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Animal Behavior

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Effects of Phenotypic Characteristics on the Length of Stay of Dogs at Two No Kill Animal Shelters
In this review of dog populations at two no-kill shelters, researchers looked specifically at how physical traits of dogs, as well as their ages, might affect the length of time they stay at the shelter. Without accounting for any sort of "personality" traits, they found a strong relationship between the size of the dog and their length of stay (LOS), but found only tenuous links between the dog's coat color and their LOS, as well as the type of breed (including "fighting breeds") and their LOS. Researchers hope that their findings will help shelters tailor their adoption efforts to focus on getting LOS down for all dogs, concentrating first on those that might normally stay in the shelter the longest. READ MORE

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Food-Related Aggression in Shelter Dogs: A Comparison of Behavior Identified by a Behavior Evaluation in the Shelter…
Many shelters consider food aggression (FA+) a dangerous behavior and will either adopt such dogs out with restrictive conditions, or consider them not appropriate for adoption and euthanize them. A 2013 study from Boston asks us to rethink conventional wisdom. In a sample of 97 dogs studied three months after adoption, researchers found that only 55% of dogs who were food aggressive (FA+) in the shelter displayed similar behavior at home. Of the dogs that were FA+ after adoption, almost all (93%) of them displayed the behavior rarely and only 18% displayed more aggressive behavior such as lunges or bites. READ MORE

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Jealousy in Dogs
This study tested whether dogs displayed jealous behaviors when their human companions attended to three different objects, including a stuffed dog. The dogs did display more aggression towards the stuffed dog than towards other objects, and more actively tried to divert their human's attention to themselves. This suggests that dogs experience jealousy, and that previous assumptions about the origin and nature of human jealousy may be inaccurate. READ MORE

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Understanding Vocalization Might Help to Assess Stressful Conditions in Piglets
In this study, the vocalizations of 22-week-old piglets were recorded while they were subjected to mild stress conditions of cold, pain, and hunger. The vocalizations were analyzed with computer software, and compared to recordings made when the piglets were not stressed. The vocalizations under each condition were distinct in the computer analysis, but only the pain vocalizations could be identified by the unaided human ear. READ MORE

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An Owner Survey of Toys, Activities, and Behavior Problems in Indoor Cats
This study surveyed veterinary clients on cat behavior problems, cat toy availability, and the frequency and duration of human-cat play sessions. No correlation was found between behavior problems and spay/neuter status, declaw status, frequency of play, or number of toys. Humans reported more behavior problems with cats who hunted or went outdoors, and fewer problems when they played at least 5 minutes per session with their cats. Inappropriate urination was twice as likely to be reported in male cats as in females. Specific behavior issues correlated with use of specific toys. READ MORE

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Social Housing Improves Dairy Calves’ Performance in Two Cognitive Tests
In this study, newborn Holstein calves were separated from their mothers shortly after birth and isolated in a pen for four days. Half of the calves continued in solitary housing, while the other half shared a pen with another calf. Calves were tested for ability to change tactics when a situation changed at four weeks, and to habituate to a new situation at seven weeks. Solitary-housed calves were slower to adjust to a change in the first test, and never got acclimated to a new object in the second test, suggesting that housing without social contact negatively impacted their cognitive development. READ MORE

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Severity of Killer Whale Behavioral Responses to Ship Noise: A Dose–Response Study
This literature review analyzed data from previous orca studies to determine the impacts of noise from large shipping vessels upon respiration, speed, directness, deviation, and surface-active behavior. The whales showed moderate reactions to moderate noise. If reactions increase with noise levels, ability to hunt may be impaired in these animals who are already at risk from other anthropogenic causes. Further research is needed in this area. READ MORE
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