Clay Liam, Paterson Mandy, Bennett Pauleen, Perry Gaille, Phillips Clive
Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia.
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4076, Australia.
Animals (Basel). 2019 Oct 28;9(11):875. doi: 10.3390/ani9110875.
Canine behaviour assessments are commonly used in shelters to identify behaviour problems in dogs prior to adoption. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether kennel monitoring of dogs could identify early signs of behaviour problems, thereby facilitating early intervention and better management of dogs displaying behaviour problems. Kennel behaviour was monitored for dogs ( = 38) in their first five days in kennels at a shelter in Brisbane, Australia. This was compared to a formal assessment of exploratory, handling, play, run/freeze, and food guarding behaviour, as well as stranger and fake toddler interactions, and behaviour when the dog was alone, conducted five days after shelter admission. Kennel behaviours associated with fear, anxiety, and arousal in dogs were significantly correlated with the same behaviours in the formal assessment. Positional correlations were also evident. With respect to outcomes, dogs that displayed more whining, tense body posture, standing leaning forward, panting, ears forward, less barking, lowered body and balanced/relaxed body posture, standing still, and standing by the wall had increased odds of failing the behaviour assessment. Over the five days in the kennel, the frequency and duration of fear-related behaviours decreased, suggesting a reduction in arousal as the dog became accustomed to the shelter environment. The study demonstrates that monitoring kennel behaviour could detect early signs of behaviour problems.
犬类行为评估在收容所中被普遍用于在领养前识别犬只的行为问题。本研究的目的是评估对犬只进行犬舍监测是否能够识别行为问题的早期迹象，从而促进对表现出行为问题的犬只进行早期干预和更好的管理。在澳大利亚布里斯班的一个收容所，对38只犬只在犬舍的头五天的犬舍行为进行了监测。将其与收容所入院五天后对探索、处理、玩耍、奔跑/冻结和护食行为，以及与陌生人及假幼儿互动和犬只独处时的行为进行的正式评估进行比较。犬只在犬舍中与恐惧、焦虑和唤醒相关的行为与正式评估中的相同行为显著相关。位置相关性也很明显。关于结果，表现出更多哀鸣、紧张的身体姿势、前倾站立、喘气、耳朵向前、较少吠叫、身体降低以及平衡/放松的身体姿势、静止站立和靠墙站立的犬只在行为评估中失败的几率增加。在犬舍的五天里，与恐惧相关行为的频率和持续时间减少，这表明随着犬只适应收容所环境，唤醒水平有所降低。该研究表明，监测犬舍行为可以检测到行为问题的早期迹象。
