Dog training

While there has been recent attention in the scientific community on the ethical and welfare implications of different dog training methods, less research has investigated what methods and training tools United States dog guardians use, where they obtain information about dog training, and the reasons they give for their choices of method. We conducted two surveys with nearly 800 Arizona State University undergraduate students to gain a more realistic look into how dog guardians in the United States train their dogs and where they are receiving their training information...

Dogs trained with the Do as I Do method can imitate human actions upon request, but their ability to match actions observed from different perspectives remains unknown. The use of 2D video stimuli may enable researchers to systematically manipulate the perspective from which demonstrations are observed, thereby widening the range of methods available to study cognitive skills related to imitation. In this study, we explore the possibility of using 2D stimuli to test action matching in dogs, including when demonstrations are seen from different perspectives...

BACKGROUND: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have inhibitory control deficits. The combination of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and inhibitory control training produces good transfer effects and improves neuroplasticity. However, no studies have explored whether applying tDCS over the dlPFC improves inhibitory control and produces transfer effects in children with ASD. OBJECTIVE: To explore whether multisession tDCS could enhance inhibitory control training (response inhibition), near-transfer (interference control) and far-transfer effects (sustained attention; stability of attention) in children with ASD and the generalizability of training effects in daily life and the classroom, as reflected by behavioral performance and neural activity measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation had a devastating effect on well-being. Veterans were among the most vulnerable given their high rates of military trauma-related conditions. Research supports that dogs can provide veterans with a sense of purpose, social support, and stress management. Digital storytelling provided a unique perspective with focus on a recognized hero, the veteran's dog, and an opportunity for engagement with other veterans during COVID-19. The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility of this digital storytelling intervention based on Story Theory framework and tailored to encompass components of cross-generational collaboration in combination with individual and group virtual sessions as a mechanism to promote social engagement...

BACKGROUND: Sinus node dysfunction because of abnormal impulse generation or sinoatrial conduction block causes bradycardia that can be difficult to differentiate from high parasympathetic/low sympathetic modulation (HP/LSM). HYPOTHESIS: Beat-to-beat relationships of sinus node dysfunction are quantifiably distinguishable by Poincaré plots, machine learning, and 3-dimensional density grid analysis. Moreover, computer modeling establishes sinoatrial conduction block as a mechanism...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Kathmandu is a densely populated metropolitan city in Nepal. In recent years, however, the metropolis has been ranked as one of the most polluted cities worldwide. Both humans and animals are susceptible to various respiratory diseases due to chronic exposure to polluted air. Due to the relative similarities in the anatomical structure and physiological functions of the respiratory system between humans and dogs, polluted environments may lead to respiratory illness in similar ways in both species living in the valley...

In dogs, as in humans, both emotional and learning pretreatment affect subsequent behaviour and sleep. Although learning often occurs in an emotional-social context, the emotion-learning interplay in such context remain mainly unknown. Aims were to assess the effects of Controlling versus Permissive (emotional factors) training (learning factors) styles on dogs' behaviour, learning performance, and sleep. Family dogs (N = 24) participated in two command learning sessions employing the two training styles with each session followed by assessment of learning performance, a 2-h-long non-invasive sleep EEG measurement, and a retest of learning performance...

Deaths due to dog attacks are a worldwide issue. Fatal dog attacks may occur in various environments, including the dog owner's property. A lot of difficulties emerge when the attack involves a pack of dogs, of different species and sizes. In this case, it becomes much more difficult for forensic investigators to evaluate the event, especially regarding the identification of the dog or dogs that caused the death as well as the identification of the owner and the reconstruction of the dynamics for forensic purposes...

INTRODUCTION: Canine olfaction is a potential means for detection of respiratory disease in beef cattle. In a prior study, two dogs were trained to discriminate between nasal swabs from healthy cattle and cattle that developed Bovine Respiratory Disease. Dogs had some ability to identify samples from BRD-affected cattle, but results were ambiguous. The purpose of this study was to evaluate more dogs using better-controlled training and testing procedures. METHODS: Nasal and saliva swabs were collected from 96 cattle before and after administering a vaccine to induce an inflammatory immune response...

Core stability training is crucial for competitive athletes, individuals who want to improve their health and physical performance, and those undergoing clinical rehabilitation. This study compared the ultrasound (US) muscle thickness of the abdominals and lumbar multifidus (LM) muscles between seven popular trunk stability exercises performed using hollowing and bracing maneuvers. Forty-four healthy young adults, aged between 21 and 32 years, performed a plank, bird dog, beast crawl, dead bug, Pilates tap, bridge, and side planks using the bracing and the hollowing maneuver...

Barking and other dog vocalizations have acoustic properties related to emotions, physiological reactions, attitudes, or some particular internal states. In the field of intelligent audio analysis, researchers use methods based on signal processing and machine learning to analyze the digitized acoustic signals' properties and obtain relevant information. The present work describes a method to classify the identity, breed, age, sex, and context associated with each bark. This information can support the decisions of people who regularly interact with animals, such as dog trainers, veterinarians, rescuers, police, people with visual impairment...

Dogs are increasingly used as a model for neuroscience due to their ability to undergo functional MRI fully awake and unrestrained, after extensive behavioral training. Still, we know rather little about dogs' basic functional neuroanatomy, including how basic perceptual and motor functions are localized in their brains. This is a major shortcoming in interpreting activations obtained in dog fMRI. The aim of this preregistered study was to localize areas associated with somatosensory processing. To this end, we touched N = 22 dogs undergoing fMRI scanning on their left and right flanks using a wooden rod...

UNLABELLED: Visceral leishmaniasis is a deadly infectious disease and is one of the world's major neglected health problems. Because the symptoms of infection are similar to other endemic diseases, accurate diagnosis is crucial for appropriate treatment. Definitive diagnosis using splenic or bone marrow aspirates is highly invasive, and so, serological assays are preferred, including the direct agglutination test (DAT) or rK39 strip test. These tests, however, are either difficult to perform in the field (DAT) or lack specificity in some endemic regions (rK39), making the development of new tests a research priority...

Diagnosis of portosystemic shunts (PSS) in dogs often requires multiple diagnostic tests, and available clinicopathologic tests have limitations in sensitivity and specificity. The objective of this study was to train and validate a machine learning model (MLM) that can accurately predict the presence of a PSS utilizing routinely collected demographic data and clinicopathologic features. Dogs diagnosed with PSS or control dogs tested for PSS but had the condition ruled out (non-PSS) were identified. Dogs were included if a complete blood count and serum chemistry panel were available from PSS diagnostic testing...

Detection dogs are frequently tested for their ability to detect a variety of targets. It is crucial to comprehend the processes for odour learning and the consequences of training on an expanding set of target scents on performance. To properly evaluate their ability to identify the target, the only true measure is the dogs' initial response to novel sources, since this excludes learning effects. In this study, we evaluated the individual learning processes of three detection dogs that were pre-trained to differentially respond to a faecal sample of a mare in oestrus (S+) and a faecal sample of the same mare in di-oestrus (S-)...

BACKGROUND: Intervertebral disc degeneration is frequent in dogs and can be associated with symptoms and functional impairments. The degree of disc degeneration can be assessed on T2-weighted MRI scans using the Pfirrmann classification scheme, which was developed for the human spine. However, it could also be used to quantify the effectiveness of disc regeneration therapies. We developed and tested a deep learning tool able to automatically score the degree of disc degeneration in dog spines, starting from an existing model designed to process images of human patients...

Although direct behavioural observations are widely used, they are time-consuming, prone to error, require knowledge of the observed species, and depend on intra/inter-observer consistency. As a result, they pose challenges to the reliability and repeatability of studies. Automated video analysis is becoming popular for behavioural observations. Sleep is a biological metric that has the potential to become a reliable broad-spectrum metric that can indicate the quality of life and understanding sleep patterns can contribute to identifying and addressing potential welfare concerns, such as stress, discomfort, or health issues, thus promoting the overall welfare of animals; however, due to the laborious process of quantifying sleep patterns, it has been overlooked in animal welfare research...

Dogs' ( Canis lupus familiaris ) sense of smell is based on a unique anatomy and physiology that enables them to find and differentiate low concentrations of odor molecules. This ability is exploited when dogs are trained as search, rescue, or medical detection dogs. We performed a three-part study to explore the scent detection threshold of 15 dogs to an in-house-made Eucalyptus hydrolat. Here, decreasing concentrations of the hydrolat were tested using a three-alternative forced-choice method until the first incorrect response, which defined the limit of scent detection for each tested dog...

Functional brain connectivity based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been shown to be correlated with human personality and behavior. In this study, we sought to know whether capabilities and traits in dogs can be predicted from their resting-state connectivity, as in humans. We trained awake dogs to keep their head still inside a 3T MRI scanner while resting-state fMRI data was acquired. Canine behavior was characterized by an integrated behavioral score capturing their hunting, retrieving, and environmental soundness...

Parenting style and intergenerational transmission have been extensively studied in parent-child relationships. As dogs are increasingly recognized as integral members of the family system, there is a growing interest in understanding how parenting behaviors directed towards dogs can also influence a dog's behaviors. However, the reasons why people adopt certain parenting behaviors towards dogs remain relatively unknown. This study delved into the intergenerational transmission of parenting styles from one's upbringing to caregiving for dogs...