Environmental Effects on Compulsive Tail Chasing in Dogs

Tiira, Katriina; Hakosalo, Osmo; Kareinen, Lauri; Thomas, Anne; Hielm‐Björkman, Anna; Escriou, Catherine; Arnold, Paul; Lohi, Hannes

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041684

Cited by 59 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 66 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is associated with neutering, and is influenced by environmental factors such as deficiencies in maternal care and micronutrients [20]. Similarly, snapping at flies (which may or not be present) is commonly compulsive and possibly stereotypic [15].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dog Behavior Co-Varies with Height, Bodyweight and Skull Shape

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dogs offer unique opportunities to study correlations between morphology and behavior because skull shapes and body shape are so diverse among breeds. Several studies have shown relationships between canine cephalic index (CI: the ratio of skull width to skull length) and neural architecture. Data on the CI of adult, show-quality dogs (six males and six females) were sourced in Australia along with existing data on the breeds' height, bodyweight and related to data on 36 behavioral traits of companion dogs (n = 8,301) of various common breeds (n = 49) collected internationally using the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). Stepwise backward elimination regressions revealed that, across the breeds, 33 behavioral traits all but one of which are undesirable in companion animals correlated with either height alone (n = 14), bodyweight alone (n = 5), CI alone (n = 3), bodyweight-and-skull shape combined (n = 2), height-and-skull shape combined (n = 3) or height-and-bodyweight combined (n = 6). For example, breed average height showed strongly significant inverse relationships (p<0.001) with mounting persons or objects, touch sensitivity, urination when left alone, dog-directed fear, separation-related problems, non-social fear, defecation when left alone, owner-directed aggression, begging for food, urine marking and attachment/attention-seeking, while bodyweight showed strongly significant inverse relationships (p<0.001) with excitability and being reported as hyperactive. Apart from trainability, all regression coefficients with height were negative indicating that, across the breeds, behavior becomes more problematic as height decreases. Allogrooming increased strongly (p<0.001) with CI and inversely with height. CI alone showed a strong significant positive relationship with self-grooming (p<0.001) but a negative relationship with chasing (p = 0.020). The current study demonstrates how aspects of CI (and therefore brain shape), bodyweight and height co-vary with behavior. The biological basis for, and significance of, these associations remain to be determined.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dog Behavior Co-Varies with Height, Bodyweight and Skull Shape

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs), and copy number variants of candidate genes relating to androgen, serotonin, dopamine, and other systems already have been sequenced (e.g., Héjjas et al, 2007b;van den Berg et al, 2008;Konno et al, 2011; for a review, see Hall & Wynne, 2012). Specific genes have been identified either by candidate gene approach (Héjjas et al, 2007a;Takeuchi et al, 2009a;Våge et al, 2010) or by genome-wide association studies (GWAS; Dodman et al, 2010;Tiira et al, 2012). Both methods look for association between genetic polymorphisms and a phenotype.…”

Section: Gene-behaviour Associationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Personality of Dogs

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…, 2011; Parker et al, 2010; Schoenebeck and Ostrander, 2014) and even behavior (Dodman et al . , 2010; Tiira et al . , 2012; Våge et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole genome sequence, SNP chips and pedigree structure: building demographic profiles in domestic dog breeds to optimize genetic trait mapping

Dreger

Rimbault

Davis

et al. 2016

Disease Models &Amp; Mechanisms

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the decade following publication of the draft genome sequence of the domestic dog, extraordinary advances with application to several fields have been credited to the canine genetic system. Taking advantage of closed breeding populations and the subsequent selection for aesthetic and behavioral characteristics, researchers have leveraged the dog as an effective natural model for the study of complex traits, such as disease susceptibility, behavior and morphology, generating unique contributions to human health and biology. When designing genetic studies using purebred dogs, it is essential to consider the unique demography of each population, including estimation of effective population size and timing of population bottlenecks. The analytical design approach for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and analysis of whole-genome sequence (WGS) experiments are inextricable from demographic data. We have performed a comprehensive study of genomic homozygosity, using high-depth WGS data for 90 individuals, and Illumina HD SNP data from 800 individuals representing 80 breeds. These data were coupled with extensive pedigree data analyses for 11 breeds that, together, allowed us to compute breed structure, demography, and molecular measures of genome diversity. Our comparative analyses characterize the extent, formation and implication of breed-specific diversity as it relates to population structure. These data demonstrate the relationship between breed-specific genome dynamics and population architecture, and provide important considerations influencing the technological and cohort design of association and other genomic studies.

show abstract

Environmental Effects on Compulsive Tail Chasing in Dogs

Cited by 59 publications

References 66 publications

Dog Behavior Co-Varies with Height, Bodyweight and Skull Shape

Dog Behavior Co-Varies with Height, Bodyweight and Skull Shape

The Personality of Dogs

Whole genome sequence, SNP chips and pedigree structure: building demographic profiles in domestic dog breeds to optimize genetic trait mapping

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About