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The effect of age on visuo-spatial short-term memory in family dogs
| Contributor(s):: Patrizia Piotti, Dóra Szabó, Lisa Wallis, Zsófia Bognár, Bianka Stiegmann, Anna Egerer, Pauline Marty, Enikő Kubinyi
Decline in the visuo-spatial memory domain may be an early marker for cognitive decline and has a relevant impact on animal welfare. Current research on visuo-spatial memory in family dogs is often limited by factors such as the need of extensive pre-training, limited attention to co-occurring...
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An Evaluation of Respondent Conditioning Procedures to Decrease Barking in an Animal Shelter
| Contributor(s):: Steven Wade Payne, Kian S Assemi
A common problem behavior in animal shelters is excessive noise from barking, which can regularly exceed 100dBs. Noise levels in animal shelters are correlated with increased stress in dogs, which may lead to increased problem behavior and a decrease in adoption. The purpose of the...
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Comparing trainers' reports of clicker use to the use of clickers in applied research studies: methodological differences may explain conflicting results
| Contributor(s):: Lynna C Feng, Tiffani J Howell, Pauleen C Bennett
Clicker training refers to an animal training technique, derived from laboratory-based studies of animal learning and behaviour, in which a reward-predicting signal is delivered immediately following performance of a desired behaviour, and is subsequently followed by a reward. While clicker...
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Predictors of proximity to others in colony housed shelter cats (Felis silvestris catus)
| Contributor(s):: Malini Suchak, Michael Piombino, Kalina Bracco
Colony housing of cats allows shelters to maximize the number of cats housed in limited space. Most research on colony-housed cats examines stress in relation to group size or enclosure size. While this is important for evaluating welfare, it is equally important to understand how cats...
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Conditions for pets to prevent depression in older adults
| Contributor(s):: Cheung, C. K., Kam, P. K.
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Pets in Voluntary Household Quarantine
| Contributor(s):: J. Scott Weese, Stephen A. Kruth
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Cats and owners interact more with each other after a longer duration of separation
| Contributor(s):: Matilda Eriksson, Linda J. Keeling, Therese Rehn
Little is known about the cat’s (Felis silvestris catus) need for human contact, although it is generally believed that cats are more independent pets than e.g. dogs. In this study, we investigated the effect of time left alone at home on cat behaviour (e.g. social and distress-related)...
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Childhood Attachment to Pets: Associations between Pet Attachment, Attitudes to Animals, Compassion, and Humane Behaviour
| Contributor(s):: Roxanne D Hawkins, Joanne M Williams, Scottish SPCA
Attachment to pets has an important role in children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, mental health, well-being, and quality of life. This study examined associations between childhood attachment to pets and caring and friendship behaviour, compassion, and attitudes towards...
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Psychosocial Impact of Pet Keeping on Schoolchildren in China
| Contributor(s):: Yanxia Song, Toshiya Hirose, Naoko Koda
Studies in Western countries have demonstrated the benefits of pets for humans. However, there are not many studies on human-pet relationships in different cultures and societies; for example, few in Asia. This questionnaire survey demonstrated that attachment to pets benefits the psychosocial...
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Interpersonal and Pet Attachment, Empathy toward Animals, and Anthropomorphism: An Investigation of Pet Owners in Romania
| Contributor(s):: Alina Simona Rusu, Carmen Costea-Barlutiu, Dennis C. Turner
The current study investigates the associations between interpersonal and pet attachment (anxiety and avoidance dimensions), empathy toward animals, and anthropomorphism in the Romanian cultural context, where problems regarding the effectiveness of pet management programs are still being...
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Paws for Thought: The Importance of Dogs in a Seniors Social Intervention
| Contributor(s):: Elisa Maria Concetta Papotto, Jessica Lee Oliva Dr
As Australia faces an aging population with an unprecedented life expectancy, it is the community’s obligation to ensure seniors are offered resources to support their well-being. Studies investigating loneliness in aged-care facilities attest to the therapeutic properties of dogs for...
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An Animal-Assisted Intervention Study in the Nursing Home: Lessons Learned
| Contributor(s):: Lonneke G. J. A. Schuurmans, Inge Noback, Jos M. G. A. Schols, Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers
AAI studies in the nursing home pose a specific set of challenges. In this article the practical and ethical issues encountered during a Dutch psychogeriatric nursing home AAI study are addressed with the aim of sharing our experiences for future researchers as well as AAI practitioners in...
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Evaluating the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) to Assess the Bond between Dogs and Humans
| Contributor(s):: Therese Rehn, Ragen T. S. McGowan, Linda J. Keeling
The Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) is increasingly being used to study attachment between dogs and humans. It has been developed from the Ainsworth Strange Situation Procedure, which is used extensively to investigate attachment between children and their parents. In this experiment, 12...
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Brain regions involved in observing and trying to interpret dog behaviour
| Contributor(s):: Charlotte Desmet, Alko van der Wiel, Marcel Brass
Humans and dogs have interacted for millennia. As a result, humans (and especially dog owners) sometimes try to interpret dog behaviour. While there is extensive research on the brain regions that are involved in mentalizing about other peoples’ behaviour, surprisingly little is known of...
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Dog attachment and perceived social support in overweight/obese and healthy weight children
| Contributor(s):: Deborah E. Linder, Jennifer M. Sacheck, Farzad Noubary, Miriam E. Nelson, Lisa M. Freeman
The development of effective and sustainable interventions to treat childhood obesity remains both a priority and a challenge. Previous studies support that dogs provide social support in overweight adults in obesity interventions, but the child-dog relationship is not as well understood. The...
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The existence of parenting styles in the owner-dog relationship
| Contributor(s):: Ineke R. van Herwijnen, Joanne A. M. van der Borg, Marc Naguib, Bonne Beerda
Parents interact with children following specific styles, known to influence child development. These styles represent variations in the dimensions of demandingness and responsiveness, resulting in authoritarian, authoritative, permissive or uninvolved parenting. Given the similarities in the...
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Transformative Relationships: Humans and Animals
| Contributor(s):: Clarke, P. N.
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Pets enhance antidepressant pharmacotherapy effects in patients with treatment resistant major depressive disorder
| Contributor(s):: Mota Pereira, J., Fonte, D.
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Observing Live Fish Improves Perceptions of Mood, Relaxation and Anxiety, But Does Not Consistently Alter Heart Rate or Heart Rate Variability
| Contributor(s):: Gee, N. R., Reed, T., Whiting, A., Friedmann, E., Snellgrove, D., Sloman, K. A.
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The Impact of a Care Recipient's Pet on the Instrumental Caregiving Experience
| Contributor(s):: Bibbo, J., Proulx, C. M.
