opportunity for veterinarians to identify dogs with a higher risk of developing behavioral problems, so that preventive measures can be taken in time. However, no objective method for evaluating this risk currently exists. The TempDog project aims to identify the most suitable parameters for an early identification of potential behavioral problems. For this purpose, 21 veterinarians evaluated puppies during their first vaccination visit with their owner, by means of an online questionnaire containing 11 questions about the dog’s behavior during the clinical exam. The veterinarians were ’trained’ in advance to use this questionnaire by assessing and registering dog behavior on four standardized videos. The data were investigated for general patterns to identify different types of dogs (N ¼ 83), both at the variable level (two-step cluster analysis) and at the individual level (hierarchical cluster analysis). The first analysis divided the dogs into two clusters, based on similarity of scores: 1) almost all of the dogs that received the overall assessment label of “playful” (N ¼ 36; 94.7%) and seven dogs evaluated as “neutral”, with relatively high activity and sociability scores, and few stress signals (e.g., lip licking, panting, avoiding), as assessed by the veterinarians; 2) all “fearful” dogs (N ¼ 5) and most dogs scored as “neutral” (N ¼ 31; 81.6%), with relatively low activity and sociability scores, and relatively high scores for stress intensity. The only two dogs labeled “aggressive”, were divided, one in each cluster. These general patterns were confirmed at the individual level, though further differentiation of the dogs was found, mainly based on their level of resistance, support-seeking (towards the owner) and low body posture during the exam. These preliminary results suggest that veterinarians identified different ‘types’ of puppies that may relate to variations in temperament. These findings remain to be confirmed when compared with other evaluations outside the clinic (questionnaire, behavioral test at home) and with those at a later point in the dog’s life. Key words: veterinary; canine; behavioral profile; behavior assessment This study was funded by the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (contract RT 10/12 CONDOG). 1558-7878/$ e see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
2 Serun serotonin levels in dogs: Influence of two different housing environments DANIELA ALBERGHINA 1, *, GIUSEPPE PICCIONE 1, GABRIELLA LOMBARDO 2, ALESSANDRO TAORMINA 2, MICHELE PANZERA 1 1 Department of Veterinary Sciences, Polo Universitario dell’Annunziata, 98168, Messina, Italy 2 Veterinary Practitioners *Corresponding author: [email protected] Serotonin (5-HT) is involved in modulation of mood and behavior. Because of its functions, 5-HT could be considered a candidate as marker of welfare in dogs, but physiological factors that modulate serum concentration should be better clarified. For this study, we enrolled 42 clinically healthy neutered dogs of medium-large size in order to assess serum 5-HT levels. One group of dogs (N ¼ 22) housed in pairs for 4-6 months lived in a local rescue shelter and a second group (N ¼ 20) were kept as house pets and sampled at their own homes. All samples were collected in the morning after a 12-15 hour overnight fast. Dogs were petted during the taking of blood samples in order to reduce levels of stress hormones. Blood samples were drawn from the cephalic vein into anticoagulant-free tubes and centrifuged. Serum aliquots obtained were transported to the laboratory in a cooler with an ice block and stored frozen at -20 C until analysis. Serum 5-HT was measured with ELISA kits. Mann Whitney U test was used to compare 5-HT levels between shelter and house dogs. No differences were found as effect of age (adult vs. old dogs) or gender. 5-HT levels were significantly higher in shelter dogs than in house dogs. The higher levels of 5-HT measured in shelter dogs could indicate that social interaction and olfactory presence of cospecifics could influence 5-HT. Group housing provides a relatively complex environment that encourage locomotor activity, olfactory exploration and social interaction. Key words: serotonin; dog; serum; environmental conditions 3 Analysis of calming signals in domestic dogs: Are they signals and are they calming? C. MARITI*, C. FALASCHI, M. ZILOCCHI, B. CARLONE, A. GAZZANO Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, viale delle Piagge 2 e 56124 Pisa, Italy *Corresponding author: [email protected] This research assessed the use of calming signals (Rugaas, 2005) in dogs. The behavior of 24 dogs, 12 males and 12 females, was analyzed through a focal-sampling method. Each dog (sender) met 4 conspecifics (receiver): a female and a male familiar dog, and a female and a male unfamiliar dog. Encounters occurred between couples of dogs, both off-leash, within an outdoor fence (5 x 5 m),
e2
Abstracts / Journal of Veterinary Behavior 9 (2014) e1ee19
and lasted 5 minutes. All the encounters were video-recorded and analyzed with respect to frequency of occurrence of target behaviors, including the 18 behaviors said to be calming signals. For each noted behavior the following were recorded: type of interaction (close up, at a distance of more than 1.5 the length of the dog, no interaction); receiver behavior immediately before and after the display of the analyzed behavior by the sender; intention showed by the receiver immediately before the emission. A total of 2,130 behaviors were recorded. The analyzed behaviors were significantly more frequent when dogs were interacting, especially when close up, compared to conditions of non-interaction. This result is in contrast with the distribution of the time spent at close distance (42.0%), larger distance with interaction (17.5%) or not interacting (40.5%), suggesting that the analyzed behaviors can be regarded as signals. The receivers showed 109 aggressive episodes (barking, growling, snapping). After an aggressive episode, it was more likely that senders displayed at least one analyzed signal. When such behaviors were displayed by the sender, it was statistically more probable that aggression decreased. These results support the hypothesis that these signals reduce the chance of overt aggression, calming the receiving dog. Key words: aggression; behavior; calming signal; dog; turning head
Reference Rugaas, T. 2005. On talking terms with dogs: calming signals. A DogWise Training Manual
4 What do domestic cats have in common with European wildcats? GRETA VERONICA BERTESELLI 1, *, CATERINA SPIEZIO 2, SIMONA NORMANDO 3, BARBARA DE MORI 3, CESARE AVESANI ZABORRA 2 1 via Giotto, 20, 20060, Masate (MI), Italy 2 Research and Conservation Department, Parco Natura Viva, loc. Figara, 40, 37012, Bussolengo (VR), Italy 3 Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science Padua University, Italy *Corresponding author: [email protected] The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is considered a “strictly protected” species and is included on CITES Appendix II. Nevertheless, it is classed as threatened in many European range states. Habitat destruction and hybridization with domestic cats currently threaten wildcat population in Europe. Indeed, hybridization is widespread and there may be very few genetically pure populations of wildcats remaining. The European wildcat is a solitary felid that lives mainly in dense deciduous or mixed forests, preferably far from humans. Individual and social behaviors of a group of European wildcats in captivity (6 European wildcats hosted at Parco Natura Viva) were observed and compared with behaviors of domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus, 4 Maine Coons and 1 European cat) to underline similarities and differences. Two 10-minute sessions per subject were run daily for a total of 120 minutes of observation for each subject. Individual and social behaviors of the two groups were collected. Focal-Animal Sampling method was used to collect duration of behaviors. Non parametric tests were used to analyze data with a signficance level set at p < 0.05. Results of this study underline that both captive wildcats and domestic cats showed species specific behaviors. However, captive wildcats perfomed statistically more “not observed” behavioral category and “marking” than did the domestic cats, whereas the domestic cats performed more “sleeping without contact” and “self grooming” behavior than did the captive wildcats. The findings of this study suggest that behavioral differences between the
European wildcat and the domestic cat are less common that are similarities. Further research on the behavior of wildcats may contribute to the conservation of this species. Key words: European wildcat; domestic cat; species-specific behavior
5 Dog aggression survey in Slovakia e Characteristics and risk factors M. FEJSÁKOVÁ, R.E. MATOS*, J. KOTTFEROVÁ, E. HALADOVÁ, I. MINO, A. DEMEOVÁ, J.T. JAKUBA J. KACHNIC, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Kosice, Department of Environment, Veterinary Legislation and Economy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Kosice, Slovakia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Dog aggression is a normal behavior with an important communicative function for dogs, yet its expression is undesirable. Dog aggression is extremely common and represents a serious problem in terms of public health, and for its consequences to animal welfare. In Slovakia, there is little scientific literature related to epidemiological data of canine aggression. The goal of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of aggressive behavior in dogs using an owner questionnaire. The questionnaire contained 63 questions divided into seven parts: demographic and household data; daily regime; feeding habits; behavior while outdoors; training; and behavior in miscellaneous situations. Participants were given open, closed and combined questions and a five-point unipolar scale for behavioral variables. From the total number of questionnaires (N¼217) only 177 owners responded to all questions related to fear and aggressive behavior and only these were further analyzed. Almost 67% of dogs showed some type of aggressive behavior with a higher prevalence in males. Multivariate logistic regression models found that aggressive behavior was significantly affected by manifestations of fear and by some demographic and biological factors. Younger owners were more likely to have aggressive dogs and castrated dogs were less likely to be aggressive. Male dogs and dogs with informal training were more likely to be aggressive towards familiar people. Identifying the prevalence and risk factors of aggression in the Slovak canine population will provide useful information for the development of specific preventive measures in this country. Key words: dog; behavior; aggression
6 Survey on undesirable behaviors in pet dogs: The influence of breed and husbandry J. BOWEN 1,2, *, A. GAZZANO 3, L. VASSALLO 3, S. DEGANI 3, J. FATJÒ 2, C. MARITI 3 1 Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, UK 2 Chair Affinity Foundation Animals and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona), Spain 3 Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universita di Pisa, Italy *Corresponding author: [email protected] Domestic dogs show a high degree of behavioral variability. This study analyzes the influence of the breed and husbandry style on the display of undesirable behaviors in dogs. A 101-item questionnaire including questions about a range of undesirable behaviors, aspects of owner status, ownership characteristics and husbandry was completed by 1150 owners of adult. An OPLSDA model was used to compare the behavioral profiles of 20 breeds. From this first analysis, 4 types showed the highest level of divergence: boxer, Old English sheepdog, Belgian shepherd and mixed-
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Veterinary Behavior journal homepage: www.journalvetbehavior.com
Abstracts
ABSTRACTS FROM THE CANINE SCIENCE FORUM AND THE FELINE SCIENCE FORUM, UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN, UK, JULY 2014 1 Puppy behavior during a clinical exam as assessed by veterinarians e Preliminary results C.M.M. LENSEN 1, *, C.P.H. MOONS 2, C. DIEDERICH 1 1 University of Namur, Department of veterinary medicine (IVRU NARILIS), rue de Bruxelles 61, B-5000 Namur, Belgium; [email protected] 2 Ghent University, Department of Nutrition, Genetics and Ethology, Heidestraat 19, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; [email protected] *Corresponding author: [email protected] A puppy’s vaccination visit is a good opportunity for veterinarians to identify dogs with a higher risk of developing behavioral problems, so that preventive measures can be taken in time. However, no objective method for evaluating this risk currently exists. The TempDog project aims to identify the most suitable parameters for an early identification of potential behavioral problems. For this purpose, 21 veterinarians evaluated puppies during their first vaccination visit with their owner, by means of an online questionnaire containing 11 questions about the dog’s behavior during the clinical exam. The veterinarians were ’trained’ in advance to use this questionnaire by assessing and registering dog behavior on four standardized videos. The data were investigated for general patterns to identify different types of dogs (N ¼ 83), both at the variable level (two-step cluster analysis) and at the individual level (hierarchical cluster analysis). The first analysis divided the dogs into two clusters, based on similarity of scores: 1) almost all of the dogs that received the overall assessment label of “playful” (N ¼ 36; 94.7%) and seven dogs evaluated as “neutral”, with relatively high activity and sociability scores, and few stress signals (e.g., lip licking, panting, avoiding), as assessed by the veterinarians; 2) all “fearful” dogs (N ¼ 5) and most dogs scored as “neutral” (N ¼ 31; 81.6%), with relatively low activity and sociability scores, and relatively high scores for stress intensity. The only two dogs labeled “aggressive”, were divided, one in each cluster. These general patterns were confirmed at the individual level, though further differentiation of the dogs was found, mainly based on their level of resistance, support-seeking (towards the owner) and low body posture during the exam. These preliminary results suggest that veterinarians identified different ‘types’ of puppies that may relate to variations in temperament. These findings remain to be confirmed when compared with other evaluations outside the clinic (questionnaire, behavioral test at home) and with those at a later point in the dog’s life. Key words: veterinary; canine; behavioral profile; behavior assessment This study was funded by the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (contract RT 10/12 CONDOG). 1558-7878/$ e see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
2 Serun serotonin levels in dogs: Influence of two different housing environments DANIELA ALBERGHINA 1, *, GIUSEPPE PICCIONE 1, GABRIELLA LOMBARDO 2, ALESSANDRO TAORMINA 2, MICHELE PANZERA 1 1 Department of Veterinary Sciences, Polo Universitario dell’Annunziata, 98168, Messina, Italy 2 Veterinary Practitioners *Corresponding author: [email protected] Serotonin (5-HT) is involved in modulation of mood and behavior. Because of its functions, 5-HT could be considered a candidate as marker of welfare in dogs, but physiological factors that modulate serum concentration should be better clarified. For this study, we enrolled 42 clinically healthy neutered dogs of medium-large size in order to assess serum 5-HT levels. One group of dogs (N ¼ 22) housed in pairs for 4-6 months lived in a local rescue shelter and a second group (N ¼ 20) were kept as house pets and sampled at their own homes. All samples were collected in the morning after a 12-15 hour overnight fast. Dogs were petted during the taking of blood samples in order to reduce levels of stress hormones. Blood samples were drawn from the cephalic vein into anticoagulant-free tubes and centrifuged. Serum aliquots obtained were transported to the laboratory in a cooler with an ice block and stored frozen at -20 C until analysis. Serum 5-HT was measured with ELISA kits. Mann Whitney U test was used to compare 5-HT levels between shelter and house dogs. No differences were found as effect of age (adult vs. old dogs) or gender. 5-HT levels were significantly higher in shelter dogs than in house dogs. The higher levels of 5-HT measured in shelter dogs could indicate that social interaction and olfactory presence of cospecifics could influence 5-HT. Group housing provides a relatively complex environment that encourage locomotor activity, olfactory exploration and social interaction. Key words: serotonin; dog; serum; environmental conditions 3 Analysis of calming signals in domestic dogs: Are they signals and are they calming? C. MARITI*, C. FALASCHI, M. ZILOCCHI, B. CARLONE, A. GAZZANO Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, viale delle Piagge 2 e 56124 Pisa, Italy *Corresponding author: [email protected] This research assessed the use of calming signals (Rugaas, 2005) in dogs. The behavior of 24 dogs, 12 males and 12 females, was analyzed through a focal-sampling method. Each dog (sender) met 4 conspecifics (receiver): a female and a male familiar dog, and a female and a male unfamiliar dog. Encounters occurred between couples of dogs, both off-leash, within an outdoor fence (5 x 5 m),
e2
Abstracts / Journal of Veterinary Behavior 9 (2014) e1ee19
and lasted 5 minutes. All the encounters were video-recorded and analyzed with respect to frequency of occurrence of target behaviors, including the 18 behaviors said to be calming signals. For each noted behavior the following were recorded: type of interaction (close up, at a distance of more than 1.5 the length of the dog, no interaction); receiver behavior immediately before and after the display of the analyzed behavior by the sender; intention showed by the receiver immediately before the emission. A total of 2,130 behaviors were recorded. The analyzed behaviors were significantly more frequent when dogs were interacting, especially when close up, compared to conditions of non-interaction. This result is in contrast with the distribution of the time spent at close distance (42.0%), larger distance with interaction (17.5%) or not interacting (40.5%), suggesting that the analyzed behaviors can be regarded as signals. The receivers showed 109 aggressive episodes (barking, growling, snapping). After an aggressive episode, it was more likely that senders displayed at least one analyzed signal. When such behaviors were displayed by the sender, it was statistically more probable that aggression decreased. These results support the hypothesis that these signals reduce the chance of overt aggression, calming the receiving dog. Key words: aggression; behavior; calming signal; dog; turning head
Reference Rugaas, T. 2005. On talking terms with dogs: calming signals. A DogWise Training Manual
4 What do domestic cats have in common with European wildcats? GRETA VERONICA BERTESELLI 1, *, CATERINA SPIEZIO 2, SIMONA NORMANDO 3, BARBARA DE MORI 3, CESARE AVESANI ZABORRA 2 1 via Giotto, 20, 20060, Masate (MI), Italy 2 Research and Conservation Department, Parco Natura Viva, loc. Figara, 40, 37012, Bussolengo (VR), Italy 3 Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science Padua University, Italy *Corresponding author: [email protected] The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is considered a “strictly protected” species and is included on CITES Appendix II. Nevertheless, it is classed as threatened in many European range states. Habitat destruction and hybridization with domestic cats currently threaten wildcat population in Europe. Indeed, hybridization is widespread and there may be very few genetically pure populations of wildcats remaining. The European wildcat is a solitary felid that lives mainly in dense deciduous or mixed forests, preferably far from humans. Individual and social behaviors of a group of European wildcats in captivity (6 European wildcats hosted at Parco Natura Viva) were observed and compared with behaviors of domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus, 4 Maine Coons and 1 European cat) to underline similarities and differences. Two 10-minute sessions per subject were run daily for a total of 120 minutes of observation for each subject. Individual and social behaviors of the two groups were collected. Focal-Animal Sampling method was used to collect duration of behaviors. Non parametric tests were used to analyze data with a signficance level set at p < 0.05. Results of this study underline that both captive wildcats and domestic cats showed species specific behaviors. However, captive wildcats perfomed statistically more “not observed” behavioral category and “marking” than did the domestic cats, whereas the domestic cats performed more “sleeping without contact” and “self grooming” behavior than did the captive wildcats. The findings of this study suggest that behavioral differences between the
European wildcat and the domestic cat are less common that are similarities. Further research on the behavior of wildcats may contribute to the conservation of this species. Key words: European wildcat; domestic cat; species-specific behavior
5 Dog aggression survey in Slovakia e Characteristics and risk factors M. FEJSÁKOVÁ, R.E. MATOS*, J. KOTTFEROVÁ, E. HALADOVÁ, I. MINO, A. DEMEOVÁ, J.T. JAKUBA J. KACHNIC, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Kosice, Department of Environment, Veterinary Legislation and Economy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Kosice, Slovakia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Dog aggression is a normal behavior with an important communicative function for dogs, yet its expression is undesirable. Dog aggression is extremely common and represents a serious problem in terms of public health, and for its consequences to animal welfare. In Slovakia, there is little scientific literature related to epidemiological data of canine aggression. The goal of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of aggressive behavior in dogs using an owner questionnaire. The questionnaire contained 63 questions divided into seven parts: demographic and household data; daily regime; feeding habits; behavior while outdoors; training; and behavior in miscellaneous situations. Participants were given open, closed and combined questions and a five-point unipolar scale for behavioral variables. From the total number of questionnaires (N¼217) only 177 owners responded to all questions related to fear and aggressive behavior and only these were further analyzed. Almost 67% of dogs showed some type of aggressive behavior with a higher prevalence in males. Multivariate logistic regression models found that aggressive behavior was significantly affected by manifestations of fear and by some demographic and biological factors. Younger owners were more likely to have aggressive dogs and castrated dogs were less likely to be aggressive. Male dogs and dogs with informal training were more likely to be aggressive towards familiar people. Identifying the prevalence and risk factors of aggression in the Slovak canine population will provide useful information for the development of specific preventive measures in this country. Key words: dog; behavior; aggression
6 Survey on undesirable behaviors in pet dogs: The influence of breed and husbandry J. BOWEN 1,2, *, A. GAZZANO 3, L. VASSALLO 3, S. DEGANI 3, J. FATJÒ 2, C. MARITI 3 1 Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, UK 2 Chair Affinity Foundation Animals and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona), Spain 3 Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universita di Pisa, Italy *Corresponding author: [email protected] Domestic dogs show a high degree of behavioral variability. This study analyzes the influence of the breed and husbandry style on the display of undesirable behaviors in dogs. A 101-item questionnaire including questions about a range of undesirable behaviors, aspects of owner status, ownership characteristics and husbandry was completed by 1150 owners of adult. An OPLSDA model was used to compare the behavioral profiles of 20 breeds. From this first analysis, 4 types showed the highest level of divergence: boxer, Old English sheepdog, Belgian shepherd and mixed-