A
Critical Review of
“The influence of olfactory
stimulation
On the behaviour of dogs
housed in a rescue shelter”
In this
research [1] the authors has done an experiment on how dogs in kennels respond
to different kind of odours. The aim for this particular research was to find
out if odour had any effect on the dogs stress level.
55 dogs, whereby 29 were castrated males and
the rest sterile females, were used in the experiment. They used five types of
oldfactory simulation which has all been tested on humans and other non-human
species with good results. The odours used were: lavender, chamomile, rosemary,
peppermint and control (no odour). The majority of the dogs used were
cross-breeds, thus preventing any breed differences. They were between 6 moth and
8 years, and they had all been housed at the kennel long enough to be adapted
to life in a hectic environment.
The dogs were exposed to the
different odours 4 hours per day in a 5 days period, with two days break
between each odour. The dogs were studied for effects on eight different
behaviours: Position, standing, sitting, moving, resting, sleeping, stereotyping
and vocalise. They were exposed to the odours in the same order: Starting
with control, followed by lavender,
peppermint, chamomile and rosemary.
The
behaviour of the dogs was recorded on days one, three and five during all the
different conditions. The
observations took place from the time the dogs were exposed to each odour, and
the following 30 minutes. After the stimulation the dogs’ behaviour was
recorded every ten minutes, 24 times per day. Each time all eight behaviours
were controlled. All of the behaviours recorded has influence on public
invention of dog desirability and are believed to be indicators of canine
welfare.
The dog’s behaviour changed
significantly with length of exposure to some odours. The dogs became more
active with increased exposure to those odourants
with simulating properties. The odours with a sedative nature on the other hand
did not alter the dogs’ behaviour over time. The dogs’ did not habituate to any
of the odours. But whether or not they would habituate eventually, require more
research.
In general, the results from this
study indicate that dogs kept in rescue shelters are influenced by odour.
The results showed that lavender and
to a slightly lesser degree, chamomile, had a high stress-reducing effect. The
dogs spent more time resting and less time moving during the time they were
exposed to these odours. The vocalisation was also decreased.
In contrary to chamomile and lavender, rosemary
and especially peppermint gave the dogs a significant increase in activity.
They spent more time moving and less time resting. Also the vocalisation
increased.
Although it was not a great number
of dogs that were used in the experiment, the result is very convincing. There
were some factors that may have had influence on the results, e.g. all the dogs
were exposed to the same odour at the same time; other effects could thus not
be controlled for. Maybe the simulation had a greater effect on some dogs than
others, but the behaviour of the dogs that were affected may have had an
influence on the other dogs thus making them calmer as well.
Dogs’ housed in shelter is exposed
to a lot of stress caused by factors like noise, lack of human contact,
unpredictability, other dogs, lack of activity etc. Whether this affects the
behaviour of the dogs is a disputed issue though, see [2] and [3]. Using olfactory
simulation may result in a less stressful environment for the dogs thus making
them calmer. This might increase the chance for the dogs to be adopted.
However, the simulating does not
have a permanent effect, so the new owners might get a surprise when they bring
their new dog home. There are a high number of adopted dogs that is returned to
the shelters because of behavioural problems. [4] It also might be the owner’s
fault [5]. If the owners got some oil from the shelter when they came to pick
up the dog, they could use it the first couple of weeks until the dog had
adapted to its new environment. And then perhaps gradually decrease the use until
it’s not required any longer.
It would might
have been interesting comparing the result of castrated dogs and dogs that were
still fertile. After all, dogs usually get calmer after castration after all.
Another issue is if the olfactory stimuli would have the same effect in another
calmer environment. Would there be any different in behaviour of dogs living in
a family?
Bibliography
[1] Graham L., Wells D.L., Hepper P.G.
(2005) The influence of olfactory stimulation on the
behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter.
Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 91: 143-153
[2] Graham L., Wells D.L., Hepper P.G.
(1992) The behaviour of dogs in a rescue shelter. Animal Welfare, Volume 1, Number 3: 171-186
[3] Graham L., Wells D.L., Hepper P.G.
(2002) The influence of length of time in a rescue
shelter on the behaviour of kennelled dogs.
Animal Welfare, Volume 11, Number 3: 317-325
[4] Mondelli
F., Previde E.P., Verga M., Levi D., Magistrelli
S., Valsecchi P. (2004) The
bond that never developed: Adoption and relinquishment of dogs in a rescue
shelter. Journal of Applied Animal
Welfare Science, Volume 7, Number 4: 253-266
[5] Nemcová D., Novák P. (2003)
Adoption of dogs in the
Written by Kari-Gro Hildén
- May 2006