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Cited by 75Animal Behavior and Welfare StudiesHuman-Animal Interaction StudiesVeterinary Orthopedics and Neurology

Can Sleep and Resting Behaviours Be Used as Indicators of Welfare in Shelter Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?

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Owczarczak-Garstecka, Sara C., Burman, Oliver H. P.·2016·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0163620PMC PMC5061428
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Abstract

Previous research on humans and animals suggests that the analysis of sleep patterns may reliably inform us about welfare status, but little research of this kind has been carried out for non-human animals in an applied context. This study explored the use of sleep and resting behaviour as indicators of welfare by describing the activity patterns of dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) housed in rescue shelters, and comparing their sleep patterns to other behavioural and cognitive measures of welfare. Sleep and activity patterns were observed over five non-consecutive days in a population of 15 dogs. Subsequently, the characteristics of sleep and resting behaviour were described and the impact of activity on patterns of sleep and resting behaviour analysed. Shelter dogs slept for 2.8% of the day, 14.3% less than previously reported and experienced less sleep fragmentation at night (32 sleep bouts). There were no statistically significant relationships between behaviours exhibited during the day and sleep behaviour. A higher proportion of daytime resting behaviour was significantly associated with a positive judgement bias, less repetitive behaviour and increased time spent coded as 'relaxed' across days by shelter staff. These results suggest that, in the context of a busy shelter environment, the ability to rest more during the day could be a sign of improved welfare. Considering the non-linear relationship between sleep and welfare in humans, the relationship between sleep and behavioural indicators of welfare, including judgement bias, in shelter dogs may be more complex than this study could detect.

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  • Chronic stress-related behaviours, including increased aggression, excitement, uncertainty, paw lifting, vocalizations, repetitive behaviours, circling, self-licking, panting, and holding the head up during rest, may manifest over time in shelter dogs.

    “Chronic stress-related behaviours, including increased aggression, excitement, uncertainty, paw lifting, vocalizations, repetitive behaviours, circling, self-licking, panting, and holding the head up during rest, may manifest over time [177,178,179,180].”

    From Ethical Concerns about Fashionable Dog Breeding (2024) · cites this paper as [179]

    The Methods (Behaviour observations; page not available) identify repetitive behaviours, circling, vocalisations and panting as welfare indicators in shelter dogs, and the Introduction identifies panting as associated with an increasing stress response. The copy does not support the rest of the listed behaviours as chronic stress signs in shelter dogs or establish that these behaviours manifest over time. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Owczarczak-Garstecka, S. C., & Burman, O. H. P.
Affiliations
University of Lincoln (GB)
ORCID
Burman, Oliver H. P.
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2016-10-12
Volume
11
Issue
10
Pages
e0163620
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0163620
PMC
PMC5061428
OpenAlex
W2530527282
Cited by
75
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4
FWCI
8.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Lincoln Repository (University of Lincoln) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/J00703X/1)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Veterinary Orthopedics and Neurology
Keywords
shelter dogs, animal welfare indicators, sleep patterns, resting behavior, activity patterns, sleep fragmentation, judgment bias, repetitive behavior, dog welfare
MeSH terms
Aging, Animals, Animal Welfare, Behavior, Animal, Dogs, Female, Housing, Animal, Male, Sleep, Video Recording

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