Christiansen F O., Bakken M, Braastad B O.
North Trondelag Research Institute, P.O. Box 2533, N-7729, Steinkjer, Norway
Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2001 Apr 26;72(2):115-129. doi: 10.1016/s0168-1591(00)00202-1.
When running free in open fields, domestic dogs occasionally display predatory behaviour towards domestic sheep. This has not yet been studied scientifically. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inclination to chase sheep in three breed groups of hunting dogs that are most frequently used in areas with grazing sheep. We studied 41 elkhounds, 29 hare hunting dogs and 68 English setters. Behaviours indicative of motivation for chasing or attacking sheep were examined in three different ways. A path test examined functional traits such as hunting ability, contact willingness, reactivity to sudden noise, and response towards a lone sheep. In a sheep confrontation test, loose-leashed dogs were observed in a fenced enclosure with sheep and given electric shocks through an electronic dog collar if within 1-2m from the sheep. A questionnaire to the dog owners supplied information on their dog's previous experience with sheep and behavioural responses to various types of novel stimuli. No significant sex differences were found. The elkhounds showed the highest interest in a lone sheep in the path test, and displayed the highest initial hunting motivation, the highest percentage of dogs starting a sheep attack, the highest attack severity, and were most frequently given el. shocks. The hare hunting dogs were intermediate, while setters showed the lowest values for these variables. Dogs reported as showing low fearfulness more frequently acted as potential sheep chasers in the tests. Dogs up to 3 years of age showed a more pronounced initial hunting motivation and more frequent attacks than older dogs, although there were no age differences in the number of el. shocks given in the test. The latter may be related to the more frequent abruption of attacks among younger dogs. The main factors predicting a high hunting motivation and attack severity were lack of previous opportunity to chase sheep, low fearfulness towards gunshots and unfamiliar people, and general interest in sheep shown when encountering them. Probability of sheep chasing differed between dog breeds and age groups. Previous experience and certain character traits were indicative of a high predatory motivation towards sheep.
在开阔田野中自由奔跑时，家犬偶尔会对家羊表现出捕食行为。这一现象尚未得到科学研究。本研究的目的是调查在有放牧绵羊的地区最常使用的三个猎犬品种组追逐绵羊的倾向。我们研究了41只挪威猎麋犬、29只野兔猎犬和68只英国塞特犬。通过三种不同方式检查了表明追逐或攻击绵羊动机的行为。路径测试考察了诸如狩猎能力、接触意愿、对突然噪音的反应以及对单独一只绵羊的反应等功能特征。在绵羊对峙测试中，将松开 leash 的狗放在有绵羊的围栏内观察，若狗离绵羊1 - 2米以内，就通过电子狗项圈给它们电击。向狗主人发放的问卷提供了有关其狗以前与绵羊接触的经历以及对各种新型刺激的行为反应的信息。未发现显著的性别差异。在路径测试中，挪威猎麋犬对单独一只绵羊表现出最高的兴趣，展现出最高的初始狩猎动机、开始攻击绵羊的狗的比例最高、攻击严重程度最高，并且最频繁地受到电击。野兔猎犬处于中间水平，而塞特犬在这些变量上的值最低。据报告，在测试中表现出低恐惧性的狗更频繁地表现为潜在的绵羊追逐者。3岁及以下的狗比年龄较大的狗表现出更明显的初始狩猎动机和更频繁的攻击，尽管在测试中给予电击的次数没有年龄差异。后者可能与年轻狗中攻击行为更频繁中断有关。预测高狩猎动机和攻击严重程度的主要因素是以前没有追逐绵羊的机会、对枪声和陌生人的低恐惧性以及遇到绵羊时表现出的对绵羊的总体兴趣。绵羊追逐的概率在不同犬种和年龄组之间存在差异。以前的经历和某些性格特征表明对绵羊有较高的捕食动机。
