10.5061/DRYAD.5N7P9
Protopopova, Alexandra
University of Florida
Mehrkam, Lindsay Renee
University of Florida
Boggess, May Meredith
Arizona State University
University of Newcastle Australia
Wynne, Clive David Lawrence
Arizona State University
Data from: In-kennel behavior predicts length of stay in shelter dogs
Dryad
dataset
2015
Canis lupus familiaris
Overpopulation
Shelter
Coping
Adoption
2015-11-19T00:00:00Z
2015-11-19T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0114319
444673 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Previous empirical evaluations of training programs aimed at improving dog
adoption rates assume that dogs exhibiting certain behaviors are more
adoptable. However, no systematic data are available to indicate that the
spontaneous behavior of shelter dogs has an effect on adopter preference.
The aim of the present study was to determine whether any behaviors that
dogs exhibit spontaneously in the presence of potential adopters were
associated with the dogs' length of stay in the shelter. A sample of
289 dogs was videotaped for 1 min daily throughout their stay at a county
shelter. To account for differences in adopter behavior, experimenters
varied from solitary passive observers to pairs of interactive observers.
Dogs behaved more attentively to active observers. To account for adopter
preference for morphology, dogs were divided into “morphologically
preferred” and “non-preferred” groups. Morphologically preferred dogs were
small, long coated, ratters, herders, and lap dogs. No theoretically
significant differences in behavior were observed between the two
different dog morphologies. When accounting for morphological preference,
three behaviors were found to have a significant effect on length of stay
in all dogs: leaning or rubbing on the enclosure wall (increased median
length of stay by 30 days), facing away from the front of the enclosure
(increased by 15 days), and standing (increased by 7 days). When
combinations of behaviors were assessed, back and forth motion was found
to predict a longer stay (increased by 24 days). No consistent behavioral
changes were observed due to time spent at the shelter. These findings
will allow shelters to focus behavioral modification efforts only on
behaviors likely to influence adopters' choices.
Protopopova et al. Raw DataThis is the raw data for all dogs across all
days. Please contact the main author if any clarifications are
required.Protopopova et al. InKennelBxPredictsStay.xlsxProtopopova et al.
All CodesAll codes (STATA) used to analyze data. Please contact the first
author for any clarifications.Protopopova et al.Codes.zip