Elsevier

Journal of Veterinary Behavior

Volume 8, Issue 6, November–December 2013, Pages 412-417
Journal of Veterinary Behavior

Research
Video analysis of adult dogs when left home alone

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2013.04.065Get rights and content

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate behaviors exhibited by dogs without separation-related problems when left home alone and to compare the behaviors of this group of dogs (termed “nonclinical”) with a group of dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety by a veterinary behaviorist (termed “clinical”), previously published. Thirty dogs divided into 3 groups according to age were video recorded when left home alone for 90 minutes. Thirteen behavioral categories were established to describe duration and frequency of dog activity. Descriptive analysis, nonparametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney test), and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed. Behavioral video analysis of our sample of nonclinical dogs showed that they spent most of their time when home alone exhibiting passive behavior (54.33 ± 22.27 minutes) as opposed to oriented to environment (8.6 ± 9.4 minutes), play (4.40 ± 5.54 minutes), whining (6.43 ± 2.14 minutes), howling (3.32 ± 4.49 minutes), barking (0.17 ± 0.00 minutes), locomotion (1.121 ± 1.48 minutes), and exploration (0.51 ± 1.25 minutes). Twenty-two dogs (73.3%) exhibited locomotion, 4 dogs (13.3%) whining, 3 dogs (10%) howling, 3 dogs (10%) barking, 17 dogs (56.7%) lip licking (8 times), and 10 dogs (33.3%) yawning (3 times). No statistically significant differences based on age were found. Comparison with data from a previous study about dogs with confirmed separation anxiety was performed using PCA. Analysis showed that passive behavior was exhibited for extended periods in nonclinical dogs contrary to clinical dogs, which displayed behaviors compatible with signs of anxiety.

Introduction

When left alone and confined by their owners, many domestic dogs exhibit anxiety-related disorders and separation-related problems (Simpson, 2000; Takeuchi et al., 2000; Overall et al., 2001).

Separation anxiety is a problematic behavior motivated by anxiety that occurs exclusively in the owner's absence or virtual absence (Overall, 1997; Flannigan and Dodman, 2001; Appleby and Pluijmakers, 2004). There is some debate regarding terminology, with the terms separation anxiety, separation distress, and separation-related problems used by some authors (King et al., 2000; Simpson et al., 2007). In this article, the conventional term “separation-related problems” will be used throughout to refer to problematic behaviors that occur exclusively in the owner's absence or virtual absence (Borchelt and Voith, 1982; Bradshaw et al., 2002; Horwitz, 2002). Separation anxiety and separation-related problems are often used interchangeably in the literature.

Problems that occur when the owner is absent represent one of the principal causes for the breakdown of the human–dog bond and the surrender of dogs to shelters (Van der Borg et al., 1991; Miller et al., 1996). The most common complaints are destructive behavior directed to the home, self-inflicted trauma, inappropriate elimination, increased and repetitive motor activity (pacing and circling), and excessive vocalization (whining, barking, and howling) in the owner's absence (King et al., 2000; Simpson, 2000; Appleby and Pluijmakers, 2004). Two large U.S. premarketing studies on the percent of dogs that show clinical signs consistent with separation anxiety (destruction, hypersalivation, urination, defecation, and vocalization) when left alone (King et al., 2000; Simpson et al., 2007) indicate that 14% and 17% of dogs that see veterinarians for care, providing support that separation-related problems are a very common problem. Owner reports have been confirmed by studies that include video analysis of dogs with separation-related problems when home alone and have been published (Tuber et al., 1996; Lund and Jørgensen, 1999; Blackwell et al., 2006; Palestrini et al., 2010). To the authors' knowledge, only 1 study in English (Rehn and Keeling, 2011) has examined the behavioral responses to social isolation of dogs without a history of separation-related behavior problems. The aims of the present study were to investigate behaviors exhibited by dogs without separation-related problems (nonclinical) when left home alone as well as to describe variability and temporal distribution of these behaviors; to compare the behavior of nonclinical dogs home alone for 3 different age ranges; and to compare behaviors of nonclinical dogs when left home alone with behaviors of clinical dogs (i.e., dogs diagnosed with separation-related problems by a veterinary behavior specialist).

Section snippets

Subjects

Thirty dogs were randomly recruited from a population of owned dogs entering the veterinary clinic for a physical examination and vaccination. These dogs were not reported by owners as showing signs of separation-related problem (nonclinical). Each animal was chosen on a selected day among owners who accepted to participate in the study. Dogs living with other dogs were excluded from this study. All dogs were kept exclusively for companionship and lived within the human household. Dogs were

Questionnaires

Analysis of questionnaire responses relating to the nonclinical group revealed that 6 dogs were of mixed breed and purebred dogs included 4 golden retrievers, 4 Labrador retrievers, 3 dachshund, 2 Dogue de Bordeaux, 1 Great Dane, 1 beagle, 1 French bulldog, 1 boxer, 1 Hungarian hound, 1 springer spaniel, 1 Lagotto Romagnolo, 1 German shepherd, 1 English setter, 1 Irish setter, and 1 Yorkshire terrier. At the time of adoption, more than half of the dogs (55.2%) were between 2 and 3 months of

Discussion

Previous studies using video analysis have already described the behavior of puppies (Frank et al., 2007; Cannas et al., 2010) and dogs with separation-related problems (Lund and Jørgensen, 1999; Blackwell et al., 2006; Palestrini et al., 2010) when home alone. The first 2 aims of this study were to investigate behaviors exhibited by nonclinical dogs when left home alone and to compare the behavior of dogs home alone for 3 different age ranges. This study included a small sample of dogs of

Conclusion

Video analysis of nonclinical dogs home alone did not reveal signs of prolonged distress or anxiety. In fact, these dogs slept or rested for most of the time. However, some of the nonclinical dogs displayed separation-related behaviors suggesting the need for better diagnostic tool, with owner report, but above all direct observation and standardized measurement of dog behaviors (i.e., videos). Comparison with clinical dogs highlighted differences in behavior. These results suggest that most

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all dog owners who participated as volunteers in the study.

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