Analysis of the intraspecific visual communication in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris): A pilot study on the case of calming signals

Mariti, Chiara; Falaschi, C.; Zilocchi, Marcella; Fatjó, Jaume; Sighieri, Claudio; Ogi, Asahi; Gazzano, Angelo

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2016.12.009

Cited by 38 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This may carry with it the potential for frustration, as they are unable to access the resources they want or perceive certain resources as more valuable, since the cost of access increases with the degree of pain associated with gaining it. Some displacement behaviors (including some of the adjunctive behaviors described here that are sometimes referred to as "calming signals", such as yawning [70]) may serve to increase endorphin release and thus alleviate some of the discomfort, as might engaging in a social interaction with an owner. The latter could prompt attention seeking and distress when an owner is not available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs

Mills

Demontigny-Bédard

Gruen

et al. 2020

Animals

Self Cite

118

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We argue that there is currently an under-reporting of the ways in which pain can be associated with problem behavior, which is seriously limiting the recognition of this welfare problem. A review of the caseloads of 100 recent dog cases of several authors indicates that a conservative estimate of around a third of referred cases involve some form of painful condition, and in some instances, the figure may be nearly 80%. The relationship is often complex but always logical. Musculoskeletal but also painful gastro-intestinal and dermatological conditions are commonly recognized as significant to the animal’s problem behavior. The potential importance of clinical abnormalities such as an unusual gait or unexplained behavioral signs should not be dismissed by clinicians in general practice, even when they are common within a given breed. In general, it is argued that clinicians should err on the side of caution when there is a suspicion that a patient could be in pain by carefully evaluating the patient’s response to trial analgesia, even if a specific physical lesion has not been identified.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs

Mills

Demontigny-Bédard

Gruen

et al. 2020

Animals

Self Cite

118

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“…Alternatively, they might play a role in social communication. Lip licking and yawning have been considered to function as appeasement signals both inter 54 -and intraspecifically 70 , and lip licking appears to be shown in situations of mild social threat (but less so during severe threats) 54 , as well as in greeting situations 54,71,72 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear expressions of dogs during New Year fireworks: a video analysis

Gähwiler

Bremhorst

Tóth

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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A high proportion of pet dogs show fear-related behavioural problems, with noise fears being most prevalent. Nonetheless, few studies have objectively evaluated fear expression in this species. Using owner-provided video recordings, we coded behavioural expressions of pet dogs during a real-life firework situation at New Year’s Eve and compared them to behaviour of the same dogs on a different evening without fireworks (control condition), using Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. A backwards-directed ear position, measured at the base of the ear, was most strongly associated with the fireworks condition (effect size: Cohen’s d = 0.69). Durations of locomotion (d = 0.54) and panting (d = 0.45) were also higher during fireworks than during the control condition. Vocalisations (d = 0.40), blinking (d = 0.37), and hiding (d = 0.37) were increased during fireworks, but this was not significant after sequential Bonferroni correction. This could possibly be attributed to the high inter-individual variability in the frequency of blinking and the majority of subjects not vocalising or hiding at all. Thus, individual differences must be taken into account when aiming to assess an individual’s level of fear, as relevant measures may not be the same for all individuals. Firework exposure was not associated with an elevated rate of other so-called ‘stress signals’, lip licking and yawning.

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“…Dogs who feel stressed are likely to present stress- and threat-avoiding signaling (e.g., nose-licking, turning away). When these signs are ignored or misinterpreted, the pet may use other strategies, including aggression [( 71 – 73 ); see also Mariti et al ( 74 ) for a first systematic empirical investigation of such behaviors in dogs]. Recent studies have shown further evidence that dogs show signals like licking of lips and looking away as appeasement signals in dog-human communication [( 75 ); see also ( 76 )].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Well-known examples are sensory deficits, physical illness, chronical pain or dogs suffering from anxiety ( 45 , 47 , 77 ). In addition, other signals may be shown [e.g., ( 57 , 71 , 74 )].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Children and Parents to Understand Dog Signaling

2018

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Safe human-dog relationships require understanding of dogs' signaling. As children are at particularly high risk of dog bites, we investigated longitudinally how children from 3 to 5 years and parents perceive and interpret dogs' distress signaling gestures. All participants were then taught how to link their perception of the dog with the correct interpretation of dogs' behavioral signals and tested again. Results show a significant increase in learning for children and adults, with them showing greater understanding of dogs' signaling after intervention. Better learning effects were found with increasing age and depended on the type of distress signaling of the dogs. Effects endured over time and it can be concluded that children and adults can be taught to interpret dogs' distress signaling more correctly. Awareness and recognition of dogs' stress signaling can be seen as an important first step in understanding the dog's perspective and are vital to enable safe interactions.

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Analysis of the intraspecific visual communication in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris): A pilot study on the case of calming signals

Cited by 38 publications

References 22 publications

Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs

Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs

Fear expressions of dogs during New Year fireworks: a video analysis

Teaching Children and Parents to Understand Dog Signaling

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