By Rachel Strassburger
Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, pet professionals and owners have observed an increase in anxiety-related behaviours and fearfulness, contributing to a reduction in pet and owner welfare and increased rates of relinquishment. The objectives of this study were to evaluate canine demographics and owner-identified fearfulness compared to fear-related behaviours during in-person behaviour tests, with further verification using fear-related biomarkers. Client-owned dogs (n=102; 25.3±11.6 kg BW) were included, between 1-10 years of age, of varying breeds, sex and neuter statuses, and home dynamics.
Owners completed a questionnaire regarding fear, anxiety, excitability, and separation behaviours, as well as lifestyle information. Behaviour tests consisting of a novel human, novel object, and an open field test, were performed indoors in a 3 x 3m arena at the University of Guelph. Blood samples were collected immediately following behaviour assessments, and commercial ELISA kits were used to quantify serum serotonin (5-HT) and 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). Behaviour tests were recorded on a GoPro and coded using BORIS. For preliminary analysis, questionnaire data relating to human-directed fear was separated into frequency and intensity of human-directed fear (HFF, HFI), and frequency and intensity of fear-related behaviours during grooming or veterinary visits (VHF, VHI) sections. Regression analyses were conducted using SAS, with behavioral tests serving as dependent variables, and predictor variables encompassing demographic factors, biomarker concentrations, and owner survey scores.
Preliminary data analysis using data from the novel human test of 50 dogs indicates that the duration of reduced body posture during the test was positively correlated with VHF (P=0.0201) and VHI (P=0.0226) scores, and negatively correlated with HIAA concentrations (P=0.0134). The duration of the “side” ear position was also positively associated with HFF (P=0.0219), HFI (P=0.0471), and VHI (P=0.0170) scores, with a trend seen in VHF (P=0.0818) scores, and ears pinned back was similarly associated with HFF (P=0.0064), HFI (P=0.0076), and VHI (0.0192) scores. These results suggest that behaviour may be reliably predicted from owner-completed surveys, and can be a valuable tool in gathering accurate behaviour information. Further analysis may indicate biomarkers associated with negative affective states such as fear and anxiety, and may be used in future studies to investigate nutraceuticals that may be beneficial in reducing these behaviours.
