Key Findings
The researchers aimed to rehabilitate fearful and aggressive stray dogs in a shelter by using social rehabilitation and leash training protocols.
Over time, fearful and aggressive dogs became more sociable towards humans and exhibited improved behavior within their home pens. Their more neutral stance increased their chances of adoption.
Only two of the six stray dogs were successfully trained to walk on a leash, with significant individual differences noted. The dogs’ extreme fear of leaving their pens hindered their progress. A longer training period might be necessary.
Summary
In many countries, strays are captured and placed in shelters, where they are often euthanized if aggressive or remain permanently due to low sociability, making rehoming difficult. In countries where euthanasia is prohibited, overcrowding leads to poor animal welfare. The overflow of stray dogs onto the streets raises public health and safety risks, including disease transmission and occasional aggressive interactions with humans, particularly when dogs form packs.
One potential solution is to increase the sociability of stray dogs through training and behavior modification. Studies, particularly in Turkey, have shown that some stray dogs can adapt to human family life. While evidence suggests that those with mild fear or aggression can integrate into households, the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs for dogs with lower sociability remains uncertain. Longer or more intensive programs may be necessary for these animals to adjust.
The study, titled “Is there hope beyond fear? Effects of social rehabilitation on unsocialised stray dogs”, aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a rehabilitation and training program in helping dogs overcome their fearfulness or aggression.
Study Methods
Study Subjects
The study involved 18 dogs from a shelter in Porto, Portugal, divided into three groups of six: Group Stray, Group Control 1 (C1), and Group Control 2 (C2). Group Stray consisted of fearful and aggressive unsocialized stray dogs captured after attacking humans. These dogs had been captured seven months before the study began. The control groups, C1 and C2, were composed of more human-friendly dogs, either found on the streets, surrendered by owners, or involved in legal cases.
Study Protocols
The rehabilitation and leash training protocols used systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning techniques, combined with positive reinforcement of desired behaviors. These protocols (step-by-step guide included in study) were designed to achieve specific target behaviors: allowing petting for social rehabilitation and walking on a loose leash for leash training.
The social rehabilitation and leash training protocols included eight phases and five phases common to Group C2 and Group Stray, respectively. Social rehabilitation for Group Stray included an additional phase to address their extreme fear of leaving their home pens. The leash training protocol also had additional phases to help Group Stray overcome fear of exiting the indoor area. To progress to a new phase, dogs needed to successfully perform the target behavior at least twenty times in the previous day.
Social rehabilitation sessions were conducted twice daily, Monday to Friday, lasting about 10 minutes each. Leash training involved one 10-minute session per day. Both protocols lasted 40 days and were conducted by a familiar person. Training sessions were video recorded at five time points: Day 1, Day 10, Day 20, Day 30, and Day 40.
Behavioural Evaluations
General Behaviour Assessment
The General Behavior Assessment involved video recording each dog’s body posture, position, and behavior within their home pen for 10 minutes. A camera was placed on a tripod in front of the home pen, and no person was near the dog during this time to avoid influencing its behavior.
Sociability Test
The Sociability Test assessed dogs’ reactions to various human behaviors. The experimenter performed five 30-second subtests: standing in front of the pen, lowering their stance, attempting to pet the dog through the grating, entering the pen, and attempting to pet the dog. The order of testing by a familiar or unfamiliar person was randomized.
Leash Test
The Leash Test evaluated dogs’ behavior when walking on a leash. The LT comprised three subtests: holding the leash next to the dog, walking the dog to the test area, and returning the dog to its home pen. If the dog showed intense fear, the test was terminated to avoid further stress. All LT sessions were video recorded, and the order of testing by familiar or unfamiliar persons was randomized.
Study Results
The study results showed an overall improvement in the stray dogs’ sociability towards humans and their general behavior within their home pens. However, only two of the six stray dogs were successfully trained to walk on a leash.
Sociability Test scores for Group Stray increased over time, but the strays were more sociable towards familiar people than unfamiliar ones. The dogs’ general behavior in their home pens also changed. Initially, they exhibited fearful postures and remained at the back of their pens. Over time, they moved towards the front and adopted more neutral postures. By the end of the study, there were no significant differences in body posture and pen position between the stray and control groups.
The improved sociability has critical welfare implications. The reduction in fear makes shelter life less stressful for these dogs, and positive human interactions, as observed in two strays, can further decrease stress levels. Additionally, more sociable dogs are more likely to be rehomed.
Unlike social rehabilitation, the leash training protocol did not significantly improve the behavior of stray dogs on leash. There were no noticeable changes in their body posture during the 40-day training period. The dogs remained in a neutral posture, possibly due to previous negative experiences with leashes. The training period may also have been too short, as significant improvements in sociability were only observed after 80 days.
There were also strong individual differences, especially in leash training. While two dogs reached the final phase of the protocol, two others never progressed beyond the second phase. The dogs’ extreme fear of leaving their pens likely hindered their progress, suggesting that overcoming their fear of the outside environment was a greater challenge than leash walking. A quieter, more controlled shelter environment might have led to better results in leash training.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
–
Year of Publication:
2022
External Link:
Miriam Casaca, Gabriela M. Morello, Tatiana Magalhães, I. Anna S. Olsson, Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro, Is there hope beyond fear? Effects of social rehabilitation on unsocialised stray dogs, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 253, 2022, 105671, ISSN 0168-1591,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105671