Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How do working dogs react to stress and challenges?
By Haverbeke, A et al.·Published in Physiology & behavior·2008·University of Namur (FUNDP)·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cortisol and behavioral responses of working dogs to environmental challenges.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of military working dogs was tested for their reactions to various environmental challenges, including social, visual, and auditory stimuli. The dogs showed increased activity and fewer repetitive behaviors, like pacing, during the challenges. After the second challenge, their cortisol levels, which indicate stress, returned to normal, suggesting they adapted well to the situation. Overall, while some signs of stress were noted, the dogs were not chronically stressed, indicating they can handle these challenges without long-term negative effects.
People also search for: military working dog stress · dog behavior changes environmental challenges · cortisol levels in dogs
Abstract
This paper's primary objective is to analyse the physiological (cortisol) and behavioral responses of military working dogs (MWD). Dogs (N=27) were submitted twice to environmental challenges (challenge 1 and 2, 20 days in-between) composed of social (training), visual (mobile toy car) and auditory (air blast) stimuli. Cortisol levels decreased back to the baseline after the second challenge. The behavioral observations showed that these MWD were more active, and presented less stereotypic behaviors (pacing, manipulation of the environment) during both visual challenges, whereas half low posture was observed during the first but not during the second visual challenge. The present study shows that this group of MWD still has an adaptation capacity to an environmental challenge (return to baseline of the cortisol levels, a higher posture during the second than at the first challenge). These results are encouraging and indicate that the dogs might have a diminished welfare (i.e. stereotypic behaviors), but are not chronically stressed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17868751/