Three Things to Know
Researchers compared rescued dogs to dogs never rehomed to determine if shelter stays cause long-term stress and affect cognitive abilities.
The study found no significant differences in cognitive ability between rescued and non-rescued dogs. While non-rescued dogs maintained eye contact longer, rescued dogs performed better on memory tests.
Owner questionnaires revealed no significant differences in the human-dog relationship. However, rescue dogs tended to be more fearful and aggressive towards other dogs, but not people.
The Full Picture
Rescue dogs are frequently relinquished due to behavioral issues like poor manners, destructiveness, fearfulness, aggression, and separation anxiety. While these behaviors might be linked to stressful experiences such as rehoming or shelter stays, it’s unclear whether they differ significantly from non-rescue dogs. The impact of acute and long-term stress on the cognition and behavior of rescue dogs is poorly understood, as these differences could arise from various factors including personality, owner-dog relationships, or genetics.
Recent studies have employed at-home cognitive tests to assess dog behavior and cognition, reducing stress for rescue dogs who might be sensitive to travel or unfamiliar environments. This study, “Rescue dogs show few differences in behavior, cognitive abilities, and personality compared with non-rescue dogs”, utilized citizen science to compare the cognitive performance and stress-related behaviors of rescue and non-rescue dogs. The study hypothesized that rescue dogs would exhibit poorer cognitive performance and increased stress behaviors.
Study Methods
Forty-seven dog owners, primarily Swedish women, were recruited via social media between September and December 2020. Fifty dogs participated, including 30 rescue or relocated dogs rehomed after six months of age. Dog owners completed a series of four cognitive tests with their dogs as well as two surveys for their participation in this study.
Study Results
Cognitive Tests
1. Eye Contact Test
Procedure: The owner stood one meter from their dog, holding a treat to their face and maintaining eye contact for 90 seconds or until the dog broke eye contact for more than three seconds.
Results: Rescue dogs maintained eye contact for significantly shorter periods than non-rescue dogs. This aligns with research suggesting that shorter eye contact can indicate lower inhibitory control or cognitive decline. However, rescue dogs also exhibited more stress-related behaviors during the test, which might have influenced their performance.
2. Inferential Reasoning Test
Procedure: The Inferential Reasoning Test involved placing two cups 1.5 meters apart, with the owner positioned 2 meters in front, facing the dog. A treat was placed under one cup, and the owner pretended to place another under the empty cup. After demonstrating the empty cup, the owner replaced it and released the dog.
Results: No significant difference was observed between rescue and non-rescue dogs in their ability to choose the correct cup. While previous research suggested dogs might misinterpret the lifting of the empty cup as a communication signal, both rescue and non-rescue dogs in this study had a relatively high success rate, challenging this theory.
3. Simple Memory Test
Procedure: The Simple Memory Test involved placing two cups 1.5 meters apart. A treat was placed under one cup, and the dog waited 60 seconds before being released to choose.
Results: Contrary to the hypothesis, rescue dogs outperformed non-rescue dogs in this test. This suggests that rescue dogs could remember the location of the baited cup despite potentially lower inhibitory control, as indicated by shorter eye contact duration.
4. Complex Memory Test
Procedure: The Complex Memory Test involved arranging five cups in a semicircle, with a treat placed under one cup. The dog was removed from the room for 60 seconds before being brought back to choose the correct cup.
Results: No significant differences were found between rescue and non-rescue dogs in this test, regardless of the measurement method used. This suggests that both groups, balanced in age, exhibited similar performance in both working and spatial memory. The results do not support the hypothesis of cognitive impairment in rescue dogs.
Questionnaires
Dog owners completed two questionnaires to provide information about their dogs’ personalities and the strength of their bond. The Dog Personality Questionnaire (DPQ) assessed the dogs’ fearfulness, aggression towards people and animals, activity level, excitability, and responsiveness to training. The Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) evaluated the dog-owner interaction, perceived emotional closeness, and perceived costs of dog ownership.
Dog-Owner Relationship (MDORS)
The MDORS survey assessed the dog-owner relationship in three areas: interaction, emotional closeness, and perceived costs. While owners of rescue dogs perceived slightly higher costs compared to owners of non-rescue dogs, likely due to potential behavioral challenges, it was not statistically significant. In addition, there were no significant differences in emotional closeness or dog-owner interaction. This suggests that overall, the quality of the relationship between owners and rescue dogs was not negatively impacted by their rescue status.
Dog Personality (DPQ)
Rescue dogs were found to be more fearful than non-rescue dogs, particularly in terms of non-social fear and fear of other dogs. They were also less active and excitable, and less responsive to training, potentially due to limited prior training or their age at adoption. While there were no significant differences in aggression towards people or animals overall, rescue dogs did exhibit higher aggression towards other dogs.
These findings suggest that rescue dogs may have specific personality traits that could impact their behavior and cognitive performance. Further research is needed to explore the underlying causes of these differences and to develop strategies to address these challenges.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this study found few significant differences between rescue and non-rescue dogs in cognitive and behavioral assessments. While rescue dogs exhibited shorter eye contact durations, suggesting potential lower inhibitory control, they performed well in the simple memory test, indicating intact working memory. These findings underscore the complexity of assessing cognitive abilities in rescue dogs and the potential influence of stress and other external factors on test performance.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
–
Year of Publication:
2023
External Link:
John O’Riordan, Lina S.V. Roth, Rescue dogs show few differences in behavior, cognitive abilities, and personality compared with non-rescue dogs, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Volume 68, 2023, Pages 42-47, ISSN 1558-7878, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2023.09.003