Enhancing the Selection and Performance of Working Dogs

Abstract

Dogs perform a variety of integral roles in our society, engaging in work ranging from assistance (e.g., service dogs, guide dogs) and therapy to detection (e.g., search-and-rescue dogs, explosive detection dogs) and protection (e.g., military and law enforcement dogs). However, success in these roles, which requires dogs to meet challenging behavioral criteria and to undergo extensive training, is far from guaranteed. Therefore, enhancing the selection process is critical for the effectiveness and efficiency of working dog programs and has the potential to optimize how resources are invested in these programs, increase the number of available working dogs, and improve working dog welfare. In this paper, we review two main approaches for achieving this goal: (1) developing selection tests and criteria that can efficiently and effectively identify ideal candidates from the overall pool of candidate dogs, and (2) developing approaches to enhance performance, both at the individual and population level, via improvements in rearing, training, and breeding. We summarize key findings from the empirical literature regarding best practices for assessing, selecting, and improving working dogs, and conclude with future steps and recommendations for working dog organizations, breeders, trainers, and researchers.

Domestication Explains Two-Thirds of Differential-Gene-Expression Variance between Domestic and Wild Animals; The Remaining One-Third Reflects Intraspecific and Interspecific Variation

“…The practical value of Belyaev’s concept has been realized in a huge collection of commercial fur colors—e.g., “Amber-gold pastel,” “Ashen,” “Beige,” “Black crystal,” “Cobalt,” “Ermine-like,” “Peach,” ““Pearl,” Platinum,” “Purple,” “Silver sable-like,” “Steel-blue,” and “Straw,”—rarely or never seen in the wild [ 6 ]. The concept’s fundamental importance has found confirmation in a large variety of breeds of dogs [ 7 ], cats [ 8 ], pigs [ 9 ], cows [ 10 ], horses [ 11 ], sheep [ 12 ], goats [ 13 ], chickens [ 14 ], ducks [ 15 ], geese [ 16 ], and other domestic animals [ 17 ] as well as in artificial shelters and additional feeding for wild animals in wildlife for saving them [ 18 ]. On the basis of Belyaev’s concept [ 1 ], a laboratory model of animal domestication by humans has been created using outbred lines of tame and aggressive rats artificially bred [ 19 ] for performance on a standard glove test [ 20 ].…”

Working Dog Training for the Twenty-First Century

“…Working dogs are trained to complete a myriad of tasks for service, assistance, detection, and protection work with much success. And yet not all working dogs that enter training programs are successful ( 235 ), leading to high costs and limited availability of working dogs. Optimizing training efficiency represents one way to increase the probability that a dog will be successful.…”

The Animal Welfare Science of Working Dogs: Current Perspectives on Recent Advances and Future Directions

“…Behavioral issues are a major contributing factor to the high failure rates in working dog programs (8). Reducing behavioral wastage (the proportion of dogs bred or recruited to train that do not reach operational status due to their behavior) by improved assessment and tailored support for dogs will bring welfare benefits (122). Research considering the behavior of working dogs over the past decade has largely focused on tests to improve the selection and performance of working dogs, with the aim of increasing program success rates, currently reported to be ∼50% across different working dog sectors (3,7).…”

“…Research considering the behavior of working dogs over the past decade has largely focused on tests to improve the selection and performance of working dogs, with the aim of increasing program success rates, currently reported to be ∼50% across different working dog sectors (3,7). This focus on behavior has included assessment of behavioral characteristics considered predictive of suitability to work (122,123); the genetics of working dog behavior (124); maternal care in working dog breeding programs (125); and development and testing of cognitive skills [ (126,127)]. The use of technologies to capture and support behavioral observations such as activity monitoring and bio-metric sensors, in conjunction with algorithms (e.g., machine learning) to process large data sets are also being deployed with the goal of enhanced screening of working dogs (128).…”