ResearchCan bark counter collars and owner surveys help identify factors that relate to nuisance barking? A pilot study
Introduction
Worldwide, nuisance barking is reported as a major canine behavioral problem, affecting approximately 1 in 3 dogs (Adams and Clark, 1989, Campbell, 1986, Kobelt et al., 2003). Nuisance barking is the single most common complaint that local councils receive in Australia (Righetti, 2005). It frequently generates angst and animosity between neighbors and owners and is a common reason for dogs to be relinquished to animal shelters (Wells and Hepper, 2000, Marston and Bennett, 2003, Marston et al., 2005) where, in extreme cases, dogs may be euthanized (Marston and Bennett, 2003).
Dogs bark for a variety of reasons, whether it is territorial guarding, excitement, boredom, fear, pain, or distress (Seksel, 2004, Yin and McCowan, 2004, Pongrácz et al., 2010) and this might be a reflection of the animal's internal conflicting motivations as typically encountered in mobbing behavior (Lord et al., 2009). A range of factors influences the onset, duration, and severity of barking. For example, the age of the dog is thought to have an influence on nuisance barking behavior (Campbell, 1986, Wells and Hepper, 2000, Cross et al., 2009, Khoshnegah et al., 2011). Owner experience is also believed to have an effect on the occurrence of various problematic canine behaviors, including nuisance barking (Jagoe and Serpell, 1996, Kobelt et al., 2003, Bennett and Rohlf, 2007). Furthermore, the amount time that the dog is left home alone, the amount of exercise received by the dog, and the amount of obedience training received by the dog are all considered to influence the quality of the owner-dog bond, as well as the occurrence of nuisance barking behavior (Clark and Boyer, 1993, Jagoe and Serpell, 1996, Clark et al., 1997, Marston and Bennett, 2003, Bennett and Rohlf, 2007, Kobelt et al., 2007, Rehn and Keeling, 2011, Flint et al., 2012). Although a number of studies have investigated some of the factors that may predispose dogs to nuisance barking, little attention has been paid to the possibility of a correlation between these factors and actual nuisance barking behavior. A better understanding of these relationships could enhance management and prevention strategies to address both the nuisance for humans and underlying welfare issues for the dog (Flannigan and Dodman, 2001, Bradshaw et al., 2002).
Because nuisance barking can result in prosecutions or fines (Murray, 2003), Animal Management Officers (AMOs) need to use reliable and accurate methods to investigate nuisance barking. The last decade has seen the development of bark counter collars that are beginning to be used by local councils to investigate nuisance barking complaints (Murray and Scriggins, 2005). Despite the fact that there is no official standard measure for what constitutes “normal” barking (Flint et al., 2012), these collars—despite their limitations—may be useful in distinguishing between “real” and “false” nuisance barking cases. After a nuisance barking complaint is lodged with animal management, the council must undertake an initial investigation to determine whether such a nuisance exists. This pilot study was conducted during the initial investigation of the complaint. At this stage, the dogs do not undergo any physical or behavioral examination. The aim of this pilot study was to identify correlations between nuisance barking behavior (barking frequency recorded by bark counter collars) and potential contributing factors (extracted from owner questionnaire responses).
Section snippets
Participants
Four Australian municipal councils, located in suburban areas in large cities, that used bark counter collars as part of their routine investigations into nuisance barking complaints participated in this study: Knox City Council (Victoria), Logan City Council (Queensland), Maroondah City Council (Victoria), and Yarra Ranges Shire Council (Victoria). Residents in these municipalities, whose dogs had been the subject of a nuisance barking complaint, were recruited, resulting in a sample of 25
Results
Peak barking over the 7-day period varied from 10 barks per hour in 1 dog to almost 500 barks per hour in another. In approximately 64% of the cases, dogs were found to bark more in the absence of the owner than when the owner was present. Of the dogs in our sample, the majority (84%) were confined to the backyard in the owners' absence and 1 had access to the garden through a dog door. The barking plots for all 25 dogs sampled were suggestive of reactive barking, as indicated by the sporadic
Discussion
This exploratory study demonstrates that bark counter collars can be used by councils to not only record the barking behavior of dogs suspected to be nuisance barkers but also, in combination with a questionnaire, to identify potential factors that are correlated with the barking behavior.
The barking pattern exhibited by most of the dogs in our sample indicated that nuisance barking appeared to be triggered by various environmental stimuli. This finding is in agreement with Yin and Richardson
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Malcolm Scheele of the Knox City Council; Leah Dent of the Logan City Council; Lisa Hurley, Rory McLeod, Merg Mikaelian, and Nora Scragg of the Maroondah City Council; and Bronwyn Farrar and Sarah Hodgson of the Yarra Ranges Shire Council for their assistance. The authors also thank the owners of the dogs who participated in this research. They also thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions to improve the article. All authors have approved the final article. The idea
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