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Hou, Cheng Yu

University of British Columbia

Activity-based environmental enrichment is known to benefit the welfare of shelter dogs, yet individual preferences remain understudied. This thesis aims to address the gap in measuring enrichment efficacy, investigate if preference tests can identify individual preferences for activity-based enrichment, and compare these findings to behavioural outcomes. I conducted two experimental procedures to assess shelter dogs’ behaviour: a preference test and a behavioural evaluation. In the preference test, six dogs were asked to repeatedly (3-4 trials/day) enter a T-maze, choosing between an off-leash play yard and an on-leash walking trail for 10 minutes each. Preference was assessed using a binomial distribution test against a 50% baseline (α = .05). To validate preferences and assess the dogs' ability to track contingencies, a control phase was introduced, where the preferred exit led to the kennel and the alternate to the preferred enrichment. In the behavioural evaluation, three dogs underwent two additional sessions in both the yard and the trail. Their exploratory and stress-associated behaviours were recorded 10 minutes before, during, and immediate after each session, and scored in every five-second bin by an independent observer and myself. Due to the small sample size, no statistical analyses were undertaken. My observations focused on changes in stress-associated behaviours and differences in exploratory behaviours, visually represented on graphs. Preference could be determined for four dogs (n = 21 trials): Aerial (P(X≥17) = .004, Sky (P(X≥16) = .013), and Timber (P(X≥14) = .015) preferred the yard, while Beau (P(X≥16) = .013) preferred the trail, each averaging 10 trials. Allara (P(X≥13) = .190) and Gina (P(X≥13) = .190) showed no distinct preference. In the control phase, Allara’s preference for the kennel suggested potential influences such as weather, past history, or difficulty in choice discrimination. Conversely, Gina’s choices for the trail demonstrated her ability to track contingencies. Results from the behavioural evaluation revealed increased exploratory behaviours during preferred enrichment but varied changes in stress-associated behaviours post-enrichment. While dogs’ preferences for activity-based environmental enrichment can be identified through preference tests, the access to these preferences does not always align with positive behavioural outcomes.

Text

2024-01-08

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87152

Applied Animal Biology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/