- Email: [email protected]
Shelter dog behavioral assessments: Behavioral coding and personality
Abstracts profiles of individual horses, rated as high and low performers by their trainers. Thirty eight horses from three different stables were rated on a nine point single item performance scale (‘‘1 5 poor performer – 9 5 excellent performer’’) and horse personality traits, generated by 24 familiar and experienced raters, using Repertory Grid Technique. Inter-rater agreement on horse performance was significant for all horses (Stable 1: mean W 5 0.242, p , 0.05, Stables 2 and 3: mean W R 0.375, p , 0.001). Personality profiles of the highest and lowest performers indicate that most high performers were rated as ‘‘nice’’, ‘‘gentle’’, ‘‘easy to work with’’, ‘‘easy to handle’’ and ‘‘patient’’, and most low performers as ‘‘difficult to handle’’, ‘‘inexperienced’’, ‘‘immature’’, ‘‘tense’’, ‘‘nervous’’, ‘‘scared’’, ‘‘hesitant’’, ‘‘impatient’’ and ‘‘unsociable’’. Individual personality profiles of the best and the poorest performers in each stable indicate that it is not only one personality trait but rather a combination of traits that is associated with high or low performance in horses. Key words: equine personality; performance; horse personality profile; repertory grid technique
27
Anderson, M.K., Friend, T.H., Evans, J.W., Bushong, D.M., 1999. Behavioral assessment of horses in therapeutic riding programs. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 63, 11–24. Buckley, P., Dunn, T., More, S.J., 2004. Owners’ perceptions of the health and performance of Pony Club horses in Australia. Prev. Vet. Med. 63, 121–133. Hutson, G.D., Haskell, M.J., 1997. Pre-race behaviour of horses as a predictor of race finishing order. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 53, 231–248. Potter, J.T., Evans, J.W., Nolt, B.H., 1994. Therapeutic horseback riding. Journal of American Veterinary Medicine Association 204, 131–133. Visser, E.K., van Reenen, C.G., Hopster, H., Schilder, M.B.H., Knaap, J.H., Barneveld, A., Blokhuis, H.J., 2001. Quantifying aspects of young horses’ temperament: consistency of behavioural traits. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 74, 241–258. Visser, E.K., van Reenen, C.G., van der Werf, J.T.N., Schilder, M.B.H., Knaap, J.H., Barneveld, A., Blokhuis, H.J., 2002. Heart rate and heart rate variability during a novel object test and a handling test in young horses. Physiol. Behav. 76, 289–296. Visser, E.K., van Reenen, C.G., Engel, B., Schilder, M.B.H., Barneveld, A. , Blokhuis, H.J., 2003. The association between performance in show-jumping and personality traits earlier in life. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 82, 279–295. Worth-Estes, B., 1952. A study of the relationship between temperament of thoroughbred broodmares and performance of offspring. J. Gen. Psychol. 81, 273–288.
An accurate assessment of a shelter dog’s behavioral tendencies is critical in order to make appropriate and safe placements. A common assessment technique measures a dog’s reaction to specific, standardized scenarios. Coding of the dog’s behavior varies widely from test to test, from simple dichotomous coding (observed/not observed) to more complicated scales covering a range of behaviors. However, all assessment instruments should enable the detection of underlying personality factors crucial for appropriate placement. Dichotomous coding has been neglected in dog personality research since the field has been closely modeled after human personality research which typically uses rating scales. One standardized behavioral evaluation based on dichotomous behavior coding is the MATCH-UP Behavior Evaluation. In this assessment, 38 behaviors are measured (observed/not observed) during 18 scenario sub-tests. In order to determine the ability of the MATCH-UP to detect underlying personality characteristics, an analysis of the results from 668 dogs, performed over 3 years, was conducted. The sample included 328 male dogs, 268 female, and 76 were unidentified. Although results of the individual sub-tests are used when placing dogs, the current analysis focused on behavior across all the sub-tests in order to examine relatively stable personality traits. Therefore, the number of sub-tests each behavior was observed in were counted and summed across all 18 sub-tests; behaviors, which ranged in frequency from 0 (never observed) to 18 (observed in all 18 sub-tests), were subjected to principal components analysis with varimax rotation. The analysis yielded 11 factors, accounting for 57.3% of the variance. Eleven factors is more than is typically seen in personality studies, although the last 6 were comprised of three or fewer behaviors so may be justifiably dropped. The number of sub-tests may have contributed to the large number of factors. Results suggest that dichotomous behavioral coding of scenario-based assessments is a viable option when assessing dog behavior, one that may be easier to implement and standardize upon than interval scaling of a range of behaviors. The Center for Shelter dogs has begun revising and validating the MATCH-UP Behavior Evaluation to determine which behaviors and sub-tests are most important and predictive of a dog’s behavior in the home. Key words: dog; personality; temperament test; shelter
SHELTER DOG BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENTS: BEHAVIORAL CODING AND PERSONALITY Amy Marder*, Seana Dowling-Guyer Center for Shelter Dogs, Animal Rescue League of Boston, 10 Chandler Street, Boston, 02116, USA *Corresponding author: [email protected]
EVALUATION OF A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR POLICE INTERVIEW ASSISTANCE DOGS Esther Schalke*, Stefanie Ott, Alexandra Knipf, Dunia Thiesen, Hansjoachim Hackbarth Institute of Animal Welfare and Behaviour (Pets, Laboratory Animals, and Horses); University of
References
27
Anderson, M.K., Friend, T.H., Evans, J.W., Bushong, D.M., 1999. Behavioral assessment of horses in therapeutic riding programs. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 63, 11–24. Buckley, P., Dunn, T., More, S.J., 2004. Owners’ perceptions of the health and performance of Pony Club horses in Australia. Prev. Vet. Med. 63, 121–133. Hutson, G.D., Haskell, M.J., 1997. Pre-race behaviour of horses as a predictor of race finishing order. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 53, 231–248. Potter, J.T., Evans, J.W., Nolt, B.H., 1994. Therapeutic horseback riding. Journal of American Veterinary Medicine Association 204, 131–133. Visser, E.K., van Reenen, C.G., Hopster, H., Schilder, M.B.H., Knaap, J.H., Barneveld, A., Blokhuis, H.J., 2001. Quantifying aspects of young horses’ temperament: consistency of behavioural traits. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 74, 241–258. Visser, E.K., van Reenen, C.G., van der Werf, J.T.N., Schilder, M.B.H., Knaap, J.H., Barneveld, A., Blokhuis, H.J., 2002. Heart rate and heart rate variability during a novel object test and a handling test in young horses. Physiol. Behav. 76, 289–296. Visser, E.K., van Reenen, C.G., Engel, B., Schilder, M.B.H., Barneveld, A. , Blokhuis, H.J., 2003. The association between performance in show-jumping and personality traits earlier in life. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 82, 279–295. Worth-Estes, B., 1952. A study of the relationship between temperament of thoroughbred broodmares and performance of offspring. J. Gen. Psychol. 81, 273–288.
An accurate assessment of a shelter dog’s behavioral tendencies is critical in order to make appropriate and safe placements. A common assessment technique measures a dog’s reaction to specific, standardized scenarios. Coding of the dog’s behavior varies widely from test to test, from simple dichotomous coding (observed/not observed) to more complicated scales covering a range of behaviors. However, all assessment instruments should enable the detection of underlying personality factors crucial for appropriate placement. Dichotomous coding has been neglected in dog personality research since the field has been closely modeled after human personality research which typically uses rating scales. One standardized behavioral evaluation based on dichotomous behavior coding is the MATCH-UP Behavior Evaluation. In this assessment, 38 behaviors are measured (observed/not observed) during 18 scenario sub-tests. In order to determine the ability of the MATCH-UP to detect underlying personality characteristics, an analysis of the results from 668 dogs, performed over 3 years, was conducted. The sample included 328 male dogs, 268 female, and 76 were unidentified. Although results of the individual sub-tests are used when placing dogs, the current analysis focused on behavior across all the sub-tests in order to examine relatively stable personality traits. Therefore, the number of sub-tests each behavior was observed in were counted and summed across all 18 sub-tests; behaviors, which ranged in frequency from 0 (never observed) to 18 (observed in all 18 sub-tests), were subjected to principal components analysis with varimax rotation. The analysis yielded 11 factors, accounting for 57.3% of the variance. Eleven factors is more than is typically seen in personality studies, although the last 6 were comprised of three or fewer behaviors so may be justifiably dropped. The number of sub-tests may have contributed to the large number of factors. Results suggest that dichotomous behavioral coding of scenario-based assessments is a viable option when assessing dog behavior, one that may be easier to implement and standardize upon than interval scaling of a range of behaviors. The Center for Shelter dogs has begun revising and validating the MATCH-UP Behavior Evaluation to determine which behaviors and sub-tests are most important and predictive of a dog’s behavior in the home. Key words: dog; personality; temperament test; shelter
SHELTER DOG BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENTS: BEHAVIORAL CODING AND PERSONALITY Amy Marder*, Seana Dowling-Guyer Center for Shelter Dogs, Animal Rescue League of Boston, 10 Chandler Street, Boston, 02116, USA *Corresponding author: [email protected]
EVALUATION OF A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR POLICE INTERVIEW ASSISTANCE DOGS Esther Schalke*, Stefanie Ott, Alexandra Knipf, Dunia Thiesen, Hansjoachim Hackbarth Institute of Animal Welfare and Behaviour (Pets, Laboratory Animals, and Horses); University of
References