The effects of fear and anxiety on health and lifespan in pet dogs

Nancy A. Dreschel

The effects of fear and anxiety on health and lifespan in pet dogs

Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 125, Issues 3–4, July 2010, Pages 157–162

Abstract

Fear and anxiety-related behaviors are common in pet dogs and are likely to cause a physiological stress response in individuals that are exposed to those things they find fear or anxiety-inducing. Stress responses are related to a number of changes in hormonal and immune modulation and have been shown in many species to be related to disease processes and shortened lifespan. It was predicted that dogs with fear and anxiety disorders would have decreased lifespan and increased disease frequency and severity.

In this retrospective study, owners of 721 deceased dogs completed a 99 question on-line survey that asked about the demographics, training, behavioral characteristics, health history, age at and cause of death in their pets. Correlational and regression analyses were performed to explore relationships between behavior; fear and anxiety subscales; lifespan; and specific diseases and causes of death.

Results show that how “well-behaved” an owner felt their dog was positively correlated with lifespan (R² = 0.18, P < 0.001). Dogs with extreme non-social fear and separation anxiety were found to have an increased severity and frequency of skin disorders (R² = 0.03, P < 0.001). While neither stranger-directed fear nor any other fear or anxiety scales were related to specific causes of death, fear of strangers was found to be related to a significantly shortened lifespan (R² = 0.16, P < 0.001). There is evidence to suggest that the stress of living with a fear or anxiety disorder can have negative effects on health and lifespan in the domestic dog.

A double-blind placebo-controlled study into the efficacy of a homeopathic remedy for fear of firework noises in the dog (Canis familiaris)

Nina R. Cracknell, Daniel S. Mills

A double-blind placebo-controlled study into the efficacy of a homeopathic remedy for fear of firework noises in the dog (Canis familiaris)

The Veterinary Journal, Volume 177, Issue 1, July 2008, Pages 80–88

Abstract

Seventy-five dogs that showed a fear response to fireworks participated in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the efficacy of a homeopathic remedy for the alleviation of their behavioural signs. Dogs were randomly assigned to one of two treatments; the homeopathic treatment or the placebo treatment. At the baseline assessments the owners identified the behavioural signs of fear that their dogs normally displayed in response to fireworks, rated their frequency and intensity, and assessed the global severity of their dog’s responses. These measures were repeated at the final assessment and owners also completed weekly diaries for the length of the trial. There were significant improvements in the owners’ rating of 14/15 behavioural signs of fear in the placebo treatment group and all 15 behavioural signs in the homeopathic treatment group. Both treatment groups also showed significant improvement in the owners’ rating of the global severity of their dog’s responses. However, there was no significant difference in the response seen between the two treatment groups.

A comparison of dog owners' claims about their pets' guilt with evidence from dog behavior

Damon Horowitz, Alexandra Horowitz

A comparison of dog owners' claims about their pets' guilt with evidence from dog behavior

Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, Volume 4, Issue 2, March–April 2009, Pages 104

ABSTRACT

New research on the social cognition of the domestic dog has established the dog's skill at interpreting communicative behavior of humans. By contrast, human interpretations of dog behavior rely heavily on anthropomorphisms, claims generally unverified by scientific research. The current research aims to examine behavior associated with one claim dog owners make of their dogs: “guilt” at doing a behavior that has been disallowed.

Previous research asking owners what they believed their dogs “know” found “disallowance” (disobedient acts) as the most frequent response. This study looks at dogs' behavior after doing or not doing a disallowed act, and after being scolded or greeted. We hypothesized that the data will match a model that suggests that dogs are responding to human behavior, but not a model suggesting dogs know a disallowed act is “wrong.”

Dogs and their owners participated in 5 videotaped trials each in the owners’ homes. Only dogs who obeyed commands of “sit,” “stay,” and “no” were used. Using owner report and prior behavioral descriptions of “guilt,” 8 guilt-related behaviors (GRBs) were isolated: avoiding eye contact, rolling over, low wag, ears back, head down, licking, retreat, and paw-up. In each trial, the owner showed the dog a treat, forbade eating it, and left the room. The owner returned in 30 seconds, was told whether the dog ate the treat, and was asked to act normally to greet or chastise the dog, as appropriate. To test the hypothesis that GRBs do not appear exclusively to doing a disallowed act, the trials varied the availability of the treat: a confederate removed the treat; let it be; or gave it to the dog. To test the hypothesis that GRBs are a response to owner chastising behavior, the trials varied the owners' knowledge of the dog's disobedience: guilty, owner knows; guilty, owner misinformed; not guilty, owner knows; not guilty, owner misinformed.

In every trial in which the treat was available, the dogs disobeyed and ate the treat. Rate of GRBs in all trials was scored. Preliminary analysis found no difference in the number of GRBs between disobedient and non-disobedient trials. By contrast, more GRBs were seen in trials when the owner scolded the dog, whether the dog had disobeyed or not. Confederate permission of the treat resulted in more GRBs than confederate removal of the treat.

In the context of a disallowed treat, dogs’ GRBs corresponded to the human's scolding of the dog, following discovery of the disallowed act or the belief that the act had occurred. GRBs were not more common when the dog did a disallowed act than when it had not. GRBs are similar to behaviors indicating fear and submission. In this study, dogs’ behavior was associated with the human, not the disallowed act or object, perhaps in fearful anticipation of punishment or scolding by the owner.

Service dog selection tests: Effectiveness for dogs from animal shelters

Emily Weiss, Gary Greenberg

Service dog selection tests: Effectiveness for dogs from animal shelters

Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 53, Issue 4, July 1997, Pages 297–308

Abstract

Assistance dogs are trained to help people with various physical and mental handicaps. These dogs are selected using a test comprising several behavioral components. Anecdotal reports have shown that only about 50% of the dogs so selected successfully complete training and become assistance dogs. Traditionally training centers had used puppies, but recently some trainers have begun to use dogs from animal shelters and pounds. This study randomly chose six males and three female adult dogs of appropriate breed types, from a shelter environment and conducted an 11-item selection test on each. The dogs were then trained in both basic obedience and a retrieval task. We found no correlation between an animals' overall performance on the selection test and its ability to complete the retrieval task. One behavior trait, fear/submission, however, was predictable from the selection phase.

Early prediction of adult behaviour in potential guide dogs

M.E. Goddard, R.G. Beilharz

Early prediction of adult behaviour in potential guide dogs

Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 15, Issue 3, June 1986, Pages 247–260

Abstract

Between 4 weeks and 6 months of age, dogs were subjected to a battery of behavioural tests. The ability of these tests to predict fearfulness, activity and learning ability of the dogs when adult was assessed. Consistent individual differences in fearfulness were apparent at about 8 weeks of age, and the ability to predict adult fearfulness increased with age. The most useful tests involved responses to a strange person, a strange dog, a strange place and certain unusual objects. There appears to be genetic variation between dogs in fearfulness when young, but genetic selection against fearfulness would be more accurate if carried out in adult dogs rather than in young dogs. Consistent individual differences in activity from 4 weeks of age were found, but this behaviour correlated poorly with the activity of the dogs when adult. Puppies responded to fear by inhibiting movement. None of the tests used predicted the dogs' performance on specific learning tasks.

The relationship of fearfulness to, and the effects of, sex, age and experience on exploration and activity in dogs

M.E. Goddard, R.G. Beilharz

The relationship of fearfulness to, and the effects of, sex, age and experience on exploration and activity in dogs

Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 12, Issue 3, April 1984, Pages 267–278

Abstract

The correlations between measures of activity in different situations, including inhibitory training, were positive but low. Activity in non-stressful situations was independent of fearfulness. There appears to be individual variation between dogs which determines whether a dog responds to fear by increasing or decreasing activity. Fearfulness was correlated with high visual and auditory exploration. General fearfulness was uncorrelated with olfactory exploration, but lack of experience in crowded, noisy places increased both olfactory exploration and fear of certain objects likely to be encountered in such places, and so caused a correlation between these two traits. Dogs which were reared in a home with another dog were less distracted by other dogs. Between 6 and 12 months, the dogs declined in activity and unwanted exploration. Females showed a higher level of activity during inhibitory training and a higher level of olfactory exploration than males.