Is a Dog a Dog’s Best Friend?
Article written by Claudia Kawczynska – Bark Magazine Jan/Feb ‘06
Courtesy of Paws for People www.pawsforpeople.co.za
Life in a multi-dog household has advantages for people, but now researchers have discovered that benefits extend to the dogs as well. In a seminal study – part of long-term research on the effects of anxiety on canine health – Penn State’s Nancy Dreschel, DVM, and Dr. Douglas Granger set out to quantify the stress levels of thunderstorm-phobic dogs by measuring the release of cortisol, often referred to as the “stress” hormone. This study was one of the first to assess – non-invasively and in the dog’s home environment – the production of this hormone in canines.
Since cortisol shows up in saliva, the researchers devised a simple collection method. To get a baseline, pre-stress reading, the dog’s caregiver held a short piece of cotton rope in the dog’s mouth; then, both human and dog were video-taped as they listened to a 5-minute recording of a thunderstorm; finally, at 20-minute intervals, the dog chewed on another piece of cotton rope.
The results surprised everyone. While the cortisol-response levels increased markedly and did not return to normal levels even after 40 minutes, there were no significant correlations between the behaviour of the owner – soothing, patting, massaging the dog, or having little (or no) interaction with the dog – and either the degree of increase or the rate of cortisol-level decrease in the dog.
Another surprise: In storm-phobic dogs who lived in multi-dog households, not only was less cortisol released, but the dogs recovered more quickly. Dreschel told Bark that she believes the findings “lend support to the idea that there is something about living with another dog (that helps) mediate (canine) physiological stress responses.” The other dogs didn’t have to be in the same room, or even inside the house for this effect to be demonstrated. Though Dreschel cautioned against getting another dog “for” the anxious one, she indicated that the effect of living with other dogs on canine cortisol reactivity was intriguing and merited further study.
Article written by Claudia Kawczynska – Bark Magazine Jan/Feb ‘06
Courtesy of Paws for People www.pawsforpeople.co.za
Life in a multi-dog household has advantages for people, but now researchers have discovered that benefits extend to the dogs as well. In a seminal study – part of long-term research on the effects of anxiety on canine health – Penn State’s Nancy Dreschel, DVM, and Dr. Douglas Granger set out to quantify the stress levels of thunderstorm-phobic dogs by measuring the release of cortisol, often referred to as the “stress” hormone. This study was one of the first to assess – non-invasively and in the dog’s home environment – the production of this hormone in canines.
Since cortisol shows up in saliva, the researchers devised a simple collection method. To get a baseline, pre-stress reading, the dog’s caregiver held a short piece of cotton rope in the dog’s mouth; then, both human and dog were video-taped as they listened to a 5-minute recording of a thunderstorm; finally, at 20-minute intervals, the dog chewed on another piece of cotton rope.
The results surprised everyone. While the cortisol-response levels increased markedly and did not return to normal levels even after 40 minutes, there were no significant correlations between the behaviour of the owner – soothing, patting, massaging the dog, or having little (or no) interaction with the dog – and either the degree of increase or the rate of cortisol-level decrease in the dog.
Another surprise: In storm-phobic dogs who lived in multi-dog households, not only was less cortisol released, but the dogs recovered more quickly. Dreschel told Bark that she believes the findings “lend support to the idea that there is something about living with another dog (that helps) mediate (canine) physiological stress responses.” The other dogs didn’t have to be in the same room, or even inside the house for this effect to be demonstrated. Though Dreschel cautioned against getting another dog “for” the anxious one, she indicated that the effect of living with other dogs on canine cortisol reactivity was intriguing and merited further study.
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