Singh I, Tucker L A, Gendall P, Rutherfurd-Markwick K J, Cline J, Thomas D G
Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, College of Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
N Z Vet J. 2011 May;59(3):133-8. doi: 10.1080/00480169.2011.567967.
To establish baseline information about age, breed, sex distribution and feeding practices for a population of working farm dogs owned by members of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association (NZSDTA) throughout New Zealand.
Questionnaires were sent to members of the NZSDTA in August 2007, requesting information on the size and terrain of the farms where they worked, as well as the breed, weight, age and sex of each working dog they owned, feeding regime employed, diet fed, work levels, and general health of their dogs.
The survey was completed by 542/676 (81%) of the eligible sample population, and provided information on 2,861 dogs, excluding those <1 year old. All of the dog owners surveyed worked on sheep and beef-cattle farms. The median farm size was 440 [Inter-quartile range (IQR) 132-1,200] ha and varied with region. The majority of farms were situated on either hill country (184/542; 34%) or a mixture of hilly and flat terrain (260/542; 48%), and had a median of six (IQR 5-8) working dogs per farm. The median age of dogs was 3.0 (IQR 2.0-6.0) years. Heading dogs were the most common type of working dog (1,510/2,861; 52.8%), followed by Huntaways (1,161/2,861; 40.6%). The gender distribution of all dogs was biased towards males (57%), but this decreased with age. There was a positive association between the number of dogs on a farm and perceived level of tiredness of dogs (p<0.001), but there were no differences in levels of tiredness between farms of different terrain. Most owners (526/542; 97%) fed their dogs once a day. The most common diet fed was a combination of dry food and homekill, which was fed by 328/542 (61%) owners during peak and 313/542 (58%) during off-peak periods of work.
This study has established baseline information on the age, breed, gender and nutrition of a large population of working farm dogs in New Zealand. Current feeding practices employed by owners include offering a substantial amount of homekill to their animals. Homekill may be deficient or marginal in vitamins and minerals, therefore opportunities could exist to improve the diets and therefore the longevity and performance of these dogs.
为新西兰牧羊犬试验协会（NZSDTA）在新西兰各地的会员所拥有的工作农场犬群体建立有关年龄、品种、性别分布及饲养方式的基线信息。
2007年8月向NZSDTA会员发放问卷，询问他们工作所在农场的规模和地形，以及他们所拥有的每只工作犬的品种、体重、年龄和性别、采用的饲养方式、所喂食物、工作强度及犬的总体健康状况。
符合条件的样本群体中有542/676（81%）完成了调查，提供了2861只犬的信息，不包括年龄小于1岁的犬。所有接受调查的犬主都在绵羊和肉牛农场工作。农场规模中位数为440[四分位间距（IQR）132 - 1200]公顷，且因地区而异。大多数农场位于山地（184/542；34%）或山地与平地混合的地形（260/542；48%），每个农场工作犬的中位数为6只（IQR 5 - 8）。犬的年龄中位数为3.0（IQR 2.0 - 6.0）岁。牧犬是最常见的工作犬类型（1510/2861；52.8%），其次是霍特威犬（1161/2861；40.6%）。所有犬的性别分布偏向雄性（57%），但这种情况随年龄增长而减少。农场犬的数量与犬的疲劳感程度呈正相关（p<0.001），但不同地形的农场之间犬的疲劳程度没有差异。大多数犬主（526/542；97%）每天喂犬一次。最常见的喂食组合是干粮和自家屠宰的肉，在工作高峰期有328/542（61%）的犬主这样喂，在工作非高峰期有313/542（58%）的犬主这样喂。
本研究为新西兰大量工作农场犬的年龄、品种、性别和营养状况建立了基线信息。犬主目前采用的饲养方式包括给犬大量喂食自家屠宰的肉。自家屠宰的肉可能在维生素和矿物质方面不足或含量边缘，因此可能有机会改善这些犬的饮食，从而提高它们的寿命和工作表现。
