From birth and throughout their lives, dogs
experience a variety of potentially stressful stimuli. Early
neurologic stimulation (ENS) is believed to improve the ability of animals to
handle stress, however its effects on dogs have not yet been fully explored.
This study aimed to evaluate the effects and potential welfare
implications of providing ENS to puppies in commercial breeding kennels. Seventy-six
puppies, comprising two cohorts in one kennel were studied. Puppies were
assigned to one of three treatment groups: ENS, held, or control, and then were
marked for identification, and handled daily Monday through Saturday for 21
days, beginning on day three post-partum. ENS puppies received five “Bio
Sensor” exercises (Battaglia, 2009). Puppies in the held treatment group were
held for 30 seconds, which was the same length of time that was required to
apply the Bio Sensor exercises to ENS treated puppies. Control puppies received
identification marks daily and health assessments weekly, but otherwise were
handled as normal for the breeder’s management plan. To evaluate treatment
effects on physical health, all puppies received physical health assessments weekly,
and additionally before and after transport to a distributor. To evaluate effects
of treatment on behavioral responses to stressors, puppies were assessed shortly
before and after transport (a known stressor), using three stranger approach
tests and a 3-minute isolation test. Puppies were found to be generally healthy
and clean throughout the study. A three-way interaction was observed between
treatment, sex, and week of life, which affected puppies’ weights over the
first eight weeks of life at the breeder’s kennel prior to the application of
stressors (<i>p</i> = 0.006). Female ENS puppies were found to weigh more than
their held and control counterparts, while for male puppies, held and control
puppies weighed more than ENS puppies. A two-way interaction was observed
between treatment and isolation on behavior for a single step of the multi-step
stranger approach test performed at the breeder’s kennel (<i>p</i> = 0.025).
While more puppies showed affiliative behavioral responses to the experimenter
reaching for them after isolation than before, the change was greater in ENS
and held treatment groups than controls. Treatment also directly affected the
time puppies spent performing fearful behavior during the isolation test (<i>p</i>
= 0.041). Handled puppies spent more time performing fearful behaviors than
control puppies. No other significant effects of treatment were observed for the
behavioral or physical health parameters measured. However, the finding that ENS
and held-groups tended to show greater increases in the number of puppies
displaying affiliative behavior than controls (though it was only significant
for one step) suggests that handling treatments primed puppies to view people
as a form of social support during stress. The additional finding that ENS and held
group puppies spent more time performing fearful behaviors (e.g., escape
attempts, low postures) during isolation than control puppies, further supports
this theory. While these results do not support the purported effects of ENS,
they indicate that early handling may still benefit puppies by providing them
positive interactions with humans. These interactions potentially prime
developing puppies to view humans as safe sources of social support, perhaps
increasing their likelihood of forming secure attachments with people later in
life. Further, findings from this study suggest that simply holding puppies daily
for short periods may be sufficient to produce beneficial effects. Future
studies should incorporate measures of recovery in response to stress testing
puppies receiving ENS treatment and should consider evaluating ENS in
conjunction with attachment theory to provide more information on the potential
welfare effects of early handling of puppies in commercial breeding and other
kennel types.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/13093532 |
| Date | 16 December 2020 |
| Creators | Grace C Boone (9520355) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Welfare_Implications_of_Early_Neurological_Stimulation_for_Puppies_in_Commercial_Breeding_Kennels/13093532 |
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