Building Better Dogs - Tammie King (1 of 2)

Dogs were originally selected and bred to perform specific working roles such as guarding, hunting and herding, resulting in dog breeds which vary enormously in their morphology and behaviour. However, dogs nowadays rarely get to undertake the roles for which they were once bred; instead they are primarily kept as companions for people. It is possible some dogs may be better suited to perform this role than others. The Australian public were surveyed to determine what characteristics are considered ideal in a modern day dog. The results indicated that the most important behavioural characteristics relate to the canine personality trait 'amicability'. The aim of my research therefore, is to begin the process of accurately and reliably assessing canine behaviour by developing a measure of amicability. The ability to accurately assess canine behaviour would be of great benefit to many dog related organisations and assist dog breeders to make informed breeding choices. In addition to educating the public about dog training and behaviour, the ability to better describe a dogs behaviour could assist dog-owner matching which should reduce the numbers of dogs relinquished to shelters. Data collection is currently underway to test the validity and reliability of the Monash Canine Amicability Assessment.

Part 2 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27KRLOz8LDs

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• building
• better
• dogs
• animal
• welfare
• science
• centre
• tammie
• king
• monash
• university