Stress - its effects on health and behavior: a guide for practitioners

KEY POINTS � Stress may affect the physical, mental, and social health of an animal. � The effect of stressors is individual to the animal concerned and results from the appraisal of the stressor by the animal. � Emotional states are not mutually exclusive and emotional conflict can also have serious behavioral consequences. � Treatment of animals presenting with problems deemed to be stress-related should focus on the amelioration of background stress as well as specific stress-related triggers. � Providing animals with certain coping mechanisms as well as teaching them some key life skills may be beneficial for the prevention of stress-related problems

“I can haz emoshuns?”: understanding anthropomorphosis of cats among internet users

The attribution of human-like traits to non-human animals, termed anthropomorphism, can lead to misunderstandings of animal behaviour, which can result in risks to both human and animal wellbeing and welfare. In this paper, we, during an inter-disciplinary collaboration between social computing and animal behaviour researchers, investigated whether a simple image-tagging application could improve the understanding of how people ascribe intentions and emotions to the behaviour of their domestic cats. A web-based application, Tagpuss, was developed to present casual users with photographs drawn from a database of 1631 images of domestic cats and asked them to ascribe an emotion to the cat portrayed in the image. Over five thousand people actively participated in the study in the space of four weeks, generating over 50,000 tags. Results indicate Tagpuss can be used to identify cat behaviours that lay-people find difficult to distinguish. This highlights further expert scientific exploration that focuses on educating cat owners to identify possible problems with their cat’s welfare

Behavioral and cognitive factors that affect the success of scent detection dogs

Scent detection dogs are used in a variety of contexts; however, very few dogs successfully complete their training, and many others are withdrawn from service prematurely due to both detection accuracy issues in the field and wider behavioral issues. This article aims to review our understanding of the factors affecting variation in scent detection dogs’ learning of the tasks and performance in the field. For this we deconstructed the scent detection task into its key behavioral elements and examined the literature relating to the factors affecting variation in the dogs’ success all across their development. We first consider factors that affect individuality and individual performance, in general, such as temperament, arousal, the handler–dog relationship, training regimes, and the housing and management of scent detections dogs. We then focus on tasks specific to scent detection dogs and critically appraise relevant literature relating to the learning and performance of these tasks by dogs. This includes prenatal and early life exposure and later environment, training regime, and the human–dog relationship, as well as performance limiting factors such as the need to pant in hot environments during work

Using sniffing behavior to differentiate true negative from false negative responses in trained scent-detection dogs

False negatives are recorded in every chemical detection system, but when animals are used as a scent detector, some false negatives can arise as a result of a failure in the link between detection and the trained alert response, or a failure of the handler to identify the positive alert. A false negative response can be critical in certain scenarios, such as searching for a live person or detecting explosives. In this study, we investigated whether the nature of sniffing behavior in trained detection dogs during a controlled scent-detection task differs in response to true positives, true negatives, false positives, and false negatives. A total of 200 videos of 10 working detection dogs were pseudorandomly selected and analyzed frame by frame to quantify sniffing duration and the number of sniffing episodes recorded in a Go/No-Go single scent-detection task using an eight-choice test apparatus. We found that the sniffing duration of true negatives is significantly shorter than false negatives, true positives, and false positives. Furthermore, dogs only ever performed one sniffing episode towards true negatives, but two sniffing episodes commonly occurred in the other situations. These results demonstrate how the nature of sniffing can be used to more effectively assess odor detection by dogs used as biological detection devices

Factors associated with long-term success in working police dogs

With increasing threats of terrorism, police and military detection dogs are of growing importance for protecting servicemen/women and society. However, a relatively high proportion of potential working dogs fail to make full operational status, or are later withdrawn from service. To date, research has focused primarily on factors which are associated with a dog’s short term success, such as passing/failing certification after training. Rather than the more important outcome of working life expectancy. In this study, we used two validated instruments of temperament (Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale (DIAS)) to identify factors associated with long-term working dog success. Active working UK police dogs (n = 63) scored significantly higher on the trait “energy and interest” within PANAS and “responsiveness” within DIAS in comparison to a general population of those withdrawn from service (n = 16), and those included for a matched pairs analysis (n = 11pairs), and the wider pet dog population (PANAS n = 343; DIAS n = 571). This suggests that the combination of these traits may be important for a long-term working life. There was no significant difference between active UK police dogs and active military dogs (n = 20) on these factors, suggesting this trait may also be important across different service fields. Comparison with a non-UK police dog sample (active Dutch police dogs n = 28) revealed no significant differences in energy and interest, but higher responsiveness scores in active UK police dogs, further highlighting the importance of these traits in working dog populations. Future research should assess the cause-effect relationship between these traits and success / withdrawal from work in the field

Canine Olfactory Thresholds to Amyl Acetate in a Biomedical Detection Scenario

Dogs’ abilities to respond to concentrations of odorant molecules are generally deemed superior to electronic sensors. This sensitivity has been used traditionally in many areas; but is a more recent innovation within the medical field. As a bio-detection sensor for human diseases such as cancer and infections, dogs often need to detect volatile organic compounds in bodily fluids such as urine and blood. Although the limits of olfactory sensitivity in dogs have been studied since the 1960s, there is a gap in our knowledge concerning these limits in relation to the concentration of odorants presented in a fluid phase. Therefore the aim of this study was to estimate olfactory detection thresholds to an inert substance, amyl acetate presented in a liquid phase. Ten dogs were trained in a “Go/No go” single scent-detection task using an eight-choice carousel apparatus. They were trained to respond to the presence of solutions of amyl acetate diluted to varying degrees in mineral oil by sitting in front of the positive sample, and not responding to the seven other control samples. Training and testing took place in an indoor room with the same handler throughout using a food reward. After 30 weeks of training, using a forward chaining technique, dogs were tested for their sensitivity. The handler did not assist the dog during the search and was blind to the concentration of amyl acetate tested and the position of the target in the carousel. The global olfactory threshold trend for each dog was estimated by fitting a least-squares logistic curve to the association between the proportion of true positives and amyl acetate concentration. Results show an olfactory detection threshold for fluid mixtures ranging from 40 parts per billion to 1.5 parts per trillion. There was considerable inter-dog difference in sensitivity, even though all dogs were trained in the same way and worked without the assistance of the handler. This variation highlights factors to be considered in future work assessing olfactory detection performance by dogs

Use of tramadol in a Labrador retriever presenting with self-mutilation of the tail

A 30-month-old Labrador retriever bitch with a history of atopy was presented for acuteonset tail biting that was leading to self-mutilation. The problem began 8 months before consultation and was resolved after 2 months, but it recurred 3 months later and continued for 3 months until the time of consultation. The current episode was difficult to interrupt and was being controlled through the use of an Elizabethan collar. There had been no history of injury to the tail. On examination of the tail, an irregularity was palpated approximately midway on the dorsal surface. Radiographs of the tail showed soft-tissue swelling cranially and presence of an ossicle between the mid-caudal vertebrae. Mutilation stopped with administration of tramadol and paracetamol and started again when the medication was discontinued. No behavior modification was implemented. Although there is a possibility that the tramadol was treating a psychogenically driven self-mutilation behavior, it is more likely that pain was the initiating cause for the behavior. This case report highlights the importance of careful medical evaluation of suspected behavioral problems and discusses the possible use of tramadol in self-mutilation.http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-veterinary-behavior-clinical-applications-and-research/mn201

A need for greater inclusivity and diversity in scent detection dog research: a reply to Lazarowski et al. and Byosiere et al

In this response to the commentaries, we highlight the relevance of our approach to different challenges faced by working dogs and those working with them. We agree with Byosiere, Feng, and Rutter (2019) that sourcing dogs from nontraditional routes would be beneficial and highlight the importance of using our approach to realize the potential of these animals. Further, Lazarowski, Waggoner, and Katz (2019) highlight the importance of different cultural approaches to training; again, we believe that this, in combination with our suggested approach, is likely to be fruitful. Finally, we agree with the commentaries that it is essential to further investigate the mechanisms underlying performance to fully understand the factors that influence success in working dogs. Better understanding the factors that are important in shaping success in the field will be an essential step to reliably deploying more successful working dog

A spatial discounting test to assess impulsivity in dogs

In domestic dog’s trait impulsivity can be measured psychometrically using the Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale (DIAS) and experimentally using a temporal discounting paradigm which requires substantial training. A Spatial Discounting Task (SDT) was developed as an alternative experimental method to assess impulsivity, and evaluated performance in adult (2–10 years) and younger (2–9 months) dogs. The test was modified for field use with fewer controls (Simplified Spatial Discounting Task (SDTs)). Convergent validity with the SDT and DIAS Overall Questionnaire Scores (OQS) and stability over time (4–6 weeks) in the two age groups was determined. 96% of dogs recruited reached criterion for testing. A significant positive relationship was found between Maximum Distance Travelled (MDT) in the SDT and OQS in adult dogs (r = 0.46, p = 0.028), with good test-retest reliability evident for both (p < 0.001). In young dogs, there was good test-retest reliability for OQS (p = 0.023), but no significant relationship was found between OQS and MDT, test-retest reliability for MDT in young dogs was poor. In the SDTs, 100% of dogs recruited met criterion for testing and there was a significant relationship between MDT and OQS (r = 0.61, p = 0.027). The SDT appears to be a useful method for measuring impulsivity in adult dogs with wide applicability