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Companion Animal Psychology Blog
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June 19, 2013
08:30 AM
7 views

The end for shock collars?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Something puzzles me about the arguments made by shock collar advocates. On the one hand they claim the e-collar doesn’t hurt, and on the other they say it’s a last resort to prevent ‘dead dogs’ due to recall and chasing problems. Surely the second justification casts doubt on the first? Two new scientific studies funded by the UK’s DEFRA address both arguments, and conclude that e-collars are unnecessary and detrimental to animal welfare.Shock collars (including invisible fences)........ Read more »

Blackwell, E., Bolster, C., Richards, G., Loftus, B., & Casey, R. (2012) The use of electronic collars for training domestic dogs: estimated prevalence, reasons and risk factors for use, and owner perceived success as compared to other training methods. BMC Veterinary Research, 8(1), 93. DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-93

Herron, M., Shofer, F., & Reisner, I. (2009) Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 117(1-2), 47-54. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.12.011

Schalke, E., Stichnoth, J., Ott, S., & Jones-Baade, R. (2007) Clinical signs caused by the use of electric training collars on dogs in everyday life situations. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105(4), 369-380. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.11.002

Schilder, M., & van der Borg, J. (2004) Training dogs with help of the shock collar: short and long term behavioural effects. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 85(3-4), 319-334. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2003.10.004

June 12, 2013
08:30 AM
32 views

Homing and Re-homing Fido: How many newly-adopted pets are still kept six months later?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

When people adopt a new pet, why do some of them re-home the pet before six months is up? And how many actually still have the pet in the home? These are the questions asked in a new survey for the American Humane Association, funded by PetSmart.Every year in the US, 3 to 4 million homeless dogs and cats are euthanized. Understanding how many pets are not kept, and the reasons why, is essential to finding ways to solve the problem of pet overpopulation. The problem is not unique to the US......... Read more »

Cook, A., & McCobb, E. (2012) Quantifying the Shelter Rabbit Population: An Analysis of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Animal Shelters. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 15(4), 297-312. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2012.709084

Kwan, J., & Bain, M. (2013) Owner Attachment and Problem Behaviors Related to Relinquishment and Training Techniques of Dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(2), 168-183. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.768923

Stavisky, J., Brennan, M., Downes, M., & Dean, R. (2012) Demographics and economic burden of un-owned cats and dogs in the UK: results of a 2010 census. BMC Veterinary Research, 8(1), 163. DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-163

June 5, 2013
08:30 AM
54 views

Is attachment to pet dogs linked to their behaviour?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Some people are more attached to their dogs than others. Recently, we wrote about a study that found that people who relinquished their dog to animal shelters had lower attachment to them than people who were keeping their dog. This week, we discuss a new study by Christy Hoffman et al that asks whether there is a link between a dog’s behaviour and how attached the owner is to the dog.The study involved a questionnaire that was completed by 60 adults and 92 children from sixty dog-........ Read more »

Fratkin, J., Sinn, D., Patall, E., & Gosling, S. (2013) Personality Consistency in Dogs: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE, 8(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054907

Hoffman, C.L., Chen, P., Serpell, J.A., & Jacobson, K. (2013) Do dog behavioral characteristics predict the quality of the relationship between dogs and their owners?. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, 1(1), 20-37. info:/

May 29, 2013
08:30 AM
38 views

Interactions between shelter dogs: some new research

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Some animal shelters house dogs in pairs or small groups. This can enrich their lives, but it could also potentially be a source of stress if the dogs are not well-matched. A new paper by Irena Petak, of the University of Zagreb, Croatia, examines the communication patterns between dogs housed in groups.At the Dogs Trust in Salisbury, England, there is a sanctuary for long-term residents. There is a ‘mountain area’ with an artificial mountain and three kennels, and a tree area with gra........ Read more »

Petak, I. (2013) Communication Patterns Within a Group of Shelter Dogs and Implications for Their Welfare. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(2), 118-139. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.741001

May 22, 2013
08:30 AM
96 views

Dogs can haz brainscanz and EEG?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Canine cognition is a hot topic these days, using experiments and brain imaging as research tools. The trouble with brain imaging work is that it is invasive, to the extent that animals may have to be sedated or anaesthetized for the study. All that changed with the amazing work of Gregory Berns et al and the first-ever fMRI study on awake, unrestrained dogs last year. Now Miiamaaria Kujala et al in Finland have shown that it is also possible to do a non-invasive EEG with dogs.An EEG measur........ Read more »

Berns, G., Brooks, A., & Spivak, M. (2012) Functional MRI in Awake Unrestrained Dogs. PLoS ONE, 7(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038027

Kujala, M., Törnqvist, H., Somppi, S., Hänninen, L., Krause, C., Vainio, O., & Kujala, J. (2013) Reactivity of Dogs' Brain Oscillations to Visual Stimuli Measured with Non-Invasive Electroencephalography. PLoS ONE, 8(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061818

Ma, H., Qin, L., Dong, C., Zhong, R., & Sato, Y. (2013) Comparison of Neural Responses to Cat Meows and Human Vowels in the Anterior and Posterior Auditory Field of Awake Cats. PLoS ONE, 8(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052942

May 15, 2013
08:30 AM
71 views

Why do people surrender dogs to animal shelters?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Five to seven million companion animals arrive at animal shelters in the US each year, and about half of these are animals being surrendered by their owners. Why do people surrender their pets? To find out, a new study by Jennifer Kwan and Melissa Bain compared dogs being relinquished at three Sacramento animal shelters to those dogs that were there simply to receive their vaccinations.The experimenter spent time at the shelters during the hours when relinquishments could take place, and w........ Read more »

Kwan, J., & Bain, M. (2013) Owner Attachment and Problem Behaviors Related to Relinquishment and Training Techniques of Dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(2), 168-183. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.768923

May 8, 2013
08:30 AM
71 views

On Puppies, Pet Stores, and Behaviour Problems

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

If you buy a puppy from a pet store, could you be getting more than you bargained for? It has long been thought that puppies from pet shops might have behavioural problems. A new study by Franklin D. McMillan et al investigates this by comparing puppies from pet stores to those from non-commercial breeders.The puppies that are for sale in pet shops originate from commercial breeding establishments, also known as puppy mills or puppy farms. These are large establishments that breed ........ Read more »

McMillan, F., Serpell, J., Duffy, D., Masaoud, E., & Dohoo, I. (2013) Differences in behavioral characteristics between dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores and those obtained from noncommercial breeders. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 242(10), 1359-1363. DOI: 10.2460/javma.242.10.1359

McMillan, F., Duffy, D., & Serpell, J. (2011) Mental health of dogs formerly used as ‘breeding stock’ in commercial breeding establishments. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 135(1-2), 86-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2011.09.006

Westgarth, C., Reevell, K., & Barclay, R. (2012) Association between prospective owner viewing of the parents of a puppy and later referral for behavioural problems. Veterinary Record, 170(20), 517-517. DOI: 10.1136/vr.100138

May 1, 2013
08:30 AM
149 views

Describing Dog Training: Weasel words or clear descriptions?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Dog training is an unlicensed profession. Sometimes it surprises people to learn there is a science to training, the origins of which can be traced back to Pavlov and Skinner. When studying how ordinary people train their dogs, scientists have to map between technical terms and everyday language. How do they do this?You’ve probably heard the phrase that “dogs do what works”, as explained by Jean Donaldson in her wonderful book The Culture Clash. What this means is, the behaviours tha........ Read more »

Arhant, C., Bubna-Littitz, H., Bartels, A., Futschik, A., & Troxler, J. (2010) Behaviour of smaller and larger dogs: Effects of training methods, inconsistency of owner behaviour and level of engagement in activities with the dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 123(3-4), 131-142. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2010.01.003

Hiby, E.F., Rooney, N.J., & Bradshaw, J.W.S. (2004) Dog training methods: Their use, effectiveness, and interaction with behaviour and welfare. Animal Welfare, 63-69. info:/

April 24, 2013
08:30 AM
100 views

Discussion of Dogs’ Behavioural Problems at the Vet

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Surprisingly little is known about where people seek advice when their dog has a behavioural problem such as aggression, soiling in the house, or fear of fireworks. One place to try might be the vet, but do veterinarians talk to their clients about behavioural problems during the annual consultation for vaccinations?A study just published in the Veterinary Record by Roshier and McBride recorded vet consultations and transcribed the conversations for analysis. The study was conducted at a v........ Read more »

Roshier, A., & McBride, E. (2012) Canine behaviour problems: discussions between veterinarians and dog owners during annual booster consultations. Veterinary Record, 172(9), 235-235. DOI: 10.1136/vr.101125

April 17, 2013
08:30 AM
100 views

Do Dogs Try to Hide Theft of Food?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Will your dog steal food even if you can see or hear the theft take place? Two new studies investigate whether dogs can take a human’s perspective in deciding whether to take a piece of forbidden food.Earlier work has shown that dogs and other animals seem to have an awareness of human visual attention. For example, Gácsi et al (2004) found that dogs were more likely to beg from an attentive rather than an inattentive human. However, it is not known if dogs understand what a human........ Read more »

Bräuer, J., Keckeisen, M., Pitsch, A., Kaminski, J., Call, J., & Tomasello, M. (2012) Domestic dogs conceal auditory but not visual information from others. Animal Cognition. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-012-0576-9

Gácsi M, Miklósi A, Varga O, Topál J, & Csányi V. (2004) Are readers of our face readers of our minds? Dogs (Canis familiaris) show situation-dependent recognition of human's attention. Animal cognition, 7(3), 144-53. PMID: 14669075

Kaminski, J., Pitsch, A., & Tomasello, M. (2012) Dogs steal in the dark. Animal Cognition. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-012-0579-6

April 10, 2013
08:30 AM
133 views

Is having many cats an early sign of animal hoarding?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

In January of this year, 99 live cats and 67 dead ones were removed from a woman’s home near Albany, New York. The cats were living in crates surrounded by faeces, and the woman was subsequently charged with animal cruelty. If situations like this could be predicted, psychological help at an early stage might prevent animals from being harmed. A study published this month by Ramos et al in Brazil investigates whether or not the early stages of cat hoarding can be identified. Animal h........ Read more »

Ramos, D., da Cruz, N.O., Ellis, S.L.H., Hernandez, J.A.E., & Reche-Junior, A. (2013) Early stage animal hoarders: Are these owners of large numbers of adequately cared-for cats?. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, 1(1), 55-69. info:/

April 3, 2013
08:30 AM
173 views

How do Hand-Reared Wolves and Dogs Interact with Humans?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

The question of how dogs evolved from wolves is complicated, but it is clear there are important differences that could arise from genetics, domestication, experience, or a combination of these. A study just published by Marta Gácsi in Budapest investigates whether dogs and hand-reared wolves behave the same during a changing social situation with a human.The wolves that took part in the study were hand-reared by humans from birth, spending the first few months of their life in a house wi........ Read more »

Gácsi, M., Vas, J., Topál, J., & Miklósi, �. (2013) Wolves do not join the dance: Sophisticated aggression control by adjusting to human social signals in dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.02.007

Gácsi, M., Maros, K., Sernkvist, S., Faragó, T., & Miklósi, �. (2013) Human Analogue Safe Haven Effect of the Owner: Behavioural and Heart Rate Response to Stressful Social Stimuli in Dogs. PLoS ONE, 8(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058475

Merola, I., Prato-Previde, E., & Marshall-Pescini, S. (2012) Dogs' Social Referencing towards Owners and Strangers. PLoS ONE, 7(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047653

Merola, I., Prato-Previde, E., & Marshall-Pescini, S. (2011) Social referencing in dog-owner dyads?. Animal Cognition, 15(2), 175-185. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-011-0443-0

March 27, 2013
08:30 AM
211 views

What about the rabbits?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Rabbits are popular pets because they are intelligent and fun, will cuddle with you, and can learn to use a litter tray. But while everyone knows there is a crisis of homeless dogs and cats, what about rabbits? A recent study by Amelia Cook and Emily McCobb (Tufts University) set out to see how many pet rabbits end up in animal shelters, and what happens once they are there.Four animal shelter sites in Rhode Island and Providence took part, some with more than one physical shelter loc........ Read more »

Cook AJ, & McCobb E. (2012) Quantifying the shelter rabbit population: an analysis of Massachusetts and Rhode Island animal shelters. Journal of applied animal welfare science : JAAWS, 15(4), 297-312. PMID: 23009621

March 20, 2013
08:30 AM
184 views

Frustration in Pet Dog Training

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Does your dog ever seem frustrated when you are trying to train him? A new study by Adriana Jakovcevic and colleagues looks at frustration behaviours in pet dogs during training sessions. They looked specifically at something called extinction. This is when the dog has a behaviour that you want to get rid of (i.e. extinguish) for one reason or another.Dogs do things that get rewarded and so the way to extinguish a behaviour is to stop rewarding it. For example, many people find jumping up annoyi........ Read more »

Jakovcevic, A., Elgier, A., Mustaca, A., & Bentosela, M. (2013) Frustration Behaviors in Domestic Dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(1), 19-34. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.740974

March 13, 2013
08:30 AM
213 views

Do Dogs Find Their Owners Presence Supportive When a Threatening Stranger Comes Near?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

How does your dog compare to a toddler? Recent animal research is comparing the abilities of dogs with young humans. A brand new study by Márta Gácsi et al in Hungary investigates whether dogs have the same response as infants to a test called the Strange Situation.In humans, attachment theory explains how children need to develop a strong attachment to at least one caregiver. If they don’t, their social and emotional development will be disrupted. As infants begin to crawl, the caregiver is........ Read more »

Gácsi, M., Maros, K., Sernkvist, S., Faragó, T., & Miklósi, �. (2013) Human Analogue Safe Haven Effect of the Owner: Behavioural and Heart Rate Response to Stressful Social Stimuli in Dogs. PLoS ONE, 8(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058475

March 6, 2013
08:30 AM
242 views

What influences a dog's length of stay at a no-kill animal shelter?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Are some types of dog adopted more quickly from animal shelters than others? A study by William Brown and colleagues at Keuka College looked at two no-kill shelters in New York State in order to answer this question.A no-kill shelter is one that will only kill animals that are too ill or too bad-natured to be adopted; some of them will even work with animals to try and resolve behavioural problems before assessing them again. There are very few no-kill shelters in the US; most shelters and munic........ Read more »

Brown, W., Davidson, J., & Zuefle, M. (2013) Effects of Phenotypic Characteristics on the Length of Stay of Dogs at Two No Kill Animal Shelters. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(1), 2-18. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.740967

February 27, 2013
10:00 AM
247 views

Fear of Loud Noises: A Common Problem in Domestic Dogs?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Do you have a dog that cowers at the sound of thunder, or comes running to you for comfort when the neighbours set off fireworks? A new study by Emily-Jayne Blackwell, John Bradshaw and Rachel Casey (University of Bristol) investigates how common this problem is.The study involved a questionnaire completed by 3,897 dog owners, and a structured interview with a smaller set of 383 dog owners. Dog owners were recruited in a variety of ways, including at dog shows, veterinary clinics, and whilst out........ Read more »

Blackwell, E.J.,, Bradshaw, J.W.S.,, & Casey, R.A. (2013) Fear responses to noise in domestic dogs: Prevalence, risk factors and co-occurrence with other fear-related behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. info:/10.1016/j.applanim.2012.12.004

February 20, 2013
10:00 AM
205 views

How Do Kenneled Dogs React to Familiar and Unfamiliar Dogs?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Environmental enrichment is an important thing for kenneled dogs, as it can alleviate boredom and improve animal welfare. Enrichment can occur in many ways, including the availability of suitable toys, the design of the kennel, the kind of food that is fed and possibly even music. This week we look at a study by Anne Pullen, Ralph Merrill and John Bradshaw that investigates whether spending time with other dogs is beneficial.The twenty-two dogs that took part live at the Waltham Pet Nutrition Ce........ Read more »

Pullen, A., Merrill, R., & Bradshaw, J. (2013) The Effect of Familiarity on Behavior of Kenneled Dogs During Interactions With Conspecifics. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(1), 64-76. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.741003

February 13, 2013
10:00 AM
292 views

Do dogs have stable personality traits?

by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog

We often talk about people having particular personality types, such as extroversion/introversion. Is it true that dogs have particular personalities too, and are they fixed or do they change over time? A new study by Jamie Fratkin (University of Texas at Austin) and colleagues takes a look at this.The question is useful to many people. Trainers of guide dogs, police dogs and other service dogs would really like to be able to spot suitable candidates at a young age, so as not to waste time train........ Read more »

Fratkin, J.L., Sinn, D.L., Patall, D.A., & Gosling, S.D. (2013) Personality consistency in dogs: A meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 8(1). info:/

Jones, A., & Gosling, S. (2005) Temperament and personality in dogs (Canis familiaris): A review and evaluation of past research. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 95(1-2), 1-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2005.04.008

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