Categories
Behaviour Cognition Pets Research

Is your dog optimistic? Cognitive bias in animals

Does your pet have a glass half full, or glass half empty take on life?

It’s a recent discovery that many animals can be optimistic or pessimistic based on their experiences.

Dr. Melissa Starling holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and recently gained her PhD from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney with a topic that covered elements of dog behaviour, personality, emotions and cognition.

She has long had a passion for animal behaviour and animal training that has intensified as she learns more.

In this episode, we talk to Mel about her PhD research investigating optimism and pessimism – or cognitive bias – in dogs.

Podcast

Publications

Starling, M. J., Branson, N., Cody, D., Starling, T. R., & McGreevy, P. D. (2014). Developing an optimism index using results from a cognitive bias taskJournal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research9(6), e17-e18.

Starling, M. J., Branson, N., Cody, D., Starling, T. R., & McGreevy, P. D. (2014). Canine Sense and Sensibility: Tipping Points and Response Latency Variability as an Optimism Index in a Canine Judgement Bias AssessmentPloS one9(9), e107794.

Starling, M. J., Branson, N., Cody, D., & McGreevy, P. D. (2013). Conceptualising the Impact of Arousal and Affective State on Training Outcomes of Operant ConditioningAnimals3(2), 300-317.

McGreevy, P. D., Starling, M., Branson, N. J., Cobb, M. L., & Calnon, D. (2012). An overview of the dog–human dyad and ethograms within itJournal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research7(2), 103-117.

Dr Melissa Starling - Cognitive Bias in Dogs
Dr Melissa Starling – Cognitive Bias in Dogs

Links

Melissa Starling on Twitter (@dogoptimism)

Creature Teacher (personal website)

Dog Optimism on ABC Catalyst

Video – Optimism in Dogs (Melissa Starling)

Optimism in Dogs

Cover image: Flickr/hoodsie

Categories
Behaviour Cognition

Emotions, memory and social networks – of Goats

“Do goats have emotions?” is something rarely searched for on Google, but if you think about it, it’s a very good question.

The answer is yes, goats do have emotions.

Believe it or not, they also have social networks, puzzle solving skills, and impressive long term memories?

We’re not even kidding! Alan McElligott is based at the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the Queen Mary University of London, where he and his team research cattle, fallow deer, and goats.

In this episode, we talk about their recent work, and how it contributes to improved understanding of animal behaviour and behavioural ecology, raising important considerations for animal husbandry and welfare of goats in companion animal, livestock and pest contexts.

It’s time to learn about the emotions of goats!

Podcast

Publications

Dr. Alan McElligott - Do goats have emotions?
Dr. Alan McElligott

Briefer, E. F., Tettamanti, F., & McElligott, A. G. (2015). Emotions in goats: mapping physiological, behavioural and vocal profiles. Animal Behaviour99, 131-143.

Briefer, E. F., Haque, S., Baciadonna, L., & McElligott, A. G. (2014). Goats excel at learning and remembering a highly novel cognitive task. Frontiers in zoology, 11(1), 20.

Briefer, E. F., & McElligott, A. G. (2013). Rescued goats at a sanctuary display positive mood after former neglect. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 146(1), 45-55.

Briefer, E. F., de la Torre, M. P., & McElligott, A. G. (2012). Mother goats do not forget their kids’ calls. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0986.

Alan McElligott: Google Scholar profile with further publications

Links

Alan McElligott: research website

Alan McElligott on Twitter

Goats, the boffins of the farmyard (BioMed Central)

Happy goats: How animal rehab works (BBC News)


Header image: Flickr/tcmorgan

Categories
Animal Welfare Community Research

Horse racing’s big hit: why use whips on horses?

Why are whips used in horse racing?

Do whips make horses run faster or win races?

Are jockeys using whips to steer and stay safe, or are they simply whipping tired horses?

These are questions that prompted Professor Paul McGreevy of the University of Sydney to research the use of whips in horse racing.

Paul is recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as a specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine.

His research focuses on the behaviour and welfare of horses and dogs, and he is the author of six books and over 120 peer-reviewed articles on animal behaviour.

Paul’s award-winning research examining the use of whips in horse racing aims to further our awareness of the experience of horses, extending to a recent experiment capturing the thermographic effects of his own leg being hit with a padded whip.

As the Spring horse racing carnival hits its peak in Melbourne, Australia this week, we asked Paul to discuss his findings and what it means for horses, beyond the glamour and excitement of race day.

Podcast

Publications

Paul McGreevy - Why are whips used in horse racing?
Paul McGreevy – Why are whips used in horse racing?

Thomson, P., Hayek, A., Jones, B., Evans, D., McGreevy, P. (2014). Number, causes and destinations of horses leaving the Australian Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing industriesAustralian Veterinary Journal, 92(8), 303-311.

McGreevy, P., Caspar, G., Evans, D. (2013). A pilot investigation into the opinions and beliefs of Australian, British, and Irish jockeys. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: clinical applications and research, 8(2), 100-105.

McGreevy, P., Hawson, L., Salvin, H., McLean, A. (2013). A note on the force of whip impacts delivered by jockeys using forehand and backhand strikes. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: clinical applications and research, 8(5), 395-399.

McGreevy, P., Ralston, L. (2012). The distribution of whipping of Australian Thoroughbred racehorses in the penultimate 200 m of races is influenced by jockeys’ experience. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: clinical applications and research, 7(3), 186-190.

McGreevy, P., Corken, R., Salvin, H., Black, C. (2012). Whip Use by Jockeys in a Sample of Australian Thoroughbred Races – An Observational Study. PLoS One, 7(3), 1-6. [Open Access]

Evans, D., McGreevy, P. (2011). An Investigation of Racing Performance and Whip Use by Jockeys in Thoroughbred RacesPLoS One, 6(1), 1-5. [Open Access]

McGreevy, P., Oddie, C. (2011). Holding the whip hand – a note on the distribution of jockeys’ whip hand preferences in Australian Thoroughbred racing. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: clinical applications and research, 6(5), 287-289.

Paul McGreevy: Google Scholar profile with further publications

Links

Paul McGreevy: University of Sydney

The Conversation:  Whips hurt horses – if my leg’s anything to go by

RSPCA Australia position on racehorse whips

Header image used with permission © Liss Ralston

Categories
Psychology Therapy

Serious fun: animal assisted play therapy

Most of us know that playing with dogs and horses can be fun, but have you ever considered how important animal-assisted play might be in psychological therapy for people?

Dr. Risë VanFleet is the Founder of the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center in the United States, an organisation specialising in the training and supervision of child, family, and play therapy professionals, as well as the provision of mental health services for children and families.

She is a psychologist and author of several books, who focuses on strengthening family relationships through play, and has specialties in chronic medical illness, disaster mental health, child and family trauma and attachment interventions using play therapy, filial therapy, and the training and involvement of animals in assisted play therapy.

It’s this area of using animals, particularly dogs and horses, in play as a mode of therapy for people that we learn about with Risë in this episode.

Podcast

Publications

Dr. Risë VanFleet - Animal assisted play therapy
Dr. Risë VanFleet

VanFleet, R. (2008) Play Therapy with Kids and Canines: Benefits for Children’s Developmental and Psychosocial Health. Professional Resource Press (Book)

VanFleet, R. & Faa-Thompson, T. (2012) The power of play, multiplied. Play Therapy, 70, 7-10. (PDF)

VanFleet, R., & Faa-Thompson, T. (2010). The case for using animal-assisted play therapyBritish Journal of Play Therapy6, 4-18. (PDF)

Thompson, M. J. (2009). Animal-assisted play therapy: Canines as co-therapistsCompelling counseling interventions: VISTAS, 199-209. (PDF)

Odendaal, J. (2000). Animal-assisted therapy—magic or medicine? Journal of psychosomatic research49(4), 275-280.

Links

Risë VanFleet’s website: www.risevanfleet.com

Playful Pooch animal-assisted therapy website

The Clothier Animal Response Assessment Tool (CARAT)


Header image: Flickr/Matteo Paciotti

Categories
Behaviour

Aggressive behaviour in dogs: science that bites

Dr Rachel Casey is a veterinary surgeon, animal behaviourist and welfare scientist working at the University of Bristol Veterinary School in the United Kingdom.

Rachel has a PhD in animal behaviour and leads a research group investigating aspects of companion animal behaviour and welfare.

Her recent research on aggressive behaviour in dogs has highlighted important new information regarding prevalence, risk factors and occurrence in difference contexts.

The findings might not be what you expect.

Podcast

Links

Rachel Casey’s Blog: Reigning Cats and Dogs

Follow Rachel on Twitter:  @DrRachelCasey

Publications

Casey, RA, Loftus, BA, Bolster, C, Richards, GJ & Blackwell, E-J 2013, ‘Inter-dog aggression in a UK owner survey: prevalence, co-occurrence in different contexts and risk factors’Veterinary Record, vol 172.

Casey, RA, Loftus, BA, Bolster, C, Richards, GJ & Blackwell, E-J 2013, ‘Human directed aggression in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): occurrence in different contexts and risk factors’Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

Bradshaw, J, Blackwell, E & Casey, R 2009,Dominance in domestic dogs: useful construct or bad habit?’Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, vol 4., pp. 135 – 144

Why do dogs bite? The science behind aggressive behaviour in dogs

Image credit: Flickr/FredArmitage

Categories
Anthropology Pets Psychology Research

Anthropomorphism: are we guilty?

Are we guilty of anthropomorphism in dogs? As dog owners it’s very easy to humanise our pets.

Julie Hecht, MSc, is a researcher and science writer fascinated not just by animal behaviour and welfare, but how we think about animals and the consequences of those thoughts.

Take anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics to animals or objects) as a key example.

In this episode of Human Animal Science we explore what actually happens when we think that dog is guilty; or that cat is grumpy.

We discuss why we anthropomorphise and how it impacts on the animals.

Podcast

What is anthropomorphism in dogs?

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human entities.

In dogs, it can manifest as attributing emotions such as love, loyalty, and happiness to dogs, or expecting dogs to understand and communicate with us in ways that they do not. At least not in the same ways we do.

Do dogs know the difference between humans and dogs?

Dogs are intelligent creatures who are capable of complex social interaction, which means they’re able to pick up on our cues and learn from us.

However, studies show dogs actually see us as a member of their pack, not a separate species.

This means dogs do not necessarily know the difference between humans and dogs, but are capable of forming attachments to both.

Links

Dog Spies: www.dogspies.com  |  Dog Spies Blog on Scientific American

Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab (Barnard College, Columbia University, New York)

The Bark magazine

Do You Believe in Dog?

Publications

Hecht, Miklosi, & Gacsi (2012) Behavioral assessment and owner perceptions of behaviors associated with guilt in dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 139. 134-142.

Do dogs feel guilty? Jason Goldman | Scientific American

Hecht & Horowitz (2012) Physical prompts to anthropomorphism of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) Third Canine Science Forum, Barcelona, Spain. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 8, e30.

Horowitz (2009) Disambiguating the “guilty look”: Salient prompts to a familiar dog behavior. Behavioural Processes, 81, 447-452.

Horowitz (2007) Naturalizing anthropomorphism: Behavioral prompts to our humanizing of animals. Anthrozoös, 20, 23-35.

Image credit: Flickr/Brainware3000

Categories
Cognition Research

Sit, Stay, Scan: How do dogs think?

Greg Berns, MD, PhD from Emory University in Atlanta USA, specialises in the use of brain imaging technologies to understand human – and now, canine – motivation and decision-making.

Greg works as a neuroscientist working in the field of canine science. This allows him to use neuroscience techniques to assess how the brain of a dog makes decisions or reacts to stimulus.

In this episode, he speaks to Tim and Mia about his team’s research, named “The Dog Project”, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain activity in dogs.

Or to you and me, how dogs think.

Podcast

Book: How Dogs Love Us

How Dogs Love Us: A neuroscientist and his adopted dog decode the canine brain

How Dogs Love Us by Gregory Berns - an insight into how dogs think
How Dogs Love Us, Gregory Berns (Hardcover)

For the last 2 years, Greg has pursued his dream of using MRI to decode what dogs really think.

Partnering with a dog trainer, Berns’ group has trained a team of volunteer dogs to hold still in an MRI machine.

Greg explains the sound of an MRI machine to be like a jackhammer, and how the dogs had to be trained to wear ear muffs to protect them from the noise.

How dogs love us - how dogs think
How Dogs Love Us, Gregory Burns (Paperback)

The data the team are collecting is revealing startling insights about how a dogs brains work and how they think. They are finding proof dogs really do love us!

In the process, they have broken new ground in elevating the rights of dogs to human-equivalents.

Available on Amazon (Australia) as Hardcover or Paperback.

Available on Amazon (US) as Hardcover or Paperback.

Links

The Dog Project

Profile – Greg Berns, Emory University

PloS research article – Functional MRI in Awake Unrestrained Dogs

Opinion (NY Times) – Dogs are People too