Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Türkiye, Turkey.
Biopsychology, Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr- University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Vet Res Commun. 2024 Nov 25;49(1):35. doi: 10.1007/s11259-024-10581-z.
Early puppy development is a crucial period that significantly influences a dog's lifelong health, behavior and personality. In this study, the behavioral development of Kangal puppies was investigated through repeated open-field testing, focusing on exploratory behavior, mobility, and responses to novel stimuli. Thirty-three Kangal puppies (20 males and 13 females) from various breeding centers in Sivas Province, Türkiye, were evaluated. The puppies were tested in a controlled open-field environment at 5, 6, and 8 weeks of age. Tests included a novel environment test at 5 weeks and novel object tests at 6 and 8 weeks. Mobility rate, exploration rate, and total distance parameters were measured using automated tracking software (ToxTrac). Qualitative behavioral assessments (QBAs) were performed to evaluate three distinct behavioral and emotional aspects: curiosity, comfort, and fearfulness. The results of these assessments revealed significant increases in curiosity and comfort scores over the testing weeks, with a concomitant decrease in fearfulness. Additionally, tracking data showed increased mobility and decreased exploration rates throughout the testing weeks. Significant correlations were found between curiosity and exploratory behavior, as well as between mobility and comfort scores. Overall, our findings suggest that Kangal puppies exhibit expected behavioral developments in repeated open field testing, with patterns consistent across multiple analyses. These results provide valuable insights into the behavioral development of Kangal puppies and underscore the importance of considering curiosity and other internal motivations in understanding animal behavior.
早期幼犬发育是一个关键时期，对犬的终身健康、行为和个性有重大影响。在这项研究中，通过重复开阔地测试研究了坎高幼犬的行为发育，重点是探索行为、活动能力和对新刺激的反应。来自土耳其锡瓦斯省不同繁殖中心的 33 只坎高幼犬（20 只雄性和 13 只雌性）接受了评估。幼犬在 5、6 和 8 周龄时在受控开阔地环境中进行测试。测试包括 5 周龄时的新环境测试和 6 周龄和 8 周龄时的新物体测试。使用自动跟踪软件（ToxTrac）测量移动速度、探索率和总距离参数。进行定性行为评估（QBAs）以评估三个不同的行为和情绪方面：好奇心、舒适度和恐惧。这些评估的结果表明，好奇心和舒适度评分在测试周内显著增加，而恐惧评分则相应降低。此外，跟踪数据显示整个测试周内移动速度增加，探索速度降低。好奇心和探索行为之间以及移动速度和舒适度评分之间存在显著相关性。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，坎高幼犬在重复开阔地测试中表现出预期的行为发育，多种分析模式一致。这些结果为坎高幼犬的行为发育提供了有价值的见解，并强调了在理解动物行为时考虑好奇心和其他内在动机的重要性。
