November 2, 2004

What is welfare?

A variety of measures are used judge the welfare, or ‘quality of life’, of captive animals, although in kennels, the welfare of a dog may be judged differently depending on the observer’s perspective. Veterinarians usually focus on the physical state of the dog, kennel managers are often concerned about emotional states and members of the public comment that welfare is poor in dogs that are deprived the opportunity to live a ‘natural dog life’. However, unless dogs are not receiving adequate shelter, food and water, many animal welfare laws do not take these different perspectives into account. Fraser, Weary & Pajor (1997) have summarized these different approaches to animal welfare assessment, or ‘ethical concerns’, in the following framework

Biological health is often prioritized in kennels, whereas emotional well-being is frequently neglected. This is because, in part, emotions cannot be measured directly in animals and thus many researchers have believed that emotional health is not relevant to animal suffering as it is in humans. However, because emotions are likely to have important survival value in animals (such as dogs), as they do in humans, most animal-welfare scientists now assume that animals are capable of experiencing emotional states.

How can emotional distress be assessed?

Anxiety, fear, frustration and depression are the most common emotional problems in kennels. These emotions cannot be measured directly; however, behavioural and physiological changes that occur in response to stressful events may provide some valuable insights into when dogs are in distress.

Physiological indicators of distress include an increased supply of oxygen to the muscles (respiration rate, heart rate and blood pressure increase), and the conversion of stored energy, indicated by an increase in cortisol. Compared with normal baseline levels, cortisol remains elevated in most kennelled dogs for at least one month after admittance into kennels.

Behavioural indicators of distress vary depending on the emotional state. Signs of fear and anxiety are prevalent in the short term and gradually diminish throughout the kennel period, whereas signs of frustration and depression increase over time. Almost two thirds of dogs entering shelters display at least one of these signs within the first two weeks in kennels.

Anxiety: the dog will stop normal behaviours (social behaviour, eating etc) and attempt to either attract attention (barking) or avoid it (adoption of a vigilant posture as it appraises its surroundings (pupils dilate, ears prick, remains still).

Fear: the dog may fight (defensive aggression), flight (attempts to escape) or freeze (attempts to hide, huddling, trembling).

Frustration: the dog may make repeated attempts to gain access to engaging stimuli. Thwarted attempts to engage in important behaviours often results in the display of displacement behaviour and stereotypies (repetitive, apparently functionless behaviours such as pacing, circling, jumping up the walls etc).

Depression: the dog may eventually learn that its attempts to cope with the kennel environment are futile, in which case the dog becomes listless and unresponsive to its environment.

Can we predict which dogs will become stressed in kennels?

Preliminary results from a study carried out at shelters in the UK suggest that the behaviour of dogs soon after admittance to a kennel corresponds with whether they display specific behavioural signs of stress in kennels two weeks later.

For example, dogs that appeared anxious (excessive panting) when a stranger entered their kennel were more likely than dogs that did not display this behaviour to be anxious or depressed (panting excessively and listless) two weeks later.

Dogs that displayed excitement (jumping up and whining) towards the person in their kennel appeared frustrated (stereotypies) two weeks later.

Dogs that attempted to escape from the kennel on day 2 (jumping up at the kennel door) had become fixated with the door (repetitive chewing at the kennel door bars), also appearing frustrated two weeks later.

How can welfare be managed?

A combination of scientific studies and anecdotal reports suggest that the welfare of kennelled dogs can be improved through careful management:

To reduce anxiety and fear
Make the environment predictable (provide a routine)
Keep noise levels low
Avoid using aversive training methods and equipment
Use non-aversive personality tests
Consider the use of anti-anxiety drugs where appropriate

To reduce frustration and depression
Provide the dog with options in its environment (e.g. to gain access to or avoid situations)
Provide opportunities to fulfil behavioural needs (e.g. to interact socially with other dogs and people, to go for walks etc)
The potential benefits include improvements in dog welfare and re-homing success and a reduced incidence of disease and subsequent veterinary costs.

Recommendations

Make emotional well-being part of your welfare aims.

Learn about the behavioural indicators of suffering and teach your staff to spot them.

Monitor the dogs in your care and address signs of distress quickly.



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			November 2, 2004
	DR. Rebecca Ledger
	Animal Welfare Program University of British Columbia				Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals BC-SPCA

				Dr. Rebecca Ledger & Pips, her Springer Spaniel
		Assessing the welfare of kennelled dogs: Biological functioning, natural living and affective states
		Talk presented at University of Texas Psychology Department by Rebecca Ledger, Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia , 2^nd November 2004
	What is welfare? A variety of measures are used judge the welfare, or ‘quality of life’, of captive animals, although in kennels, the welfare of a dog may be judged differently depending on the observer’s perspective. Veterinarians usually focus on the physical state of the dog, kennel managers are often concerned about emotional states and members of the public comment that welfare is poor in dogs that are deprived the opportunity to live a ‘natural dog life’. However, unless dogs are not receiving adequate shelter, food and water, many animal welfare laws do not take these different perspectives into account. Fraser, Weary & Pajor (1997) have summarized these different approaches to animal welfare assessment, or ‘ethical concerns’, in the following framework Biological functioning: physical health, growth, reproduction; Affective states: Fear, anxiety, frustration, pain, hunger and thirst; Natural living: a lifestyle that approximates natural living conditions and the fulfilment of behavioural needs) Biological health is often prioritized in kennels, whereas emotional well-being is frequently neglected. This is because, in part, emotions cannot be measured directly in animals and thus many researchers have believed that emotional health is not relevant to animal suffering as it is in humans. However, because emotions are likely to have important survival value in animals (such as dogs), as they do in humans, most animal-welfare scientists now assume that animals are capable of experiencing emotional states. How can emotional distress be assessed? Anxiety, fear, frustration and depression are the most common emotional problems in kennels. These emotions cannot be measured directly; however, behavioural and physiological changes that occur in response to stressful events may provide some valuable insights into when dogs are in distress. Physiological indicators of distress include an increased supply of oxygen to the muscles (respiration rate, heart rate and blood pressure increase), and the conversion of stored energy, indicated by an increase in cortisol. Compared with normal baseline levels, cortisol remains elevated in most kennelled dogs for at least one month after admittance into kennels. Behavioural indicators of distress vary depending on the emotional state. Signs of fear and anxiety are prevalent in the short term and gradually diminish throughout the kennel period, whereas signs of frustration and depression increase over time. Almost two thirds of dogs entering shelters display at least one of these signs within the first two weeks in kennels. Anxiety: the dog will stop normal behaviours (social behaviour, eating etc) and attempt to either attract attention (barking) or avoid it (adoption of a vigilant posture as it appraises its surroundings (pupils dilate, ears prick, remains still). Fear: the dog may fight (defensive aggression), flight (attempts to escape) or freeze (attempts to hide, huddling, trembling). Frustration: the dog may make repeated attempts to gain access to engaging stimuli. Thwarted attempts to engage in important behaviours often results in the display of displacement behaviour and stereotypies (repetitive, apparently functionless behaviours such as pacing, circling, jumping up the walls etc). Depression: the dog may eventually learn that its attempts to cope with the kennel environment are futile, in which case the dog becomes listless and unresponsive to its environment. Can we predict which dogs will become stressed in kennels? Preliminary results from a study carried out at shelters in the UK suggest that the behaviour of dogs soon after admittance to a kennel corresponds with whether they display specific behavioural signs of stress in kennels two weeks later. For example, dogs that appeared anxious (excessive panting) when a stranger entered their kennel were more likely than dogs that did not display this behaviour to be anxious or depressed (panting excessively and listless) two weeks later. Dogs that displayed excitement (jumping up and whining) towards the person in their kennel appeared frustrated (stereotypies) two weeks later. Dogs that attempted to escape from the kennel on day 2 (jumping up at the kennel door) had become fixated with the door (repetitive chewing at the kennel door bars), also appearing frustrated two weeks later. How can welfare be managed? A combination of scientific studies and anecdotal reports suggest that the welfare of kennelled dogs can be improved through careful management: To reduce anxiety and fear Make the environment predictable (provide a routine) Keep noise levels low Avoid using aversive training methods and equipment Use non-aversive personality tests Consider the use of anti-anxiety drugs where appropriate To reduce frustration and depression Provide the dog with options in its environment (e.g. to gain access to or avoid situations) Provide opportunities to fulfil behavioural needs (e.g. to interact socially with other dogs and people, to go for walks etc) The potential benefits include improvements in dog welfare and re-homing success and a reduced incidence of disease and subsequent veterinary costs. Recommendations Make emotional well-being part of your welfare aims. Learn about the behavioural indicators of suffering and teach your staff to spot them. Monitor the dogs in your care and address signs of distress quickly.