Finding Out if Dogs Like Cats - Or Not

animal shelter cats dogs

Finding Out if Dogs Like Cats - Or Not

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A new study investigates the best way to find out if a dog will get on with cats.

When dogs are waiting for adoption at a shelter, a common question is “what is the dog like with cats?” But at the moment there’s no validated way to test dogs to see if they will be friendly to cats.

Some dogs become good friends with cats, but other dogs want to chase and kill them, so it would really help if shelters knew if a dog is cat-friendly.

Sometimes the person who surrenders a dog will provide information, but typically this isn’t available. So staff may walk the dog past one of the shelter cats to see how it responds. This is potentially very stressful for the cat, and we don’t know if the dog’s response is typical of how it would behave away from the shelter environment.

A new study by Dr. Christy Hoffman (Canisius College) et al sets out to investigate what a cat-friendliness assessment might look like. They tested pet dogs with a realistic-looking cat doll, recordings of cat sounds, and the smell of cat urine.

Lead author Dr. Christy Hoffman told me in an email,

“We had several cool findings. For one, dogs sniffed our control object (a stuffed pillowcase) more when it smelled like cat urine than when it did not; however, when our cat-like doll smelled like cat urine, the dogs did not invest any additional time into sniffing the cat doll than when it did not smell like cat urine. Our interpretation of what was going on in the dogs’ heads: “If it looks like a cat and smells like a cat, so what? If it doesn’t look like a cat but smells like one, that’s interesting!” To me, the finding suggests dogs perceived the cat-like doll as actually being cat-like. We thought that was interesting.

The other main finding was that dogs that had a history of killing/injuring cats or other small animals spent significantly more time orienting to the cat sounds than dogs that did not have such a history. While we did not develop a shelter-based assessment tool that could predict which dogs are cat-appropriate as part of our study, we think the findings could contribute to the development of such a tool.”

69 pet dogs of a variety of breeds and mixed-breeds took part in the study, which took place in a lab at Canisius College. 54 of the dogs happened to live with a cat.

The study separated visual, auditory and olfactory information. The visual cat stimulus was an animatronic Persian cat doll manufactured by Hasbro. A control visual stimulus was made by sticking eyes on a pillow case and putting a motorized ball inside (so it still had eyes and moved, but was not cat-like).

The auditory stimulus was a recording of cats miaowing, with a couple of growls too. The control was the sound of coins dropping.

Half of the dogs took part in the olfactory condition in which the items smelled of cat urine, and the other half had no odour added.

Photos: TN Photographer; top, shubbel (both Shutterstock.com)

The dogs were video-taped to see how they responded to the inanimate cat toy vs control, the animated cat toy vs the animated control, and the cat sounds vs the coin sounds. The videos were analysed to see how much time each dog spent looking towards, focussing on and sniffing each stimulus.

The dogs spent the same amount of time orienting to the cat stimulus, whether it was animated or inanimate. For the control visual stimulus, they spent longer orienting to it when it was animated (i.e. the balls were moving inside the pillow case).

Dogs spent longer orienting to the cat sound compared to the control sound or the visual cat stimulus. They also spent more time orienting to the visual cat stimulus than the visual control, and to the control sound than the visual control.

In other words, they were prioritizing the auditory information over visual, and they were most interested in the cat sounds.

Dogs sniffed the cat doll more than the pillow case, whether or not they were in the olfactory condition in which both items smelled of cat pee. So this suggests they did find the cat doll to be cat-like, in much the same way dogs seem to find stuffed dogs dog-like.

Whether or not the dog lived with a cat did not significantly affect the results.

However, 4 of the dogs had previously killed or injured a cat, and 14 had previously killed or injured a small furry animal. So the researchers looked to see if there were any differences in behaviour between these dogs and those with no such history.

They found the dogs with a history of killing/injuring a cat or other small furry creature spent longer orienting to the cat sounds than the other dogs. There was no effect for visual or olfactory information. This suggests that a test based on cat sounds might be a good way to separate out the dogs that would not be safe with cats.

Future research on olfaction could use scent collected from cats’ scent glands (e.g. when the cat rubs on something) instead of urine, which might be more realistic.

Developing assessments for shelter dogs is difficult. This study takes the first steps in finding out how to evaluate dogs to see if they get on with cats, without stressing any cats in the process. The results suggest focussing on auditory information could be a good way to find out.

This is important research because a validated test to see if dogs are feline-friendly would be very useful for animal shelters.

How does your dog get on with cats?


Reference
Hoffman, C., Workman, M., Roberts, N., & Handley, S. (2017). Dogs’ responses to visual, auditory, and olfactory cat-related cues Applied Animal Behaviour Science DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.12.016

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Shelter Dogs Live Up To Expectations (Mostly)

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Shelter Dogs Live Up To Expectations (Mostly)

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Testing behaviour in the shelter is tricky, but most people who adopt a dog would do so again. 

Animal shelters often assess the behaviour of dogs before rehoming them, but because the tests are not always scientifically validated, Mornement et al (2014) developed the B.A.R.K. protocol. Results of the B.A.R.K. on 74 shelter dogs successfully predicted in-home ratings for fear and friendliness after the dogs had been adopted, but not anxiety, activity level or compliance. A follow-up paper by Kate Mornement (Monash University; Pets Behaving Badly) et al takes a closer look at how the shelter assessment compares to new owners’ ratings about four months after adoption.

First, the good news. All the new owners said their dog was part of the family, 96% said their new dog adapted to their home well or very well, and 71% said the dog met their expectations. Most dogs were friendly to visitors, and the most common occurrence of most behaviour problems was “never”, including fear of strangers, escaping, food guarding and resource guarding.

But the dogs weren’t perfect, because 72% of owners said there was a behaviour they would like to change – most commonly destructive behaviour, fear, barking too much and pulling on leash.

The B.A.R.K. was tested to see how well it matched up to behaviours in the home. The list of potential behaviour issues was grouped into three using a statistical technique called principal component analysis. The B.A.R.K. predicted results on one of these - fearful behaviour and inappropriate toileting – but it did not predict problem behaviour or aggression. 

In fact, 24% said their new dog had shown aggression, defined as growling, snapping or trying to bite a person (16% “rarely”, 7% “sometimes” and 1% “often”). This is surprising because none of the dogs had been aggressive at the shelter (if they had, they wouldn’t have been deemed adoptable). 

One possibility, say the scientists, is that aggression is not as fixed as other behavioural traits (e.g. fear) and is difficult to assess because it does not occur very often. Another possibility is that dogs suppress aggressive behaviours in the shelter because of the stressful environment.

But it’s also possible the general public is less aware of canine behaviour and body language, and so behaves differently than shelter staff and volunteers. 39% of the new owners had done no research on dog ownership/behaviour before getting the dog. The scientists suggest shelters engage in educational activities and post-adoption support, including a “shelter dog manual” for adopters.

Companionship was the main reason for adopting a dog, either as a companion for themselves (51%), for another dog (16%) or for a child (10%). The death of a previous dog (11%) or exercise (4%) were other reasons given. 

61% chose to adopt from a shelter “to rescue a dog/save a life” (61%); 15% wanted an adult dog and 11% don’t like pet shops. The factors that went into a decision included the dog needing a home (88%), the dog’s behaviour (88%), personality (88%) and size (82%). The type of coat and appearance were important for some people but not others.  

Most people said they would adopt from a shelter again (76%) and found the process positive (70%). 
  

“If people are considering adopting a dog they need to research the type of dog that would best fit their lifestyle,” says Dr. Mornement. “For example, a couch potato shouldn’t adopt a working breed because they’re unlikely to meet the dog’s needs for exercise and mental stimulation.

“Other things potential adopters should consider are how much time they have for their dog (to provide companionship, exercise and training), whether they’re prepared to groom their dog, will they take their dog to training or sport dog activities. 

“Shelters can help adopters to make the right choice when choosing their dog by making a good match between adopter and dog and ensuring adopter’s expectations are realistic. Providing post adoption obedience classes and/or phone support to overcome any issues can help support successful adoptions.”

The authors suggest further research to investigate if dogs that are fostered, rather than kept in kennels, have fewer behaviour problems in new homes, and if assessments work better in this setting. 

This important study highlights the issues of assessing dog behaviour, and the difficulties of conducting research in shelters where time and money are in short supply. Mornement et al conclude by saying, “A holistic approach including assessment of behaviour pre-shelter, in-shelter and post-shelter, together with stress-reducing enrichment and rehabilitation training may assist to provide a more complete picture of canine behaviour and adoptability.”

How does your dog compare to your initial expectations?

This article was nominated in the 2016 Dog Writer's Association of America Annual Writing Competition in the category Article or Blog - Rescue.

References

Mornement, K., Coleman, G., Toukhsati, S., & Bennett, P. (2015). Evaluation of the predictive validity of the Behavioural Assessment for Re-homing K9's (B.A.R.K.) protocol and owner satisfaction with adopted dogs Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 167, 35-42 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.03.013
Mornement, K., Coleman, G., Toukhsati, S., & Bennett, P. (2014). Development of the behavioural assessment for re-homing K9's (B.A.R.K.) protocol Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 151, 75-83 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.11.008
Photo: Julia Siomuha (Shutterstock.com)

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How Audiobooks Can Help Shelter Dogs

animal shelter dogs music reading stress

How Audiobooks Can Help Shelter Dogs

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New research shows listening to audiobooks can help dogs waiting for adoption.

Imagine how it must feel to be a dog at a shelter, taken from your normal environment for reasons you don’t understand, with unfamiliar smells and noises, including other dogs barking. Could the sounds of music or a person reading help? A new study by Clarissa Brayley and Tamara Montrose (Hartpury Animal Behaviour College) tests audiobooks and music to see if they calm the dogs, and finds beneficial results from audiobooks.

The study compared an audiobook – specifically Michael York reading C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – to classical music (The Best of Beethoven), pop music (Now 88), specially-designed dog music (Through a Dog’s Ear), and a control condition of no added sound.

“Shelters frequently are stressful environments for dogs,” says Dr. Tamara Montrose, “and any reduction of this stress is beneficial for their welfare. In our study we found that audio-books enhanced resting behaviours in dogs which is suggestive of reduced stress. Dogs are highly social animals who value human contact. We believe that audio-books approximate human interaction for these kennelled dogs and that they benefit from the illusion of company and comfort provided by the audio-books.” 

“Besides these beneficial direct effects on dog welfare, audio-books could also indirectly help dogs in shelters. By reducing the dogs’ stress this may help reduce behaviours such as excessive barking or activity which can impact upon rehoming and so audio-books may potentially help encourage adoption of these dogs.”

31 dogs took part at the Blue Cross Burford rehoming center in Oxfordshire, UK. They were aged from 9 months to 13 years, and had been at the shelter for 51 days on average. All the dogs took part in all of the conditions. 

Regular kennel life continued during the experiment: the dogs spent time outside in the morning (while their kennel was cleaned) and for an hour in the afternoon, had a walk each day, and were fed two or three times a day (depending on the dog). 

The music or audiobook was played for two hours during a quiet time in the morning. Video cameras were set up to monitor the dogs’ behaviour, which was sampled every 5 minutes.

The dogs rested or slept more when the audiobook was playing compared to the other conditions, and spent less time sitting or standing. In fact they were resting or sleeping 15 times (out of 24) during the audiobook, compared to an average of 7.7 during the pop music.

Dogs barked less during the audiobook compared to music. Howling, growling and whining were less during the audiobook compared to pop music and the control. The dogs also walked about less during the audiobook compared to pop music, special dog music and the control.

During the classical music, dogs walked about less and vocalized less, but it was not as good for welfare as the audiobook. Earlier studies have found some benefits from classical music being played in kennels (e.g. Kogan et al 2012) so it’s interesting the audiobook did much better here. 

Some shelters have programs in which volunteers read books to dogs. Playing an audiobook could be a good alternative when volunteers aren’t available. The dogs have probably not heard audiobooks before, and the researchers say the narrative delivery is likely to be more interesting than regular conversation. So although dogs don't appreciate the fine writing and the plot, they do enjoy the engaging human voice.

Further research is needed with more examples of each genre, so we know the results pertain to audiobooks in general. It would be interesting to know if dogs prefer the same book repeated over time, or like new books to listen to. Maybe it would also work for shelter cats. 

This is a very promising study because it suggests a low-cost way to reduce stress in shelter dogs. 

Does your dog like audiobooks?

Reference

Brayley, C., & Montrose, V. (2016). The effects of audiobooks on the behaviour of dogs at a rehoming kennels Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 174, 111-115 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.11.008
Photo: Janis Maleckis (shutterstock.com)

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