Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations
In many situations, domestic dogs display greater uneasiness with unfamiliar men than unfamiliar women. However, little is known about whether the sex of an unfamiliar person is a risk factor for stranger-directed aggression, especially with respect to behaviors less intense than biting. We analyzed...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/15/2461 |
| _version_ | 1797587145575104512 |
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| author | Betty McGuire Andrew Song |
| author_facet | Betty McGuire Andrew Song |
| author_sort | Betty McGuire |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In many situations, domestic dogs display greater uneasiness with unfamiliar men than unfamiliar women. However, little is known about whether the sex of an unfamiliar person is a risk factor for stranger-directed aggression, especially with respect to behaviors less intense than biting. We analyzed data collected by behavioral staff over a 27-month period (<i>n</i> = 283 dogs) at a New York shelter to determine whether the sex of an unfamiliar person influenced behaviors assessed during the Stranger test of the canine behavioral evaluation. Scores ranged from 1 (calm and friendly) to 5 (will not approach stranger or unsafe to allow an approach). No concerning behaviors (scores 1–3) were assessed for 19.2% of 26 undersocialized dogs from one home and 89.9% of the remaining 257 dogs. Within the group of 257, those tested with a male stranger had significantly higher scores than those tested with a female stranger; the effect size was small to moderate. Thus, we found that dogs responded differently to male and female strangers during this testing situation, but from a practical standpoint, our findings do not warrant adjustments in how shelters conduct or interpret tests for stranger-directed aggression. Our findings also highlight the importance of early exposure to different people and situations for dogs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:32:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d1a79f6c6e84234871a7496d65d819c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:32:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d1a79f6c6e84234871a7496d65d819c2023-11-18T22:33:21ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-07-011315246110.3390/ani13152461Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral EvaluationsBetty McGuire0Andrew Song1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USADepartment of Information Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USAIn many situations, domestic dogs display greater uneasiness with unfamiliar men than unfamiliar women. However, little is known about whether the sex of an unfamiliar person is a risk factor for stranger-directed aggression, especially with respect to behaviors less intense than biting. We analyzed data collected by behavioral staff over a 27-month period (<i>n</i> = 283 dogs) at a New York shelter to determine whether the sex of an unfamiliar person influenced behaviors assessed during the Stranger test of the canine behavioral evaluation. Scores ranged from 1 (calm and friendly) to 5 (will not approach stranger or unsafe to allow an approach). No concerning behaviors (scores 1–3) were assessed for 19.2% of 26 undersocialized dogs from one home and 89.9% of the remaining 257 dogs. Within the group of 257, those tested with a male stranger had significantly higher scores than those tested with a female stranger; the effect size was small to moderate. Thus, we found that dogs responded differently to male and female strangers during this testing situation, but from a practical standpoint, our findings do not warrant adjustments in how shelters conduct or interpret tests for stranger-directed aggression. Our findings also highlight the importance of early exposure to different people and situations for dogs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/15/2461aggressionfamiliarityrisk factortemperament testundersocialized dogs |
| spellingShingle | Betty McGuire Andrew Song Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations Animals aggression familiarity risk factor temperament test undersocialized dogs |
| title | Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations |
| title_full | Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations |
| title_fullStr | Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations |
| title_short | Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations |
| title_sort | influence of sex of stranger on responses of shelter dogs during canine behavioral evaluations |
| topic | aggression familiarity risk factor temperament test undersocialized dogs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/15/2461 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bettymcguire influenceofsexofstrangeronresponsesofshelterdogsduringcaninebehavioralevaluations AT andrewsong influenceofsexofstrangeronresponsesofshelterdogsduringcaninebehavioralevaluations |