Owner and animal factors predict the incidence of, and owner reaction towards, problem behaviors in companion dogs

Unwelcome behaviors in pet dogs may have serious implications for the quality of life of both the animals and their owners. We investigated owners\u2019 perceptions about their dogs\u2019 behavioral issues as well as other factors that might be predictive of potential canine problem behaviors. We distinguished between \u201cundesirable behaviors\u201d (behaviors that were unpleasant to the owners) and \u201cproblematic behaviors\u201d (behaviors that the owners found difficult to overcome). We designed an on-line survey eliciting information about owners, their dogs, their relationship with their dogs and whether the animals exhibited any of 15 potentially problematic behaviors. The largest proportion of respondents (65%) reported that their dogs exhibited undesirable, but not problematic, behaviors and were not interested in their modification. Only 32% of the respondents considered the behavior to be both undesirable and problematic and wished to change it. The owners\u2019 perception of a problem was associated with reports of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. The owner\u2019s gender, marital status and attitude towards the dog as his/her child as well as the dog\u2019s age, size, age at acquisition and breed emerged as robust predictors. Compared to all other behavioral categories, reported aggressive canine behaviors were three times more likely to elicit an owner\u2019s wish to address them. This study revealed that the behaviors of dogs may be perceived differently by their owners and the type of perception may influence the owner\u2019s actual willingness to change those behaviors. Moreover, we identified the most robust set of factors that, either individually or combined, would help predict a dog\u2019s potential problem behaviors and an owner\u2019s attitude towards them, which will be useful in improving rational prevention and treatment strategies

The Latin Owner: profiles, perceptions and attitudes of Italian cat and dog owners towards their pet

Introduction Nowadays animal companionship is an integral aspect of life in Europe, with approximately 81 million registered dogs and 99.2 million cats (1). This research aims to identify characteristics of dog and cat-owning households from a large cross-sectional web-based survey in Italy. Material and Methods Owners over 18 years old were asked information about themselves, their dogs, cats and their relationship with their pets. Data was analysed using Pearson\u2019s \u3c72 tests and logistic regressions (SPSS). Results 3,298 owners completed the survey, 31.8% and 40.3% of whom owned dogs and cats respectively, and 72.8% both. People aged 18 to 30 years were more likely to own a dog than older respondents. Compared to cat owners, dog owners were more likely to believe that their pets considered them to be conspecific group members, rather than \u201conly humans\u201d. Dogs were more likely to be purebreds adopted for companionship. Cats were significantly more likely to be mixed breeds adopted because they needed a home. Dog owners were significantly more likely to rate other owners as an important source of information regarding handling and training than cat owners. Despite a similarly high prevalence of reported intraspecific aggression and noise reactivity among dogs and cats, dog ownership significantly increased the likelihood of the owner\u2019s actual willingness to change a pet\u2019s behavior. Cat ownership increased the likelihood that owners would consider surgical sterilisation as an option to correct behaviour. Conclusion These results may be useful in helping behaviour practitioners address population changes in terms of human-pet bonds and plan prevention and treatment strategies. Reference: Statista 2015. Available a

The cannabinoid receptor cb1 stabilizes sperm chromatin condensation status during epididymal transit by promoting disulphide bond formation

The cannabinoid receptor CB1 regulates differentiation of spermatids. We recently characterized spermatozoa from caput epididymis of CB1-knock-out mice and identified a considerable number of sperm cells with chromatin abnormality such as elevated histone content and poorly condensed chromatin. In this paper, we extended our findings and studied the role of CB1 in the epididymal phase of chromatin condensation of spermatozoa by analysis of spermatozoa from caput and cauda epididymis of wild-type and CB1-knock-out mouse in both a homozygous or heterozygous condition. Furthermore, we studied the impact of CB1-gene deletion on histone displacement mechanism by taking into account the hyperacetylation of histone H4 and players of displacement such as Chromodomain Y Like protein (CDYL) and Bromodomain testis-specific protein (BRDT). Our results show that CB1, via local and/or endocrine cell-to-cell signaling, modulates chromatin remodeling mechanisms that orchestrate a nuclear condensation extent of mature spermatozoa. We show that CB1-gene deletion affects the epididymal phase of chromatin condensation by interfering with inter-/intra-protamine disulphide bridges formation, and deranges the efficiency of histone removal by reducing the hyper-acetylation of histone H4. This effect is independent by gene expression of Cdyl and Brdt mRNA. Our results reveal a novel and important role for CB1 in sperm chromatin condensation mechanisms

Different dynamics of sensory-motor development and behavior during the transitional period in puppies : preliminary results

Many studies have analyzed the behavior of puppies during their socialization period, while little attention has been paid to the transitional period, when vision and hearing develop. Here, we compared the average age of sensory and motor development, and the behavior among a total of 25 puppies. Each litter was videotaped during 1-hour daily sessions on postnatal days 10-21 and coded for the following mutually exclusive behavioral categories: sleeping, suckling and moving. The moving category included side-to-side head swinging, exploring, rolling and allogrooming. The opening of the eyelids, appearance of the startle response and ability to stand up with either the front or hind legs were identified. The duration and frequency of puppy behaviors varied significantly with breed and season of birth. Breed and gender differences in gross motor and sensory development were also observed. These findings may turn out to be crucial to enhance the welfare, standards of rearing, and behavioral interventions aimed at improving adaptability to novel stimuli in pet dogs

RECAP (Relazione Cane-Proprietario) 2012/2013: la percezione del problema comportamentale

The RECAP (or Relazione cane-proprietario) online survey is a behavioural assessment tool that was designed to explore factors potentially influencing the prevalence of owner reported behaviours in a relatively large sample of dogs and owner’s attitude towards misbehaviours and their modification. Here we report findings about the perceived frequency of canine behaviours believed to be potentially problematic for dog owners. Owners were asked open-ended inquires on their dog behaviour and whether or not dogs exhibited 15 defined behaviors commonly considered to be problematic. 1396 owners completed the survey: 51% thought their dog had misbehaviours they wished to change and indicated at least one behaviour among those provided in the RECAP list. Within the 49% of owners who would not change anything in their pet’s behaviour, only 0.2% actually answered “no” to all the listed behaviours. The prevalence of dog’s misbehaviours was significantly higher when owners indicated their presence from our list than when they were left free to mention. Moreover, attention-seeking was the most frequent behaviour (77%, p<0.05) within those included in the list while intraspecific aggression was the most frequent complaint (13%, p<0.05). These findings may suggest a certain inconsistency in owner interpretation of some dog behaviours

The Impacts of a Reading-to-Dog Programme on Attending and Reading of Nine Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Poor knowledge is available on the effectiveness of reading to dogs in educational settings, particularly in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In this study, we test the hypothesis that reading to a dog improves propensity towards books and motivation to read after the end of the programme, as well as reading and cognitive skills in children with ASD. The study is a prospective, randomized controlled trial, consisting of testing and re-testing after a 10 sessions reading programme with and without the presence of a dog. Nine Children with ASD (6-11 years old) were randomly assigned to a control (CG, reading without a dog, n. 4) or experimental group (EG, reading to a dog, n. 5). Children's attendance at reading sessions was recorded at each session. Parents' perceptions were evaluated at the end of the programme to detect changes in children's attitudes and motivation toward reading. Psychologist-administered validated reading (Cornoldi's MT2 reading test; test of reading comprehension, TORC; metaphonological competence test, MCF) and cognitive tests (Wechsler intelligence scale for children Wisc IV, Vineland) to all children, at baseline and at the end of the reading programme. Compared with CG children, children in the EG group participated more frequently in the reading sessions, and they were reported to be more motivated readers at home after the programme. However, there were no differences on reading and cognitive tests' scores either within each group of children or between groups. Further studies are warranted in order to understand whether and how incorporating dogs into a reading programme is beneficial to Children with ASD at the socio-emotional and cognitive level