Volume 10, Issue 3, May–June 2015, Pages 199–203
Abstract
The
aim of this study was to determine if using a stimulating enrichment
park environment during the socialization period of police working dogs
improved social skills. Our intent was to learn whether such exposure
could maximize working dog performance in future situations as adults.
Six animals, with the same male progenitor, were divided in 2 groups. G1
dogs underwent the standard socialization protocol in use in the Grupo
de Intervenção Cinotécnico. G2 dogs were exposed to an enriched park, in
addition to the standard socialization protocol. As young adults, these
animals were tested in 7 distinct situations. Their performance was
graded according to their response in overcoming obstacles. Cortisol
levels were measured before and after the test in both groups and used
as an indicator of stress. The cortisol values measured in this study
suggest that an exposure to an enrichment park could potentially lead to
less stressed adult dogs, although no significant differences were
found between the dogs that were exposed to the park and those that were
not. The absence of such differences may be because of the focal nature
of the sample. Nevertheless, exposed dogs showed lower levels of
cortisol when facing the obstacles posed to them. Although no
significant differences were found between the 2 groups of animals, the
sample size was extremely small, and there may have been a tendency for
those that were exposed to the park to achieve better scores and lower
cortisol levels. This study may set the foundations for further research
to better access the benefits of using an enriched environment in the
training of dogs, in particular those submitted to work as police dogs.
Keywords
- dog;
- environmental enrichment;
- stress;
- cortisol;
- behavior
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