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Townsend L, Dixon L, Buckley L. Lead pulling as a welfare concern in pet dogs: What can veterinary professionals learn from current research? Vet Rec 2022; 191:e1627. [PMID: 35546517 DOI: 10.1002/vetr.1627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Veterinary professionals (VPs) are often the first source of advice for clients struggling with their dog's behaviour, and pulling on the lead is a commonplace undesirable behaviour VPs will encounter regularly in practice. Excluding bites, being pulled over while walking on a lead is the leading cause of non-fatal dog-related injuries in the UK. This narrative review investigates lead pulling as a welfare concern in pet dogs, highlighting aspects of the literature of particular interest to VPs. Lead pulling could negatively affect walk quality, frequency and duration, causing weight gain, while decreased environmental enrichment could trigger other undesirable behaviours. Aversive equipment to prevent lead pulling can cause pain, distress and injury, but even equipment considered humane can have welfare consequences. Punitive training methods could cause dogs stress, fear and anxiety and trigger aggressive behaviour. While these lead pulling outcomes are welfare concerns in themselves, they could also weaken dog-owner attachment, a risk factor in pet dog relinquishment. Given lead pulling could affect the welfare of patients in a VPs care, clinical implications and opportunities for client education are outlined. Educating clients on humane prevention and modification of lead pulling could make walks easier, safer and more enjoyable, with positive outcomes for clients, canine welfare and the practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley Townsend
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
| | - Laura Dixon
- Animal and Veterinary Science Research Group, Scotland's Rural College, Ayr, Scotland, UK
| | - Louise Buckley
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
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d'Angelo D, Sacchettino L, Carpentieri R, Avallone L, Gatta C, Napolitano F. An Interdisciplinary Approach for Compulsive Behavior in Dogs: A Case Report. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:801636. [PMID: 35400099 PMCID: PMC8988433 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.801636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Compulsive disorder is a debilitating condition affecting both humans and animals, characterized by intrusive thoughts and recurring out-of-place behaviors. Among them, tail chasing might represent one of the most common traits in compulsive dogs. Herein, we reported the case of a 7-year-old intact male German Shepherd mixed-breed dog, presenting with tail chasing behavior. He underwent a first behavioral evaluation 1 year before (at the age of 6), when he injured himself with severe wounds at level of the tail and left thigh. To avoid any specific suffering and increase his physical health, of course, the study was carried out through an interdisciplinary approach, employing a veterinary behaviorist and a rehabilitating dog instructor. Three months after pharmacological treatment with fluoxetine and α-s1 casozepine, associated with a behavioral recovery program, the owner reported an improvement of compulsive events in his dog, in terms of intensity and frequency. Interestingly, over the following 3 months, the dog did not experience any new tail chasing episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danila d'Angelo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Sacchettino
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Luigi Avallone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia Gatta
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Claudia Gatta
| | - Francesco Napolitano
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy
- *Correspondence: Francesco Napolitano
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Samet LE, Vaterlaws-Whiteside H, Harvey ND, Upjohn MM, Casey RA. Exploring and Developing the Questions Used to Measure the Human–Dog Bond: New and Existing Themes. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12070805. [PMID: 35405795 PMCID: PMC8996840 DOI: 10.3390/ani12070805] [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: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Human–animal interactions consist of many relationship types. The human–dog bond is one such example. This study reviewed how we measure the human–dog bond through questionnaires and found a lack of questions related to the dog’s investment in said bond. To rectify this, twelve semi-structured interviews were carried out with a variety of dog guardians to investigate their views on how their dogs showed that they shared a bond with them. The common themes that emerged included ‘affirmation’, ‘understanding of a dog’s preferences, likes, and dislikes’, and ‘adaptation’. These themes provide a useful foundation from which to design new questions within human–dog bond questionnaires. This would allow better representation of a dog’s investment in the bond and, therefore, help create tools that reflect the reciprocal nature of this relationship. Abstract Dogs play an important role in many western societies, providing companionship, emotional support, and assistance, as well as other more specialist roles. The literature reveals that many human–animal interaction (HAI) questionnaires exist to measure the human–dog bond (HDB). The first part of this study assessed how far existing questionnaires went in measuring HDB (defined as the unique, dynamic and reciprocated relationship between a person and dog, one in which each member can influence the other’s psychological and physiological state). A systematic literature review revealed that a common limitation in HDB questionnaires was a lack of questions based on the dog’s investment in the bond and, therefore, a failure to measure the two-way characteristic of the HDB. This led to the second part of the study: to identify novel themes relating to dog investment in the HDB from which new tool questions could be developed. This was investigated qualitatively using twelve semi-structured interviews on HDB, undertaken with participants from a variety of dog–guardian relationship types. HDB themes that emerged included ‘adaptation’, ‘understanding of a dog’s preferences, likes, and dislikes’, and ‘affirmation’. Subthemes included ‘boundaries’ and ‘expectations’ (within adaptation), ‘excitement’, ‘proximity’, ‘affection’, and ‘recall’ (within affirmation). The themes that arose provide a foundation from which to build new lines of questioning within HDB tools. Such questioning can better represent a dog’s investment in the HDB and, therefore, help create tools that reflect the reciprocal nature of a bond more accurately.
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Bazin I, Desmarchelier M. Retrospective study on the use of fluvoxamine in 72 dogs with anxiety disorders. J Vet Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2022.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Vieira de Castro AC, Araújo Â, Fonseca A, Olsson IAS. Improving dog training methods: Efficacy and efficiency of reward and mixed training methods. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247321. [PMID: 33606822 PMCID: PMC7895348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dogs play an important role in our society as companions and work partners, and proper training of these dogs is pivotal. For companion dogs, training helps preventing or managing dog behavioral problems—the most frequently cited reason for relinquishing and euthanasia, and it promotes successful dog-human relationships and thus maximizes benefits humans derive from bonding with dogs. For working dogs, training is crucial for them to successfully accomplish their jobs. Dog training methods range widely from those using predominantly aversive stimuli (aversive methods), to those combining aversive and rewarding stimuli (mixed methods) and those focusing on the use of rewards (reward methods). The use of aversive stimuli in training is highly controversial and several veterinary and animal protection organizations have recommended a ban on pinch collars, e-collars and other techniques that induce fear or pain in dogs, on the grounds that such methods compromise dog welfare. At the same time, training methods based on the use of rewards are claimed to be more humane and equally or more effective than aversive or mixed methods. This important discussion, however, has not always been based in solid scientific evidence. Although there is growing scientific evidence that training with aversive stimuli has a negative impact on dog welfare, the scientific literature on the efficacy and efficiency of the different methodologies is scarce and inconsistent. Hence, the goal of the current study is to investigate the efficacy and efficiency of different dog training methods. To that end, we will apply different dog training methods in a population of working dogs and evaluate the outcome after a period of training. The use of working dogs will allow for a rigorous experimental design and control, with randomization of treatments. Military (n = 10) and police (n = 20) dogs will be pseudo-randomly allocated to two groups. One group will be trained to perform a set of tasks (food refusal, interrupted recall, dumbbell retrieval and placing items in a basket) using reward methods and the other group will be trained for the same tasks using mixed methods. Later, the dogs will perform a standardized test where they will be required to perform the trained behaviors. The reliability of the behaviors and the time taken to learn them will be assessed in order to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency, respectively, of the different training methods. This study will be performed in collaboration with the Portuguese Army and with the Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP) and integrated with their dog training programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- i3S –Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | | | - André Fonseca
- CINAMIL, The Military Academy Research Center of the Portuguese Army, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - I. Anna S. Olsson
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- i3S –Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Hartmann E, Rehn T, Christensen JW, Nielsen PP, McGreevy P. From the Horse's Perspective: Investigating Attachment Behaviour and the Effect of Training Method on Fear Reactions and Ease of Handling-A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11020457. [PMID: 33572351 PMCID: PMC7916092 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The study investigated equine responses to novelty and handling, aiming to reveal whether horse-human relationships reflect criteria of an attachment bond. Twelve adult Standardbreds were subjected to a fear-eliciting test (novel objects presented close to two humans) and a handling test (being led passing novel objects) to study attachment-related behaviours and ease of handling. The tests were performed both before (pre-test) and after (post-test) horses had been trained by the same female handler (10 sessions of 15 min). Horses were assigned to three groups of four, each of which underwent different operant conditioning protocols: negative reinforcement (NR; pressure, release of lead, and whip tap signals) or combined NR with either positive reinforcement using food (PRf) or wither scratching (PRs). Results showed that neither familiarity of the person nor training method had a significant impact on the horses' behavioural responses in the post-tests. However, horses showed decreased heart rates between pre- and post-tests, which may indicate habituation, an effect of training per se, or that the presence of the familiar trainer served to calm the horses during the challenging situations. There were large individual variations among the horses' responses and further studies are needed to increase our understanding of horse-human relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Hartmann
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +46-76-832-49-00
| | - Therese Rehn
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden;
| | | | - Per Peetz Nielsen
- Department of Agriculture and Food, RISE Research Institute of Sweden, 22370 Lund, Sweden;
| | - Paul McGreevy
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;
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Lundberg P, Hartmann E, Roth LS. Does training style affect the human-horse relationship? Asking the horse in a separation–reunion experiment with the owner and a stranger. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2020.105144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Using Principles from Applied Behaviour Analysis to Address an Undesired Behaviour: Functional Analysis and Treatment of Jumping Up in Companion Dogs. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9121091. [PMID: 31817670 PMCID: PMC6940775 DOI: 10.3390/ani9121091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of procedures successfully used in human related applied behaviour analysis practices to the field of clinical animal behaviour. Experiment 1 involved functional analyses to identify the reinforcement contingencies maintaining jumping up behaviour in five dogs. Experiment 2 comprised teaching dog owners a noncontingent reinforcement intervention (i.e., time-based reinforcement) via behavioural skills training. Single-case experimental methods were implemented in both experiments. The results of Experiment 1 showed that access to a tangible (dogs D01, D02, D03, and D04) and owner attention (dog D05) were reliably maintaining the jumping up behaviour. Experiment 2 demonstrated that noncontingent reinforcement effectively reduced jumping in three out of four dogs (Tau -0.59, CI 90% [-1-0.15], p = 0.026, Tau -1, CI 90% [-1--0.55], p = 0.0003, and Tau -0.32, CI 90% [-0.76-0.11], p = 0.22 for dyads D01, D02, and D05, respectively), and that behavioural skills training was successful in teaching owners to perform a dog training intervention with high fidelity. Although the results are promising, more canine-related research into functional analysis and noncontingent reinforcement, as well as implementation of behavioural skills training with animal caregivers, is needed.
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