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Animals
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Advances in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine
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Advances in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Human-Animal Interactions, Animal Behaviour and Emotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 25702

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Helen Zulch MRCVS

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dogs Trust, 17 Wakley St, London EC1V 7RQ, UK
Interests: dog; behavior; pain; temperament; working dog; olfaction
Dr. Melissa Upjohn MRCVS

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dogs Trust, 17 Wakley St, London EC1V 7RQ, UK
Interests: animal welfare assessment; impact assessment; human behaviour change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine has developed extensively over the last couple of decades, and we currently have a better understanding than ever before of why animals—particularly companion animals—exhibit behaviours deemed problematic by people. However, there are still gaps in our understanding of all aspects of the field, from why problems develop through to identifying the best-tailored treatment for an individual based on its circumstances. In addition, a good understanding of specific techniques to prevent problems developing in the first place is lacking in many areas.

This Issue invites the submission of original manuscripts covering any aspect of veterinary behavioural medicine or the clinical behaviour of animals. Areas of particular interest include: a) investigations into the inter-relationship between physical health and behaviour; b) assessments of the benefits of specific treatment modalities, both behavioural modification and medication based; c) assessments of the efficacy of preventative interventions, including aspects such as the relative impact of genetic and environmental influences and interventions on behaviour.

Dr. Helen Zulch MRCVS
Dr. Melissa Upjohn MRCVS
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • veterinary behaviour
  • behaviour
  • medical behavioural
  • pain
  • psychopharmacy
  • behavioural assessment
  • prevention

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 852 KiB  
Article
Impact of Changes in Time Left Alone on Separation-Related Behaviour in UK Pet Dogs
by Naomi D. Harvey, Robert M. Christley, Kassandra Giragosian, Rebecca Mead, Jane K. Murray, Lauren Samet, Melissa M. Upjohn and Rachel A. Casey
Animals 2022, 12(4), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040482 - 15 Feb 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 11584
Abstract
Separation-related behaviours (SRBs), including but not limited to vocalisation, pacing, destruction and toileting, occur in the absence of human company. As well as being problematic for the dogs’ owners, such behaviours indicate that the dogs’ emotional state is compromised. As part of the [...] Read more.
Separation-related behaviours (SRBs), including but not limited to vocalisation, pacing, destruction and toileting, occur in the absence of human company. As well as being problematic for the dogs’ owners, such behaviours indicate that the dogs’ emotional state is compromised. As part of the COVID-19 pandemic, time spent alone decreased considerably for many pet dogs, leading to concerns about the development of SRBs when dogs are left alone more again. The main aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that dogs whose time left alone decreased most (compared to a February 2020 pre-COVID baseline) would be at greatest risk of developing new signs of SRB when time left alone increased again. To achieve this aim, we utilised survey data gathered from dog owners between 4th May and 3rd July 2020, during the first COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ period in the United Kingdom (UK), and a follow-up survey of the same dog-owner cohort, completed when restrictions had eased between 10th October and 2nd November 2020. Individual dogs fluctuated considerably in whether they showed signs of SRB or not across the study period (n = 1807). Overall, the prevalence of SRB in the population decreased from 22.1% to 17.2%, as did the time dogs were left alone for between February and October 2020. However, 9.9% of dogs had developed new signs of SRB by the follow-up survey in October 2020, with dogs whose leaving hours decreased most during lockdown restrictions being at increased risk of developing SRBs. These findings have implications for our understanding of the etiology of SRB, by showing a link between changes in owner routine and SRB risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine)
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19 pages, 1286 KiB  
Article
Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study
by Samantha Zurlinden, Stephany Spano, Emily Griffith and Sara Bennett
Animals 2022, 12(2), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12020171 - 11 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5304
Abstract
Excessive barking is a major source of noise pollution in dog kennels and negatively impacts welfare. Because resources are often limited, minimizing barking in the simplest and most easily implementable way is imperative. This pilot study implemented a Quiet Kennel Exercise (QKE) that [...] Read more.
Excessive barking is a major source of noise pollution in dog kennels and negatively impacts welfare. Because resources are often limited, minimizing barking in the simplest and most easily implementable way is imperative. This pilot study implemented a Quiet Kennel Exercise (QKE) that utilized classical counterconditioning to change the dogs’ negative emotional state (which can lead to barking) to a more positive emotional state. Therefore, barking motivation is reduced, so barking should decrease. This study aims to show proof of concept that decreasing barking through classical counterconditioning is effective. It was conducted in one ward of day-time boarding kennels at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Data was collected three times per day and included decibel readings, number of dogs present, and number of dogs barking during a 5-day initial baseline and 10-day intervention period. During baseline, people passing through the ward acted as they normally would. During intervention, passersby were asked to simply toss each dog a treat regardless of the dogs’ behaviors in the kennel. Descriptive results show improvement in maximum level of barking after QKE, fewer dogs barking over time, dogs barking less each time, and the most improvement noted in the afternoon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine)
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15 pages, 1199 KiB  
Article
Behavioural and Physiological Correlates of the Canine Frustration Questionnaire
by Kevin J. McPeake, Lisa M. Collins, Helen Zulch and Daniel S. Mills
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3346; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123346 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7639
Abstract
Frustration is a negative emotional state implicated in a range of canine behaviour problems. The Canine Frustration Questionnaire (CFQ) is the first psychometric tool developed to assess frustration tendencies in dogs based on owner report. However, to date, no published studies have assessed [...] Read more.
Frustration is a negative emotional state implicated in a range of canine behaviour problems. The Canine Frustration Questionnaire (CFQ) is the first psychometric tool developed to assess frustration tendencies in dogs based on owner report. However, to date, no published studies have assessed behavioural and physiological correlates of this trait. A novel behaviour test battery was developed to induce frustration in dogs, mapping onto the CFQ. Forty-four dogs were recruited and filmed whilst undertaking the test battery, and a CFQ was completed by each owner. Targeted behavioural measures were assessed from this footage, based on hypotheses aimed at evaluating convergent and discriminant validity with facets of the CFQ. In addition, a saliva sample was collected pre- and post-testing for 39 dogs, and a cortisol assay performed using ELISA to provide a physiological measure of arousal. A range of predicted behavioural test measures (e.g., vocalising and lunging) positively correlated with CFQ scores. For 22 dogs with pre-test salivary cortisol levels of <4 ng/mL (indicative of normal arousal at baseline), cortisol change and post-test cortisol levels positively correlated with the CFQ PC5 ‘Frustration coping’ score. These results provide further evidence of the validity of frustration tendencies as measured by owner report through the CFQ. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine)
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