Defining and measuring dogmanship: A new multidisciplinary science to improve understanding of human–dog interactions

McGreevy, Paul D.; Starling, Melissa J.; Payne, Elyssa; Bennett, Pauleen

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2017.10.015

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Supporting this interpretation, dog owners are known to exhibit a positive bias when viewing their own dog compared with the average dog [ 49 ]. It is also possible that drawing a sample from prospective owners who are willing to house a rescue dog inadvertently selects for those who have better dogmanship skills than the average owner and know how to cohabit and bond with dogs favourably [ 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectations for dog ownership: Perceived physical, mental and psychosocial health consequences among prospective adopters

et al. 2018

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Dog ownership is popular worldwide, with most human-dog dyads forming successful attachment bonds. However, millions of dogs are surrendered to animal shelters annually, possibly due to mismatches between owner expectations and the realities of dog ownership. The aim of the current study was to explore the benefits and challenges people expect from dog ownership and how these expectations vary with previous ownership history. An Australian-wide sample of 3465 prospective adopters completed a self-administered online questionnaire about the physical, mental and psychosocial health benefits and challenges they associated with dog ownership. Among the potential benefits, respondents expected increased walking (89%), happiness (89%) and companionship (61%) and decreased stress (74%) and loneliness (61%). Among the challenges, they expected increased responsibility (64%) and dog training (62%). Ownership history influenced respondents’ expectations, with previous/current dog owners having consistently greater odds of expecting benefits and reduced odds of expecting challenges than non-owners. A possible explanation is that previous/current dog owners’ exhibit bias when considering dog ownership by selectively recalling positive experiences from previous ownership. Our findings support the need for education of prospective dog owners to ensure their expectations align with the reality of ownership, based on current scientific evidence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectations for dog ownership: Perceived physical, mental and psychosocial health consequences among prospective adopters

et al. 2018

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“…1. appreciation that dogs are sentient beings with feelings and needs, 2. understanding that their own behaviour can have an impact both on their own safety and overall dog welfare, 3. the ability to think critically and select information based on welfare, rejecting conflicting information from peers and media, 4. understanding that a dog is a lifetime commitment, not a disposable commodity, 5.…”

Section: Competing Interestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Workshop-based education programmes for school age children are suggested to be a vital part of the solution to improving canine welfare, enabling learners to gain better understanding of dogs and behaving more appropriately around them [3]. The potential of influencing knowledge and behaviours around animal welfare issues in the next generation means that animal welfare charities commit considerable investment into these programmes, although animal welfare-related education is still often overlooked by governments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education as a tool for improving canine welfare: Evaluating the effect of an education workshop on attitudes to responsible dog ownership and canine welfare in a sample of Key Stage 2 children in the United Kingdom

et al. 2020

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One of the core objectives of many animal-welfare organisations is to achieve improvements in=animal welfare through school education programmes. However, whilst many charities and organisations develop and deliver these educational activities, impact relating to specific animal welfare attitudes and behaviours remains largely undescribed. This study evaluated the effects of an hour-long dog welfare workshop delivered to children aged 7-11, evaluating 2732 learners in state primary schools across the UK. Two types of workshop were evaluated; "Be Dog Smart" (BDS) and "Responsible Dog Ownership" (RDO). This study assessed short-term impact on attitude outcomes, as a first step in developing a full education monitoring and evaluation framework. Learners within each class were randomly assigned to two groups; one completing an attitude-based questionnaire before (control) and the other after the workshop (treatment). Dog ownership status, age, gender, and social deprivation (measured as access to free school meals) were collected for all participants. Questionnaire scores were compared between treatment and control groups. Mean scores were significantly different (BDS p<0.001; Cohen's D 0.65; RDO p<0.001; Cohen's D 0.51) between control (BDS 13.57 ± 3.15; RDO 22.97 ± 4.78) and treatment groups (BDS 15.61 ± 3.10; RDO 25.47 ± 5.06) for both workshops, suggesting workshops effectively convey key messages and improve learner attitudes concerning dogs. Gender, age and social deprivation were found to significantly influence questionnaire responses. These findings contribute to a broader effort to improve canine welfare via childhood education while also demonstrating the feasibility of effective monitoring and evaluation during operational delivery of a schools workshop programme. Ongoing impact assessment is important in ensuring successful development, delivery and refinement of educational programmes to maximise the probabilty of positive changes in participants. Further work is needed to evaluate longer term impact, and ensure that desired influences on human behaviour change, and animal welfare, are achieved.

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“…Handler stress can also influence dogs' search performance (85,86), and working with an unfamiliar handler can be stressful for dogs leading to reduced search accuracy (87). Other characteristics related to the experience and skill of the handler, such as timing of reinforcement delivery, consistency in their interaction with the dog, and training methods will also be critical to the efficiency of training and ultimately the success of the dog, though research in this area is lacking (88). Future studies are needed to identify the attributed of effective handlers and optimal methods for their selection and education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selecting Dogs for Explosives Detection: Behavioral Characteristics

et al. 2020

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Detection dogs are widely considered the most effective and adaptive method for explosives detection. Increases in emerging sophisticated threats are accelerating the demand for highly capable explosives detection, causing a strain on available supplies of quality canines worldwide. These strains are further compounded by rigorous behavioral standards required to meet mission-specific capabilities, leading to high rates of dogs disqualified from training or deployment. Ample research has explored the behavioral characteristics important for assistance, guide, and other traditional working roles, while those corresponding to more specialized tasks such as detection of explosives are not as well-understood. In this review we aim to identify the behavioral characteristics important for operational tasks of explosives detection dogs, contrasting with that of other working roles and highlighting key differences between explosives and other types of detection dogs. Further, we review the available research on methods for assessing and selecting candidate detection dogs and make recommendations for future directions and applications to the industry. Improvements and standardization in assessment technology allowing for the identification and enhancement of behavioral characteristics will be key to advancing canine detection technology in general.

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Defining and measuring dogmanship: A new multidisciplinary science to improve understanding of human–dog interactions

Cited by 17 publications

References 33 publications

Expectations for dog ownership: Perceived physical, mental and psychosocial health consequences among prospective adopters

Expectations for dog ownership: Perceived physical, mental and psychosocial health consequences among prospective adopters

Education as a tool for improving canine welfare: Evaluating the effect of an education workshop on attitudes to responsible dog ownership and canine welfare in a sample of Key Stage 2 children in the United Kingdom

Selecting Dogs for Explosives Detection: Behavioral Characteristics

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