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Gnanadesikan GE, King KM, Carranza E, Flyer AC, Ossello G, Smith PG, Steklis NG, Steklis HD, Carter CS, Connelly JJ, Barnett M, Gee N, Tecot SR, MacLean EL. Effects of human-animal interaction on salivary and urinary oxytocin in children and dogs. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 169:107147. [PMID: 39094516 PMCID: PMC11381145 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin pathways are hypothesized to play important roles in human-animal interactions and may contribute to some benefits of these interspecific social relationships. We explored the effects of naturalistic interactions between children and dogs on oxytocin release in both species, as well as associations between methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTRm), social behavior, and oxytocin response in this context. Children (N = 55) participated in a within-subjects design involving a) interaction with their pet dog, b) interaction with an unfamiliar dog, and c) a nonsocial control condition (solitary play). We used immunoassays to measure salivary and urinary oxytocin in both the children and dogs, behavioral coding to characterize dog-child interactions, and bisulfite sequencing to quantify methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene (N = 32 children). Child salivary oxytocin decreased moderately across time in all conditions, but the extent of this effect varied between conditions, with greater oxytocin output during interactions with dogs than the control condition. In the pet dog condition, children's salivary oxytocin response was positively associated with the duration of visual co-orientation between the child and dog. Child urinary oxytocin did not deviate substantially from baseline in any condition. Children with higher levels of OXTRm had greater oxytocin output during interactions with their pet dogs, but lower oxytocin output in the control condition, and engaged in lower levels of affectionate interaction with dogs across conditions. Children's pet dogs exhibited increases in salivary oxytocin, but we observed the opposite pattern in the unfamiliar dog, who exhibited decreases in both urinary and salivary oxytocin on average. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that oxytocin pathways may shape and respond to social interactions between children and dogs, highlighting an important role for companion animals in child development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gitanjali E Gnanadesikan
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | | | - Elizabeth Carranza
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Oro Valley, AZ, USA
| | - Abigail C Flyer
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Gianna Ossello
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Paige G Smith
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Netzin G Steklis
- School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - H Dieter Steklis
- School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - C Sue Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jessica J Connelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Melissa Barnett
- Human Development and Family Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Nancy Gee
- School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Stacey R Tecot
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Evan L MacLean
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Oro Valley, AZ, USA.
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Heurlin J, Barabás G, Roth LSV. Behavioural synchronisation between different groups of dogs and wolves and their owners/handlers: Exploring the effect of breed and human interaction. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302833. [PMID: 38701080 PMCID: PMC11068182 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Dogs have previously been shown to synchronise their behaviour with their owner and the aim of this study was to test the effect of immediate interactions, breed, and the effects of domestication. The behavioural synchronisation test was conducted in outdoor enclosures and consisted of 30 s where the owner/handler was walking and 30 s of standing still. Three studies were conducted to explore the effect of immediate interaction (study A), the effect of breed group (study B), and the effect of domestication (study C). In study A, a group of twenty companion dogs of various breeds were tested after three different human interaction treatments: Ignore, Pet, and Play. The results showed that dogs adjusted their movement pattern to align with their owner's actions regardless of treatment. Furthermore, exploration, eye contact, and movement were all influenced by the owners moving pattern, and exploration also decreased after the Play treatment. In study B, the synchronisation test was performed after the Ignore treatment on three groups: 24 dogs of ancient dog breeds, 17 solitary hunting dogs, and 20 companion dogs (data from study A). Irrespective of the group, all dogs synchronised their moving behaviour with their owner. In addition, human walking positively influenced eye contact behaviour while simultaneously decreasing exploration behaviour. In study C, a group of six socialised pack-living wolves and six similarly socialised pack-living dogs were tested after the Ignore treatment. Interestingly, these animals did not alter their moving behaviour in response to their handler. In conclusion, dogs living together with humans synchronise with their owner's moving behaviour, while wolves and dogs living in packs do not. Hence, the degree of interspecies behavioural synchronisation may be influenced by the extent to which the dogs are immersed in everyday life with humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - György Barabás
- IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Konkoly-Thege Miklós út 29–33, Budapest, Hungary
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Lamontagne A, Gaunet F. Behavioural Synchronisation between Dogs and Humans: Unveiling Interspecific Motor Resonance? Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:548. [PMID: 38396516 PMCID: PMC10886274 DOI: 10.3390/ani14040548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Dogs' behavioural synchronisation with humans is of growing scientific interest. However, studies lack a comprehensive exploration of the neurocognitive foundations of this social cognitive ability. Drawing parallels from the mechanisms underlying behavioural synchronisation in humans, specifically motor resonance and the recruitment of mirror neurons, we hypothesise that dogs' behavioural synchronisation with humans is underpinned by a similar mechanism, namely interspecific motor resonance. Based on a literature review, we argue that dogs possess the prerequisites for motor resonance, and we suggest that interspecific behavioural synchronisation relies on the activation of both human and canine mirror neurons. Furthermore, interspecific behavioural studies highlight certain characteristics of motor resonance, including motor contagion and its social modulators. While these findings strongly suggest the potential existence of interspecific motor resonance, direct proof remains to be established. Our analysis thus paves the way for future research to confirm the existence of interspecific motor resonance as the neurocognitive foundation for interspecific behavioural synchronisation. Unravelling the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying this behavioural adjustment holds profound implications for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of dogs alongside humans and improving the day-to-day management of dog-human interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélique Lamontagne
- Centre de Recherche en Psychologie et Neuroscience (UMR 7077), Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille, Cedex 03, France
- Association Agir pour la Vie Animale (AVA), 76220 Cuy-Saint-Fiacre, France
| | - Florence Gaunet
- Centre de Recherche en Psychologie et Neuroscience (UMR 7077), Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille, Cedex 03, France
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Melvin RL, Ruple A, Pearson EB, Olby NJ, Fitzpatrick AL, Creevy KE. A review of frailty instruments in human medicine and proposal of a frailty instrument for dogs. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1139308. [PMID: 37441560 PMCID: PMC10333704 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1139308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last few decades, frailty has become a pillar of research and clinical assessment in human gerontology. This complex syndrome, characterized by loss of physiologic reserves leading to decreased resilience to stressors, is of critical importance because it predicts higher risks of poor health outcomes, including mortality. Thus, identifying frailty among the elderly human population has become a key focus of gerontology. This narrative review presents current scientific literature on frailty in both humans and animals. The authors discuss the need for an accessible frailty instrument for companion dogs suitable for general use in veterinary medicine and the advances that would be facilitated by this instrument. A phenotypic frailty instrument for companion dogs, utilizing components that are easily collected by owners, or in the general practice setting, is proposed. The authors elaborate on the domains (physical condition, physical activity, mobility, strength, cognitive task performance, and social behavior), factors that will be included, and the data from the Dog Aging Project that inform each domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Melvin
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Audrey Ruple
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Elizabeth B. Pearson
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Natasha J. Olby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | | | - Kate E. Creevy
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, United States
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Jardat P, Ringhofer M, Yamamoto S, Gouyet C, Degrande R, Parias C, Reigner F, Calandreau L, Lansade L. Horses form cross-modal representations of adults and children. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:369-377. [PMID: 35962844 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01667-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Recently, research on domestic mammals' sociocognitive skills toward humans has been prolific, allowing us to better understand the human-animal relationship. For example, horses have been shown to distinguish human beings on the basis of photographs and voices and to have cross-modal mental representations of individual humans and human emotions. This leads to questions such as the extent to which horses can differentiate human attributes such as age. Here, we tested whether horses discriminate human adults from children. In a cross-modal paradigm, we presented 31 female horses with two simultaneous muted videos of a child and an adult saying the same neutral sentence, accompanied by the sound of an adult's or child's voice speaking the sentence. The horses looked significantly longer at the videos that were incongruent with the heard voice than at the congruent videos. We conclude that horses can match adults' and children's faces and voices cross-modally. Moreover, their heart rates increased during children's vocalizations but not during adults'. This suggests that in addition to having mental representations of adults and children, horses have a stronger emotional response to children's voices than adults' voices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Plotine Jardat
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
| | - Monamie Ringhofer
- Department of Animal Science, Teikyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Chloé Gouyet
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Rachel Degrande
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Céline Parias
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | | | | | - Léa Lansade
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
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Chen X, Cao S, Wen D, Zhang Y, Wang B, Duan X. Domestic dogs as sentinels of children lead exposure: Multi-pathway identification and source apportionment based on isotope technique. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 316:137787. [PMID: 36623594 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Environmental lead exposure poses risks to children' health, thus exposure sources and pathways identification remain important concern and research scope. Due to sharing the same environment, domestic animals, especially dogs, have been used as useful sentinels to identify human lead exposure. However, more evidence is needed on whether domestic dogs could be used to identify the lead exposure pathways and sources of children. Thus, this study investigated the dietary habits, behaviors, and household environment of children and dogs in a typical coal-fired area in China. The lead levels and lead isotope ratios (Acronym: LIRs, expressed as 208Pb/206Pb and 207Pb/206Pb) in dogs' and children's blood, as well as in environmental media (food, PM2.5, indoor/outdoor dust, drinking water and soil) were measured to explore the predominant lead pollution sources and exposure pathways of children. The results showed that the LIRs of children's blood (208Pb/206Pb = 2.0703 ± 0.0076, 207Pb/206Pb = 0.8501 ± 0.0052) were similar to those of dogs' blood (208Pb/206Pb = 2.0696 ± 0.0085, 207Pb/206Pb = 0.8499 ± 0.0052), as well as similar to the LIRs of environmental media, i.e. children's food (208Pb/206Pb = 2.0731 ± 0.0057, 207Pb/206Pb = 0.8491 ± 0.0036) and coal (208Pb/206Pb = 2.0683 ± 0.017, 207Pb/206Pb = 0.8515 ± 0.01). Children and dogs had similar lead exposure pathways, but the contributions of each exposure pathway were different, i.e., 83.1% vs. 76.9% for children and dogs via food ingestion, 1.4% vs. 5.6% via particulate matter exposure, and 15.5% vs. 17.5% via household dust exposure, respectively. The contribution of food via ingestion to lead exposure remains dominant, and coal combustion is a main lead exposure source for children and domestic dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Chen
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - SuZhen Cao
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Dongsen Wen
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yaqun Zhang
- Gansu Academy of Eco-environmental Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Beibei Wang
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaoli Duan
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
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Lamontagne A, Legou T, Rauchbauer B, Grosbras MH, Fabre F, Gaunet F. Behavioural synchronization and social referencing of dogs and humans: walking in dyad vs in group. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1021-1034. [PMID: 36759423 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01750-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that dogs synchronize their locomotor behaviour with that of their owners. The present study aims to improve our understanding of the sensorimotor processes underlying interspecific behavioural synchronization by testing the influence of the number of humans on dogs' behavioural synchronization. We used Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in an outdoor environment to measure dogs' behavioural synchronization to humans during a locomotor activity involving three speeds (static, slow walking and fast walking). For half of the dogs, only their owner was walking, while for the other half, the owner walked with two familiar people. We also tested the effect of dog breeds by involving 30 shepherd dogs and 30 molossoids. Our results showed that dogs exhibited the same level of behavioural synchronization with their owner if alone or if surrounded by two familiar people. Though the presence of a group of humans did not strengthen the dogs' locomotor synchronization, it did produce another effect: dogs gazed at their owners more frequently in the presence of a group compared to their owner alone. This result suggests the same level of locomotor social entrainment but a difference in social referencing depending on the number of humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélique Lamontagne
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (UMR 7290), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3, Place Victor Hugo, Marseille Cedex 03, France.
| | - Thierry Legou
- Laboratoire Parole et Langage (UMR7309), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 5 Avenue Pasteur, 13100, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Birgit Rauchbauer
- Laboratoire Parole et Langage (UMR7309), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 5 Avenue Pasteur, 13100, Aix-en-Provence, France
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, (UMR 7291), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331, Marseille Cedex 3, France
| | - Marie-Hélène Grosbras
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, (UMR 7291), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331, Marseille Cedex 3, France
| | - Fannie Fabre
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (UMR 7290), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3, Place Victor Hugo, Marseille Cedex 03, France
| | - Florence Gaunet
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (UMR 7290), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3, Place Victor Hugo, Marseille Cedex 03, France
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Hudson D, Wiltshire TJ, Atzmueller M. multiSyncPy: A Python package for assessing multivariate coordination dynamics. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:932-962. [PMID: 35513768 PMCID: PMC10027834 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-01855-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In order to support the burgeoning field of research into intra- and interpersonal synchrony, we present an open-source software package: multiSyncPy. Multivariate synchrony goes beyond the bivariate case and can be useful for quantifying how groups, teams, and families coordinate their behaviors, or estimating the degree to which multiple modalities from an individual become synchronized. Our package includes state-of-the-art multivariate methods including symbolic entropy, multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis, coherence (with an additional sum-normalized modification), the cluster-phase 'Rho' metric, and a statistical test based on the Kuramoto order parameter. We also include functions for two surrogation techniques to compare the observed coordination dynamics with chance levels and a windowing function to examine time-varying coordination for most of the measures. Taken together, our collation and presentation of these methods make the study of interpersonal synchronization and coordination dynamics applicable to larger, more complex and often more ecologically valid study designs. In this work, we summarize the relevant theoretical background and present illustrative practical examples, lessons learned, as well as guidance for the usage of our package - using synthetic as well as empirical data. Furthermore, we provide a discussion of our work and software and outline interesting further directions and perspectives. multiSyncPy is freely available under the LGPL license at: https://github.com/cslab-hub/multiSyncPy , and also available at the Python package index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Hudson
- Semantic Information Systems Group, Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, P.O. Box 4469, 49069, Osnabrueck, Germany.
- Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Travis J Wiltshire
- Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Atzmueller
- Semantic Information Systems Group, Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, P.O. Box 4469, 49069, Osnabrueck, Germany
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Giraudet CSE, Liu K, McElligott AG, Cobb M. Are children and dogs best friends? A scoping review to explore the positive and negative effects of child-dog interactions. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14532. [PMID: 36570006 PMCID: PMC9774011 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Personal wellbeing is greatly influenced by our childhood and adolescence, and the relationships formed during those phases of our development. The human-dog bond represents a significant relationship that started thousands of years ago. There is a higher prevalence of dog ownership around the world, especially in households including children. This has resulted in a growing number of researchers studying our interactions with dogs and an expanding evidence base from the exploration of child-dog interactions. We review the potential effects of child-dog interactions on the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of both species. A search of the SCOPUS database identified documents published between January 1980 and April 2022. Filtering for key inclusion criteria, duplicate removals, and inspecting the references of these documents for additional sources, we reviewed a total of 393 documents, 88% of which were scientific articles. We were able to define the numerous ways in which children and dogs interact, be it neutral (e.g., sharing a common area), positive (e.g., petting), or negative (e.g., biting). Then, we found evidence for an association between childhood interaction with dogs and an array of benefits such as increased physical activities, a reduction of stress, and the development of empathy. Nonetheless, several detrimental outcomes have also been identified for both humans and dogs. Children are the most at-risk population regarding dog bites and dog-borne zoonoses, which may lead to injuries/illness, a subsequent fear of dogs, or even death. Moreover, pet bereavement is generally inevitable when living with a canine companion and should not be trivialized. With a canine focus, children sometimes take part in caretaking behaviors toward them, such as feeding or going for walks. These represent opportunities for dogs to relieve themselves outside, but also to exercise and socialize. By contrast, a lack of physical activity can lead to the onset of obesity in both dogs and children. Dogs may present greater levels of stress when in the presence of children. Finally, the welfare of assistance, therapy, and free-roaming dogs who may interact with children remains underexplored. Overall, it appears that the benefits of child-dog interactions outweigh the risks for children but not for dogs; determination of the effects on both species, positive as well as negative, still requires further development. We call for longitudinal studies and cross-cultural research in the future to better understand the impact of child-dog interactions. Our review is important for people in and outside of the scientific community, to pediatricians, veterinarians, and current or future dog owners seeking to extend their knowledge, and to inform future research of scientists studying dogs and human-animal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire S. E. Giraudet
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kai Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Animal Health Research Centre, Chengdu Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Chengdu, China
| | - Alan G. McElligott
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Mia Cobb
- Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Lattal KA, Fernandez EJ. Grounding applied animal behavior practices in the experimental analysis of behavior. J Exp Anal Behav 2022; 118:186-207. [PMID: 36043528 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Some of the earliest applications outside the laboratory of principles derived from the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), such as the pioneering work of Keller and Marian Breland, involved animals. This translational tradition continues to the present as EAB-related behavior principles are applied with increasing frequency to behavior management and training practices with animals in nonlaboratory settings. Such translations, and those populations to which they are applied, benefit from a rigorous experimental analysis of practices that are promulgated in popular outlets. These translations both affirm the generality of those principles and serve as goads for laboratory and field research that can further articulate extant principles, develop new ones, and refine methods of application and assessment. This review considered several areas of basic EAB research and contemporary applied animal behavior (AAB) practices in relation to one another: (1) response establishment and maintenance, (2) response reduction and elimination, (3) chaining and conditioned reinforcement, and (4) discriminative stimulus control. Within each topic, a selection of processes and procedures in both EAB and AAB work were reviewed in relation to one another.
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Social Stimulation by the Owner Increases Dogs’ (Canis familiaris) Social Susceptibility in a Food Choice Task—The Possible Effect of Endogenous Oxytocin Release. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12030296. [PMID: 35158620 PMCID: PMC8833464 DOI: 10.3390/ani12030296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests a human-like susceptibility to social influence in dogs. For example, dogs tend to ignore their ‘natural’ preference for the larger amount of food after having seen a human’s explicit preference for a smaller quantity. However, it is still unclear whether this tendency to conform to the partner’s behaviour can be influenced by social stimuli and/or the neurohormone oxytocin as primers to prosocial predispositions. In Experiment I, eighty two dogs were tested using Prato-Previde et al.’s food quantity preference task. In Experiment I, we investigated in a 2 × 2 design how (i) a 10-minute-long social stimulation by the owner versus a socially ignoring pre-treatment as well as (ii) on-line ostensive communications versus no communication during task demonstration affect dogs’ (N = 82) choices in the abovementioned food choice task. Results indicate that the owners’ pre-treatment with social stimuli (eye contact, petting) increased dogs’ susceptibility to the experimenter’s food preference, but the salient ostensive addressing signals accompanying human demonstration masked this social priming effect. In Experiment II, N = 32 dogs from the subjects of Experiment I were retested after oxytocin (OT) or placebo (PL) pre-treatments. This experiment aimed to study whether intranasal administration of oxytocin as compared to placebo treatment would similarly increase dogs’ tendency to re-enact the human demonstrator’s counterproductive choice in the same task. Results showed an increased susceptibility to the human preference in the OT group, suggesting that both socially stimulating pre-treatment and the intranasal administration of oxytocin have similar priming effects on dogs’ social susceptibility.
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Johnson EA, Portillo A, Bennett NE, Gray PB. Exploring women's oxytocin responses to interactions with their pet cats. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12393. [PMID: 34824911 PMCID: PMC8592048 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Extensive research has evaluated the involvement of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) in human social behaviors, including parent-infant relationships. Studies have investigated OT’s connection to human attachment to nonhuman animals, with the majority of the literature focusing on domestic dogs (Canis lupis familiaris). Utilizing what is known about OT and its role in maternal-infant and human-dog bonding, we apply these frameworks to the study of human-domestic cat (Felis catus) interactions. Methods We investigated changes in salivary OT levels in 30 U.S. women of reproductive age before and after two conditions: reading a book (control) and interacting with their pet cat. Participant and cat behavioral patterns during the cat interaction condition were also quantified to determine if differences in women’s OT concentrations were associated with specific human and cat behaviors. Results Our results revealed no changes in women’s OT levels during the cat interaction, relative to the control condition, and pre-cat interaction OT levels. However, differences in women’s OT concentrations were correlated with some human-cat interactions (e.g., positively with petting cat and cat approach initiation, negatively with cat agonistic behavior) but not all observed behaviors (e.g., use of gentle or baby voice) coded during human-cat interactions. Discussion This study is the first to explore women’s OT in response to interactions with their pet cat and has identified distinct human and cat behaviors that influence OT release in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Johnson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States of America
| | - Arianna Portillo
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States of America
| | - Nikki E Bennett
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States of America
| | - Peter B Gray
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States of America
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d’Angelo D, Chirico A, Sacchettino L, Manunta F, Martucci M, Cestaro A, Avallone L, Giordano A, Ciani F. Human-Dog Relationship during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:2335. [PMID: 34438792 PMCID: PMC8388750 DOI: 10.3390/ani11082335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV2 pandemic forced an abrupt interruption of social contacts and interpersonal affective relationships all over the world, according to national directives. Many considerable inconveniences occurred with important repercussions also on the emotional state of people and their pets. We carried out a national survey to evaluate the human-dog relationship in a social isolation context using an adapted version of Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale, the perception of the dogs' discomfort by their human owners, and the resilience of the dog through the quantification of symptoms, in time of the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results highlighted that the human-dog interaction was similar during quarantine; however, there was lower owner's perception of a dog's cost during the quarantine than before it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danila d’Angelo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (D.d.); (L.S.); (A.C.); (L.A.); (F.C.)
| | - Andrea Chirico
- Department of Psychology of Development and Socialization Processes, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luigi Sacchettino
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (D.d.); (L.S.); (A.C.); (L.A.); (F.C.)
| | - Federica Manunta
- Veterinary Behavior and Consulting Service at “Free Interdisciplinary Italian Dog Academy” (LAICI), 25126 Brescia, Italy;
| | | | - Anna Cestaro
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (D.d.); (L.S.); (A.C.); (L.A.); (F.C.)
| | - Luigi Avallone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (D.d.); (L.S.); (A.C.); (L.A.); (F.C.)
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine and Center of Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA;
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Francesca Ciani
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (D.d.); (L.S.); (A.C.); (L.A.); (F.C.)
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