The twenty-first century pet domestic dog typically spends a large amount of time in the home environment. An audio/food dispensing automated device (an artificial agent, hereafter agent) was ...evaluated for enrichment potential. The agent issued verbal cuesto dogs and puppies, and food rewards for their correct behavioural responses. Dogs' and puppies' abilities to respond correctly to the cues and their welfare during interaction was measured. Three empirical studies are presented. Key findings of the cognitive tests (study one) include: 1. no significant difference in dogs' correct behavioural responses to the agent's cues between initial exposure and following a 24-month break (p = 0.119); 2. no significant difference in correct 1st choice behavioural responses to multiple, randomised cues issued by the agent and by owners directly (p = 0.526); 3. significantly longer response latencies to cuesin agent conditions vs owner condition (p = 0.026). Dogs were able to learn a novel sequence of known behaviours from the agent during a single testing session. Study two measured dogs' welfare during the cognitive tests described using Qualitative Behavioural Assessment (QBA) and quantitative behaviour sampling. QBA PC1 characterised dogs as ranging from 'attentive/interested/anticipating' to 'conflicted/apathetic' in each experimental testing condition with the majority of dogs at the former end of the PC. Inter-observer agreement was high on all PCs (average Kendall's W = 0.82). No significant differences in quantitative positive state behaviours between conditions were found (average p = 0.595); these behaviours correlated significantly with QBA PC1 in all conditions(average r = 0.791). The study represents the first application of QBA to a cognitive paradigm and suggests that positive reinforcement interaction with an owner or with an agent may promote an experience of pleasure in dogs. Study three examined puppies' responses to randomised verbal cues issued by the agent and by owners directly for comparison. Attentional focus on the agent was rapidly achieved (average 18.8 sec from start of introduction to agent). No significant difference in puppies' correct 1st choice behavioural responses to cues issued by the agent vs owners was found (p = 0.609); significantly longer response latencies to cues in the agent vs owner condition were revealed (p = 0.001). Overall, indicators of positive anticipation, motivation, competence and sustained engagement were identified in the majority of dogs and puppies throughout testing, suggesting that agent-interaction represents an appropriate cognitive challenge. Puppy owners reported overarchingly positive opinions of their puppies' interactive experiences; the majority supporting the trial of an agent in the home.
The present study addresses the lack of research on Staphylococcus spp. among dogs in South Africa. The study characterises isolates from retrospective data from a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in ...terms of time, place, and animal factors. Using data collected from 2012 to 2017, the study analysed 1627 positive Staphylococcus isolates and identified 10 species, the majority (92.0%) of which were classified as coagulase-positive, while a few were coagulase-negative (6.0%) and coagulase-variable (3.0%). Male dogs contributed just over half (53.2%) of the isolates. Dogs aged ≥9 years contributed the most isolates (23.2%). KwaZulu-Natal Province contributed the majority (45.0%) of the isolates, while Northern Cape Province contributed the least (0.1%). Almost half (46.0%) of the isolates came from skin specimens. The study demonstrated a limited variation in the number of Staphylococcus isolates across seasons and the occurrence of a diversity of Staphylococcus species among dogs in South Africa. There is a need for research to improve our understanding of factors that influence the observed disparities in Staphylococcus spp. Proportions observed in this study. There is a scarcity of published studies on the occurrence of Staphylococcus spp. Among dogs in South Africa. The objective of the study was to characterise the Staphylococcus spp. Isolated from dog samples submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in South Africa in terms of time, place, and person. This study utilised a dataset of 1627 positive Staphylococcus isolates obtained from a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in South Africa from 2012 to 2017. Out of the 1627 confirmed isolates, 10 different species of Staphylococcus were identified. Among these, 92.0% were classified as coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS), 6.0% were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and 3.0% were coagulase-variable. Male dogs contributed just over half (53.2%) of the Staphylococcus isolates, while female dogs contributed the remaining 46.8%. The largest proportion of isolates (23.2%) were obtained from dogs aged ≥ 9 years, with the highest number of isolates originating from KwaZulu-Natal Province (45.0%) and the least from Northern Cape Province (0.1%). Out of the total samples included in the records, the majority (46.0%) were skin specimens. The number of Staphylococcus isolates recorded showed limited variation between the seasons (24.3% in autumn, 26.3% in winter, 26.0% in spring, and 24.0% in summer). This study highlighted the diversity of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from dogs, and the burden of staphylococcal carriage among dogs in South Africa. Further research is required to examine the factors that contribute to the observed discrepancies in the proportions of Staphylococcus spp. between the provinces.
Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th ...century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance.
A longitudinal study followed search-and-rescue (SAR) dogs for 15 years to determine the incidence of health events and whether factors of deployment during 9/11, breed, or sex altered the risk of ...specific events.
150 SAR dogs: 95 dogs deployed to the September 11 terrorist attack sites and 55 SAR dogs not deployed.
Each year, a survey was sent to the handler to collect health information until the dog died or the handler withdrew from the study. The reported health events were then categorized according to the body system affected and etiology. Incidence risk rates, with 95% CIs, were calculated for the most common types of health events. Incidence rate ratios were calculated stratified by deployment status, sex, and breed and significance assessed.
1 or more health event was recorded in 96 of the 150 enrolled dogs. The most affected systems were the musculoskeletal (31%; CI, 24 to 39), integumentary (22%; CI, 15 to 29), and gastrointestinal (20%; CI, 14 to 26). The health events were most commonly reported as inflammatory (45%; CI, 37 to 53) and degenerative (28%; CI, 21 to 35) in nature. There were no significant differences in incidence of health events based on deployment status to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Additionally, there was no significant effect of breed or sex on incidence of health events.
To improve the health and longevity of SAR dogs, disease prevention and management programs should focus on reducing the health problems involving the musculoskeletal system as well as the integumentary and gastrointestinal systems.
Assistance dogs' roles have diversified to support people with various disabilities, especially in the U.S. Data presented here are from the U.S. and Canada non-profit facilities (including both ...accredited and candidate members that fulfilled partial requirements: all here termed “accredited”) of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), and from non-accredited U.S. assistance dog training facilities, on the numbers and types of dogs they placed in 2013 and 2014 with persons who have disabilities. ADI categories of assistance dogs are for guide, hearing, and service (including for assistance with mobility, autism, psychiatric, diabetes, seizure disabilities). Accredited facilities in 28 states and 3 provinces responded; accredited non-responding facilities were in 22 states and 1 province (some in states/provinces with responding accredited facilities). Non-accredited facilities in 16 states responded. U.S./Canada responding accredited facilities (55 of 96: 57%) placed 2,374 dogs; non-accredited U.S. facilities (22 of 133: 16.5%) placed 797 dogs. Accredited facilities placed similar numbers of dogs for guiding (
n
= 918) or mobility (
n
= 943), but many more facilities placed mobility service dogs than guide dogs. Autism service dogs were third most for accredited (
n
= 205 placements) and U.S. non-accredited (
n
= 72) facilities. Psychiatric service dogs were fourth most common in accredited placements (
n
= 119) and accounted for most placements (
n
= 526) in non-accredited facilities. Other accredited placements were for: hearing (
n
= 109); diabetic alert (
n
= 69), and seizure response (
n
= 11). Responding non-accredited facilities placed 17 hearing dogs, 30 diabetic alert dogs, and 18 seizure response dogs. Non-accredited facilities placed many dogs for psychiatric assistance, often for veterans, but ADI accreditation is required for veterans to have financial reimbursement. Twenty states and several provinces had no responding facilities; 17 of these states had no accredited facilities. In regions lacking facilities, some people with disabilities may find it inconvenient living far from any supportive facility, even if travel costs are provided. Despite accelerated U.S./Canada placements, access to well-trained assistance dogs continues to be limited and inconvenient for many people with disabilities, and the numerous sources of expensive, poorly trained dogs add confusion for potential handlers.
Dogs with epilepsy are among the commonest neurological patients in veterinary practice and therefore have historically attracted much attention with regard to definitions, clinical approach and ...management. A number of classification proposals for canine epilepsy have been published during the years reflecting always in parts the current proposals coming from the human epilepsy organisation the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). It has however not been possible to gain agreed consensus, "a common language", for the classification and terminology used between veterinary and human neurologists and neuroscientists, practitioners, neuropharmacologists and neuropathologists. This has led to an unfortunate situation where different veterinary publications and textbook chapters on epilepsy merely reflect individual author preferences with respect to terminology, which can be confusing to the readers and influence the definition and diagnosis of epilepsy in first line practice and research studies.In this document the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force (IVETF) discusses current understanding of canine epilepsy and presents our 2015 proposal for terminology and classification of epilepsy and epileptic seizures. We propose a classification system which reflects new thoughts from the human ILAE but also roots in former well accepted terminology. We think that this classification system can be used by all stakeholders.
When viewing pupil sizes change, our own pupil sizes change, a phenomenon known as pupillary contagion. This involuntary response is reliable between humans but can be affected by familiarity and ...empathy We investigated whether the pupillary contagion response occurs for humans viewing familiar species--cats and dogs--and whether it is modulated by preferences for particular species. Pupil sizes were measured while viewing cat, dog and human images with small, medium and large pupils. Trait empathy cat and dog affiliation and experience were subsequently measured. There was an image pupil size effect, but this did not vary by species. There was greater pupil size change to cats and dogs than to humans, but this might have been due to the varying size and appearance of the cats and dogs. Greater dog affiliation was also associated with smaller overall pupil size change to dogs and larger change to humans, but this did not interact with image pupil size. Dog affiliation might be associated with less arousal to dog images. In sum, pupillary contagion responses indicate a spontaneous transfer of information about internal states and the findings suggest that humans are sensitive to this across species, regardless of individual preference.
The ability of animals to communicate using gaze is a rich area of research. How domestic dogs (
Canis lupus familiaris
) use and respond to the gaze of humans is an area of particular interest. This ...study examined how three groups of domestic dogs from different populations (free-ranging dogs, pet dogs, and shelter dogs) responded to a human during three attentional state conditions: when the human was making eye contact (attentive), when the human was turned away (inattentive), and when the human exited the testing area. We found that dogs from different populations differed in their gazing behaviour. Free-ranging dogs responded to the human’s change in attentional state by looking significantly less at the human in the inattentive condition compared to the attentive condition. Pet and shelter dogs did not differ in their gazing behaviour between these conditions. However, they gazed significantly more at the human in both the inattentive and attentive conditions compared to the free-ranging dogs and also spent more time in the proximity of the experimenter. This study suggests that life experience plays an important role in how dogs respond to the attentional state of a human.
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