#22: Mini-episode 3 - Puppy whines and maternal care, impacts of housing on shelter dog stress

Research Bites Podcast

Summary
In this conversation, I discuss two research papers related to dog behavior. The first paper explores the influence of puppy whines on maternal behavior in dogs. The study found that puppy whines trigger maternal care - with stronger maternal care in response to the mother's own puppies. The second paper examines the impact of different enrichment interventions on the stress levels of dogs in a shelter. The study suggests that housing dogs with conspecifics may be beneficial in reducing stress. However, the results are not clear cut and I discuss the limitations and challenges in interpreting this study.
Takeaways

• Puppy whines can influence maternal behavior in dogs, and mothers can identify their own puppies based on the acoustics of their whines.
• Housing dogs with conspecifics may help reduce stress levels in shelter dogs.
• Individual variation in shelter dogs is important to consider.
• Interpreting results in stress-related studies is complex - I discuss some of the important points to consider.

Chapters
00:00 The Influence of Puppy Whines on Maternal Behavior in Dogs
10:19 Enrichment Interventions and Stress Levels in Shelter Dogs
References
Massenet, M., Philippe, R., Pisanski, K., Arnaud, V., Barluet de Beauchesne, L., Reynaud, K., ... & Reby, D. (2024). Puppy whines mediate maternal behavior in domestic dogs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(22), e2316818121.
Corsetti, S., Natoli, E., Palme, R., & Viggiano, E. (2023). Intraspecific interactions decrease stress affecting welfare in shelter dogs: A comparison of four different housing conditions. Animals, 13(11), 1828.
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