Environmental enrichment programs provide benefits to both captive animals and the facilities that house them, but cost time and resources to design, implement, and maintain. As yet, there have been few theoretically based guidelines to assist animal care staff in establishing cost-efficient enrichment methods that both elicit the desired behavioral changes and maintain their success over time. We describe several well-studied principles from the field of experimental analysis of behavior, including intrinsic reinforcement, extrinsic reinforcement, habituation, extinction, and schedules of reinforcement that could be very useful for evaluating the short- and long-term effectiveness of enrichment. Continue Reading Maximizing the Effectiveness of Environmental Enrichment: Suggestions From the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Fontaine, E. (2012). Food Intake and Nutrition During Pregnancy, Lactation and Weaning in the Dam and Offspring. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 47(6), 326-330. DOI: 10.1111/rda.12102 Continue Reading Food Intake and Nutrition During Pregnancy, Lactation and Weaning in the Dam and Offspring
One growing area of research pertaining to the welfare of kenneled dogs is environmental enrichment, including auditory stimulation. The current study investigated the impact of music (classical, heavy metal, and specifically designed/altered classical) on activity level, vocalization, and body shaking of 117 kenneled dogs. Continue Reading Behavioral Effects of Auditory Stimulation on Kenneled Dogs
Asher, L., England, G.C.W., Sommerville, R., and Harvey, N.D. (2020). Teenage dogs? Evidence for adolescent-phase conflict behaviour and an association between attachment to humans and pubertal timing in the domestic dog. Biology Letters, 16: 20200097. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0097 Continue Reading Teenage Dogs? Evidence for Adolescent-Phase Conflict Behaviour and an Association Between Attachment to Humans and Pubertal Timing in the Domestic Dog
American Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Division. (2015). Literature Review on the Welfare Implications of Socialization of Puppies & Kittens. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/socialization_puppies_kittens.pdf Continue Reading Welfare Implications of Socialization of Puppies and Kittens
Reisner, I. I. (2014). MOVING BEYOND “LEADER OF THE PACK” Changing Dog Behavior Using Science Instead of Myth. Today’s Veterinary Practice. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/ Continue Reading Moving Beyond “Leader of the Pack”
