Proceedings of a workshop to identify dog welfare issues in the US, Japan, Czech Republic, Spain and the UK

Houpt, Katherine A.; Goodwin, Deborah; Uchida, Yoshiko; Baranyiová, Eva; Fatjó, Jaume; Kakuma, Yoshie

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2007.01.005

Cited by 45 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…It is well documented that obesity is a risk factor for many disorders in dogs, such as orthopaedic disease (Kealy et al ., ), urinary tract disease (Lekcharoensuk et al ., ; Lund et al ., ), cardiovascular disease (Edney & Smith, ; Mizelle et al ., ), respiratory dysfunction (Bach et al ., ) and hormonal disturbances (Martin et al ., ). Taken together, obesity reduces longevity (Kealy et al ., ) and has to be regarded as an animal welfare issue (Houpt et al ., ). Although the treatment of obesity, reducing energy intake and enhancing physical activity are simple in theory, weight loss programs often fail; therefore, a better knowledge about the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms is urgently needed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Faecal microbiota in lean and obese dogs

Handl

German

Holden

et al. 2013

FEMS Microbiol Ecol

111

122

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Previous work has shown obesity to be associated with changes in intestinal microbiota. While obesity is common in dogs, limited information is available about the role of the intestinal microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate whether alterations in the intestinal microbiota may be associated with canine obesity. Using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and quantitative real-time PCR, we evaluated the composition of the faecal microbiota in 22 lean and 21 obese pet dogs, as well as in five research dogs fed ad libitum and four research dogs serving as lean controls. Firmicutes, Fusobacteria and Actinobacteria were the predominant bacterial phyla. The phylum Actinobacteria and the genus Roseburia were significantly more abundant in the obese pet dogs. The order Clostridiales significantly increased under ad libitum feeding in the research dogs. Canine intestinal microbiota is highly diverse and shows considerable interindividual variation. In the pet dogs, influence on the intestinal microbiota besides body condition, like age, breed, diet or lifestyle, might have masked the effect of obesity. The study population of research dogs was small, and further work is required before the role of the intestinal microbiota in canine obesity is clarified.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Faecal microbiota in lean and obese dogs

Handl

German

Holden

et al. 2013

FEMS Microbiol Ecol

111

122

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“…Such strong aversion might indicate a potential welfare concern for the impact of KAT training on the health of the dogs. The use of electric training collars in dog training is controversial due to injury, stress, unwanted associations, and poor timing of shock administrations (Hiby et al, 2004;Houpt et al, 2007;Schalke et al, 2007;Schilder and van der Borg, 2003). The welfare impact of electric training collars in dogs can be reduced with dogs being able to predict shocks and control their response to it (Schalke et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The acquisition and maintenance of dogs’ aversion responses to kiwi (Apteryx spp.) training stimuli across time and locations

Dale

Statham

Podlesnik

et al. 2013

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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a b s t r a c t Dogs (Canis familiaris) pose a significant threat to kiwi (Apteryx spp.) through predation. In an attempt to balance kiwi conservation and the need for dogs to be used for hunting purposes in kiwi habitat, the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) developed the Kiwi Aversion Training (KAT) programme. KAT involves a training session in which a dog is presented with KAT stimuli (stuffed kiwi, frozen kiwi, and kiwi feathers) and a brief period (0.5-1.5 s) of aversive electrical stimulation from an electric shock collar is applied when the dog makes contact with the training stimuli. This paper reports three experiments: (1) investigating whether dogs can learn to avoid the KAT stimuli through aversion training; (2) investigating maintenance of aversion to the KAT stimuli 1 month after initial training; and (3) investigating maintenance of aversion to the KAT stimuli 1 year after initial training. All dogs showed aversion responses to the KAT stimuli during the initial KAT training and also when exposed to the KAT stimuli 1 month after training without an electric collar being worn. 1 year after initial training, 87% (48/55) of dogs avoided the KAT stimuli. This research indicates that KAT effectively produces aversion towards the KAT stimuli that generalizes to another location, is independent of the electric collar being worn, and that lasts at least 1 year after training.

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“…Whereas approximately 40% of households in the Czech Republic and Australia include a dog (Marston and Bennett 2003;Houpt et al 2007), only 14% of Austrian households do so (Kotrschal et al 2004). Whereas approximately 40% of households in the Czech Republic and Australia include a dog (Marston and Bennett 2003;Houpt et al 2007), only 14% of Austrian households do so (Kotrschal et al 2004).…”

Section: Niche Of Dogs In Western Culturesmentioning

confidence: 99%