10 research outputs found
Human Analogue Safe Haven Effect of the Owner : Behavioural and Heart Rate Response to Stressful Social Stimuli in Dogs
The secure base and safe haven effects of the attachment figure are central features of the human attachment theory. Recently, conclusive evidence for human analogue attachment behaviours in dogs has been provided, however, the owner’s security-providing role in danger has not been directly supported. We investigated the relationship between the behavioural and cardiac response in dogs (N = 30) while being approached by a threatening stranger in separation vs. in the presence of the owner, presented in a balanced order. Non-invasive telemetric measures of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) data during the threatening approaches was compared to periods before and after the encounters. Dogs that showed distress vocalisation during separation (N = 18) and that growled or barked at the stranger during the threatening approach (N = 17) were defined as behaviourally reactive in the given situation. While characteristic stress vocalisations were emitted during separations, the absence of the owner did not have an effect on dogs’ mean HR, but significantly increased the HRV. The threatening approach increased dogs’ mean HR, with a parallel decrease in the HRV, particularly in dogs that were behaviourally reactive to the encounter. Importantly, the HR increase was significantly less pronounced when dogs faced the stranger in the presence of the owner. Moreover, the test order, whether the dog encountered the stranger first with or without its owner, also proved important: HR increase associated with the encounter in separation seemed to be attenuated in dogs that faced the stranger first in the presence of their owner. We provided evidence for human analogue safe haven effect of the owner in a potentially dangerous situation. Similarly to parents of infants, owners can provide a buffer against stress in dogs, which can even reduce the effect of a subsequent encounter with the same threatening stimuli later when the owner is not present
Is previous experience important for inhibitory control? A comparison between shelter and pet dogs in A-not-B and cylinder tasks
This study compares the performance of two groups of dogs with different levels of social interaction with humans, shelter and pet dogs, in two inhibitory control tasks. (1) In the A-not-B task, dogs were required to resist searching for food in a previously rewarded location, and (2) in the cylinder task, dogs were required to resist approaching visible food directly in favor of a detour reaching response. Our first aim was to evaluate the importance of learning and ontogeny in performing inhibitory tasks. Also, we assessed whether there is a correlation between the two tasks by comparing performance in the same subjects. Results showed significant differences between shelter and pet dogs in the A-not-B task, with poorer performance in shelter dogs. However, no differences were found in the cylinder task. The poorer performance of shelter dogs might be related to their infrequent interaction with humans, which reduces the chances to learn to inhibit certain behaviors. This result would highlight the importance of ontogeny in developing that ability. On the other hand, no correlations were found between the two tasks, which contributes information to the debate about the context specificity of inhibitory control in dogs.Fil: Fagnani, Jésica Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Barrera, Gabriela Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Carballo Pozzo Ardizzi, Fabricio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Bentosela, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentin
A reappraisal of successive negative contrast in two populations of domestic dogs
When an anticipated food reward is unexpectedly
reduced in quality or quantity, many mammals show a
successive negative contrast (SNC) effect, i.e. a reduction
in instrumental or consummatory responses below the level
shown by control animals that have only ever received the
lower-value reward. SNC effects are believed to reflect an
aversive emotional state, caused by the discrepancy
between the expected and the actual reward. Furthermore,
how animals respond to such discrepancy has been suggested
to be a sign of animals’ background mood state.
However, the occurrence and interpretation of SNC effects
are not unequivocal, and there is a relative lack of studies
conducted outside of laboratory conditions. Here, we tested
two populations of domestic dogs (24 owned pet dogs and
21 dogs from rescue kennels) in a SNC paradigm following
the methodology by Bentosela et al. (J Comp Psychol
123:125–130, 2009), using a design that allowed a within-,
as well as a between-, subjects analysis. We found no
evidence of a SNC effect in either population using a
within- or between-subjects design. Indeed, the withinsubjects
analysis revealed a reverse SNC effect, with subjects
in the shifted condition showing a significantly higher
level of response, even after they received an unexpected
reduction in reward quality. Using a within-, rather than a
between-, subjects design may be beneficial in studies of
SNC due to higher sensitivity and statistical power; however,
order effects on subject performance need to be
considered. These results suggest that this particular SNC
paradigm may not be sufficiently robust to replicate easily
in a range of environmental contexts and populations