Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study
Excessive barking is a major source of noise pollution in dog kennels and negatively impacts welfare. Because resources are often limited, minimizing barking in the simplest and most easily implementable way is imperative. This pilot study implemented a Quiet Kennel Exercise (QKE) that utilized clas...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/2/171 |
| _version_ | 1827667148789514240 |
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| author | Samantha Zurlinden Stephany Spano Emily Griffith Sara Bennett |
| author_facet | Samantha Zurlinden Stephany Spano Emily Griffith Sara Bennett |
| author_sort | Samantha Zurlinden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Excessive barking is a major source of noise pollution in dog kennels and negatively impacts welfare. Because resources are often limited, minimizing barking in the simplest and most easily implementable way is imperative. This pilot study implemented a Quiet Kennel Exercise (QKE) that utilized classical counterconditioning to change the dogs’ negative emotional state (which can lead to barking) to a more positive emotional state. Therefore, barking motivation is reduced, so barking should decrease. This study aims to show proof of concept that decreasing barking through classical counterconditioning is effective. It was conducted in one ward of day-time boarding kennels at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Data was collected three times per day and included decibel readings, number of dogs present, and number of dogs barking during a 5-day initial baseline and 10-day intervention period. During baseline, people passing through the ward acted as they normally would. During intervention, passersby were asked to simply toss each dog a treat regardless of the dogs’ behaviors in the kennel. Descriptive results show improvement in maximum level of barking after QKE, fewer dogs barking over time, dogs barking less each time, and the most improvement noted in the afternoon. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:03:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-507d380a6d574bb391aab90baaaaf0b1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:03:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-507d380a6d574bb391aab90baaaaf0b12023-11-23T12:41:38ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-01-0112217110.3390/ani12020171Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot StudySamantha Zurlinden0Stephany Spano1Emily Griffith2Sara Bennett3College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USACollege of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USADepartment of Statistics, North Carolina State University, 2311 Stinson Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USACollege of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USAExcessive barking is a major source of noise pollution in dog kennels and negatively impacts welfare. Because resources are often limited, minimizing barking in the simplest and most easily implementable way is imperative. This pilot study implemented a Quiet Kennel Exercise (QKE) that utilized classical counterconditioning to change the dogs’ negative emotional state (which can lead to barking) to a more positive emotional state. Therefore, barking motivation is reduced, so barking should decrease. This study aims to show proof of concept that decreasing barking through classical counterconditioning is effective. It was conducted in one ward of day-time boarding kennels at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Data was collected three times per day and included decibel readings, number of dogs present, and number of dogs barking during a 5-day initial baseline and 10-day intervention period. During baseline, people passing through the ward acted as they normally would. During intervention, passersby were asked to simply toss each dog a treat regardless of the dogs’ behaviors in the kennel. Descriptive results show improvement in maximum level of barking after QKE, fewer dogs barking over time, dogs barking less each time, and the most improvement noted in the afternoon.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/2/171barkingdogsshelterkennelwelfareclassical conditioning |
| spellingShingle | Samantha Zurlinden Stephany Spano Emily Griffith Sara Bennett Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study Animals barking dogs shelter kennel welfare classical conditioning |
| title | Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study |
| title_full | Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study |
| title_short | Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Kenneled Dogs—A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | impact of classical counterconditioning quiet kennel exercise on barking in kenneled dogs a pilot study |
| topic | barking dogs shelter kennel welfare classical conditioning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/2/171 |
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