Evaluating FIDO: Developing and pilot testing the Field Instantaneous Dog Observation tool

Abstract

HIGHLIGHTS• The Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) tool, a non-invasive, field ready tool designed to capture the immediate welfare status of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities was developed and pilot tested for inter-rater reliability.• Affiliative or neutral (green) responses to approach were most commonly identified by both novice and expert raters in this study.• Both expert and novice raters achieved substantial levels of agreement when using the behavioral component of the FIDO tool.• There was no statistically significant effect of caretaker presence on response to approach in this study. Page 1Creative AbstractField assessments of the health and welfare of kenneled dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) must be both accurate and rapid. In order to facilitate such evaluations, especially by individuals with limited training in canine behavior and welfare, a non-invasive tool was developed and pilot-tested utilizing dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities. Behavioral responses to approach were organized into three categories: red, indicating a fearful response to approach, green, indicating an affiliative or neutral response to approach, and yellow, indicating an ambivalent response to approach. The inter-rater reliability (IRR) of the tool when used by both behavioral experts and novice raters was evaluated with and without the presence of the dog's familiar caretaker. Utilizing Cohen's kappa, the experts had almost perfect levels of agreement (kappa=0.87).The novice raters had substantial levels of agreement (kappa=0.74). Overall, the dogs assessed by the novice raters had high proportions of green responses to approach and there was no statistically significant effect of caretaker presence on the proportion of green responses to approach. The assessment tool evaluated herein appears to have a high degree of IRR whether used by experts in canine behavior or by novice raters and may be a useful screening tool to determine the need for more in-depth welfare assessments.

Socialization in Commercial Breeding Kennels: The Use of Novel Stimuli to Measure Social and Non-Social Fear in Dogs

“…Previous research on the welfare of dogs presumably from CBKs conducted using data originating from dog owner reports [ 9 ] has lacked empirical evidence from direct observations. However, with advances in the development of dog welfare assessment tools and increased direct access to commercial dog breeding premises [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], researchers are beginning to better understand the behavior and health status of this population and how to assess their overall welfare in a more holistic way. It is important for researchers, breeding facility operators, and inspectors to have access to highly functional, validated, and easy to use tools designed to measure canine welfare in the field.…”

“…It is important for researchers, breeding facility operators, and inspectors to have access to highly functional, validated, and easy to use tools designed to measure canine welfare in the field. For example, the development of the Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) tool, which offers a means to assess the physical and behavioral welfare states of dogs in CBKs, including their physical and behavioral health, has played an important role in the move toward the collection of direct observational data from this population [ 10 ].…”

Exploring Social Desirability Bias in Perceptions of Dog Adoption: All’s Well that Ends Well? Or Does the Method of Adoption Matter?

“…Sourcing of dogs is an increasingly contentious issue. Concerns range from the quality of the conditions under which dogs are reared and bred [ 12 ], to the implications of acquisition methods for dog care and welfare. Although they only sampled the Chicago area, Freiwald et al (2014) found that how respondents acquired a dog was not an indicator of future willingness to spend money on veterinary care [ 13 ].…”

Turning up the Volume on Man’s Best Friend: Ethical Issues Associated with Commercial Dog Breeding

“…For example, one study assessing dogs' physical welfare and cleanliness in licensed commercial breeding facilities in Indiana found no significant problems in these areas (Hurt, 2016). In addition, Bauer et al (2017) found high proportions of affiliative behaviors in dogs in commercial breeding kennels. These inconsistencies give credence to the idea that with appropriate management, diligent commercial dog breeders may be able to meet dogs' welfare needs.…”

“…This has culminated in fractious debates about how to meet the demand for companion dogs, while sustainably and ethically sourcing them. Commercial dog breeders currently help to supply US consumers with the purebred and 'designer' dogs they desire (Hurt et al, 2016;Bauer et al, 2017). In the US, dogs from such kennels are typically made available to consumers through sales in pet stores or via online retailers.…”