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kingsfolly

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  1. Hi Erny, Thanks for attending the seminar yesterday I hope you enjoyed the day. It was really good to see so many people there. In regards to my study and the question you asked, I think I may not have answered your question clearly enough when asked yesterday. So I shall try to do so here a bit better. In regards to the point of my research which you say you are having trouble understanding, I am trying to establish whether or not we can accurately measure a particular component of dog behaviour in a scientific (objective, valid, repeatable, realistic, etc. ) manner. We all know that both genetics and environment play a role in how a dog behaves but in my study I am not interested in separating the two components. I just want to see if we can measure the behaviour in an accurate way which will then help develop further assessments which look at other behavioural attributes. Of course, a dog’s experience will affect how it performs in the assessment and this is expected. I may not have clearly described that there are sections of the questionnaires which ask about the dog’s training history, attendance at puppy pre-school, age of acquisition, place of acquisition etc. to try and give us as much information as possible about the dog and it’s ‘environmental’ background. During the data analysis I will be examining these variables to see how they relate to the behaviour observed during the assessment. I suspect this is probably more about what you are talking about and this will be something that I will be discussing in my thesis also. I hope that helps clarify the research for you and please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have further questions about it. Tammie
  2. Just to clarify, this seminar is not being funded by RSPCA.
  3. Steve, I hope you're attending the "Building better dogs" seminar at Monash University (the invite is on another thread). I am sure you will be interested in listening to Vanessa Rohlf's talk on "What makes people responsible owners?" Vanessa would be more than happy to discuss with you her research and this could open the doors to future collaborations with our organisations. Regards, Tammie
  4. [quote McGeevy Pauline Tammie and friends are about cross breeding - and removing pure bred dogs. ??? Lilli.. I have seen you at dog shows.. we both exhibit in Group 6! If you can't make it to the seminar, next time I see you I will introduce myself properly. I hope to see you at the seminar though so I can lay your fears at rest.
  5. Hi again everyone, Wow, this discussion is still going! I am impressed. It is obvious how passionate everyone is about dogs. I think it is fantastic. First of all, please let me tell you all a bit about myself. I think some of you have gotten the wrong idea of what I am doing based on who you think I am. In addition to undertaking my PhD within the Anthrozoology Research Group I have also been involved with breeding, raising, training and exhibiting Rhodesian Ridgebacks for over 20 years. I have also owned Dobermanns for the past 15 or so years. I show my current Dobe and have also trained him in Schutzhund. A sport I am very sorry to see disappear here in Victoria. (that is another thread I am sure!). So Jed, please don’t dismiss all academics because you think none of them are familiar with dog breed standards or dog shows. Most of us in the Anthrozoology Research Group are motivated to conduct research into these areas because we are involved in the various aspects of dog ownership including showing, training and breeding. Anyway, as some have already stated and which I would like to reiterate, is that that I am undertaking research toward a PhD. For those who are unaware, during a PhD one must develop a research question after a thorough review of existing literature on the topic of interest. I was primarily interested in canine behaviour assessments; their development, uses, validity etc. As I have already mentioned, a number of behavioural characteristics were identified after surveying the Australian public regarding what characteristics they consider “ideal” in a companion dog. This is what led me to develop an assessment aimed at measuring behavioural traits relating to the personality trait, amicability. So, my question is, “Can we accurately measure amicability of adult dogs?” A very small study in the broad scheme of things I know! By the end of my 3 + years of research I will have an answer. That really is what I am out to primarily achieve. I would like this assessment to be worthwhile and meaningful, but am fully aware that it may not be. The DNA sample is OPTIONAL. Again, as already mentioned in a previous post, it is not part of my study. Some of you are concerned about this component and I respect your points of view. All participants are required to sign a consent form to take part in my study and you are NOT required to “agree that a DNA sample is taken from your dog.” There is not an issue if you tick the “no” box. I would be glad to have to take part in my study! Yes, I agree that we here on Dogzonline are not your “average” dog owner. We might like that high drive animal but judging from the questionnaire results, MOST people do not. I think an accurate and reliable assessment tool which provides information on a dog’s temperament would be beneficial. Also, please remember this is not a TEST, it is an assessment. There is no pass or fail. Of course breeds have different behavioural dispositions to one another and some may rate more highly on the amicability assessment. (if it can actually can be developed) Furthermore, within these breeds there are likely to be individuals which will rate differently. Could we accurately identify dogs which possess temperaments that the majority of Australian people consider ‘ideal?’ From my point of view it is all about increasing awareness of dog behaviour not only to breeders but also to the general public. If it makes people think more about dog behaviour before obtaining a dog and what is involved regarding training etc, then I will be more than happy. I want this project to be a step in the right direction. I notice, some of you have been quoting from papers which I DID NOT author, yet you have been labelling it as my research. Please refrain from doing this. However, the paper that you have been copying and pasting from has a paragraph I really think is important and one of the reasons I would like to see some form of behaviour assessment/s adopted here in this country to be used on dogs prior to breeding. Now this may not be the assessment related to my current research, but my research may be a step in the right direction in developing accurate and reliable behaviour assessments. “The potential benefits of behavioural testing of breeding dogs have recently been demonstrated in relation to the Dutch Rottweiler population. In response to threats to ban Rottweilers in this community, the Dutch Kennel Club implemented a policy in 2001 that requires all Rottweilers to be tested prior to breeding. Only puppies produced by ‘approved’ dogs can be registered with the governing body, with the remainder being categorised as Rottweiler look-alikes. Several years after the introduction of the scheme registered Rottweilers are reported to have significantly lower rates of dog-directed fear/aggression, stranger-directed fear and non-social fear than do look-alikes.” I would like to add that all of your comments have been interesting, helpful and caused me to think in more detail about the issues you have raised. Researchers rely on people like those on this forum, who are familiar and experienced with the area of research they are involved in. It is crucial that we all work together to share ideas pertaining to the current studies involving our canine companions. So I thank you all for commenting and others for volunteering to participate. All of your input will help with the writing of my thesis. Regards, Tammie King.
  6. So what if the media and/or government take your scientific findings that your own breed is not "suitable for Australian society" (your own words) and gives your breed bad press/legislates against it? Surely the person conducting the "other study" would be able to get clearance to collect DNA for themselves? I understand your point of view and why you are concerned but one of the reasons I am conducting this research is so there is no BSL. We already know from past research that BSL is completely unjustified and an individual dog's behaviour should be assessed, hence why I am developing this assessment. This is something I discussed at a recent conference. It may be possible that certain breeds rate more or less highly than others overall, which will be very interesting.. it is also possible that there are no significant differences... but this by no means infers that a breed should be banned, if that's what your're implying. I, as the researcher would be the first to inform government, media etc. But, maybe the findings will mean that it would become mandatory to have your dog's behaviour assessed prior to breeding, registration etc. This would not only encourage more resposnible dog breeding but also encourage people to train and socialise their dogs. Also ensure suitable dogs are matched with suitable owners. In regards to the DNA sample again, as I will have access to 200 dogs, I have been asked to collect the samples. Please refer to Corvus' post which sums it up nicely "Without knowing anything about the project, it's possible the DNA side of things is just standard procedure. Initial talks with my PhD supervisor and a geneticist involved doing cheek swabs for my project even though I have no intention of looking at genetics. The idea is that if someone eventually does want to look at it, there will already be a DNA bank to plunder."
  7. Unfortunately, some studies indicate that puppy temperament tests are notoriously unreliable in predicting a dogs’ future behaviour or personality. I agree that owners can influence their dog's behaviour. We know that how a dog behaves is a result of a combination of factors relating to its inherent temperament and the environment it lives in, as well as its past experience. Dogs within the same breed share common temperament traits but also differ by possessing individual behavioural characteristics some of which are heritable. These combine with experience to produce distinct personality traits, which then influence the tendency of each dog to react in specific but generally consistent ways to future stimuli. This is significant because it means that personality can be inferred from how an individual behaves in certain situations, and that this, by extension, tells us something about the dog’s underlying temperament. Although dog temperament is thought to be present from an early age and remains stable over time, it is unknown when temperament is fully developed in a young animal and therefore it is not known when the optimal time would be to assess temperament as a future predictor of behaviour. Therefore, the age when individual dogs are tested can influence the predictability of how that dog will behave in the future. We have chosen adult dogs for this study, to ensure their personality/temperament is fully developed.
  8. Two things that immediately jumped out at me. Are you testing the behaviours of specific breeds? Is it individual DOGS that will be noted as "ideal", or breeds (or crosses thereof)? Will differences in breed characteristics be taken into account? eg. I am guessing you will get a different response from an Afghan with a stranger than you will with, say, a Labrador. Why are you taking DNA if it is not part of your study? No other study is mentioned in the email or flyer, leading one to believe that the DNA is for your study. Hi elfin, I am primarily interested in whether we can accurately measure dog behaviour. If there are adeqaute numbers of various breeds represented then I would be very interested to see if breeds significnatly differ from one another. I am almost certain the breed I own won't rate as very amicable, but that is neither good nor bad. It just means these types of dog aren't suited to a most people. Again, as I said, the more information we are armed with to inform potential dog owners, the better! In regards to the DNA sample, I can assure you I am being totally honest. My research has to undergo human and animal ethics clearance to commence and the reason I am taking DNA samples is as I already stated, it may potentially be used in another project.
  9. Kate is developing a behaviour assessment specifically for dogs within in a welfare shelter. You are right she is nearing completion of her study.
  10. Hi everyone, My name is Tammie King. I am the PhD researcher who is conducting the study that has caused quite a discussion. First of all, thank you to the person on this forum who kindly contacted me. I have read over each of your posts and really wanted to clear a few things up. It seems many people have jumped to conclusions about what this research is all about. I will endeavor to cover most people’s concerns and queries but if any of you have other questions or comments please let me know. I rely on dog owners like you to assist me during my research. Also, if there are any people on this forum who have already participated with their dog please let others know about your experience. Overall, the aim of my study is to develop a valid and reliable canine behavioural assessment. After conducting a literature review on existing behaviour assessments I found that after their reliability and validity were tested, the assessments were actually unreliable and/or inaccurate. Furthermore, many have not been developed using a systematic scientific approach. So what I am trying to do is develop a dog behaviour assessment from scratch taking into account both the reliability and the validity of the assessment. Reliability refers to how repeatable and consistent the measure is while validity concerns the extent to which the measurement actually measures the desired behaviour in question and how it can predict behaviour in the outside world. The complexity of dog behaviour makes the development of accurate ways to measure behaviour difficult. That is why I am in the process of recruiting 200 dogs and their owners to assist me in trying to develop this assessment. Conditions are standardised as much as possible and the owner accompanies their dog through a short behaviour assessment which involves meeting an unknown person. The dog is observed both with and without the owner. The behaviour of the dog is video recorded and I have found many owners actually enjoy watching their dog when they are not present. Few of us get the opportunity to see what our dogs will get up to when we aren't around! The assessment is simple and straightforward and I am in no way judging your dog or yourself. Basically, I am trying to find out if we can accurately measure a specific canine personality trait; amicability. That is, dogs which exhibit friendly, relaxed, sociable, easy-going and non-aggressive behaviours. The reason we chose these behaviours is that after conducting a questionnaire we found that majority of participants considered these types of behaviours "ideal". Currently, we do not know what measures are important in determining which dogs are more or less amicable than others that is why we need so many dogs. Statistical analyses of data taken from video footage will help determine which behaviours are important. So, in order for me to find out whether we can accurately measure one element of canine behaviour and thus identify amicable dogs then I need dog owners like yourselves as well as your dogs to help me out. I am looking for ALL types of adult dogs (18months +) of various age, sex, neutering status, breed, training level, temperament etc. I will also be assessing a sample of puppies (6-8 months) who will be re-tested 12 months later to examine the assessments predictive validity. The DNA cheek swab that I am taking from each dog is not part of my study. The DNA will potentially be used for another study which is investigating whether certain genes are linked with particular behavioural traits. All very interesting, but something I am not examining during my study. Having been involved with breeding dogs for many years, as well as being a dog owner, exhibitor and trainer, I believe the more information we have about a dog regarding its conformation, health and behaviour, then the better equipped we are in making breeding choices. If we had a valid and reliable tool which assisted with assessing the behaviour of dogs then we could be selecting and breeding for the types of dogs that possess behaviours that we find desirable. We could also be better matching dogs and owners. Yes, I agree not one dog is suited to everyone but there are definitely behaviours that most people agree are important. I also think it is paramount that we continue to educate the public about dog training and behaviour, perhaps even be doing a better job at it. Maybe more research is required in that area too, perhaps someone else’s PhD?! (Unfortuneatly, I don't have time to examine this in my study). Nonetheless, I also think we could be better selecting, breeding and matching dogs with owners, taking into account a dog's behaviour. This is why I am attempting to develop a behaviour assessment. I hope I have explained my research clearly and dispelled a few myths and misconceptions so now you and your dogs can get involved and be part of this exciting study! I was actually pleased to see that my research had caused such a discussion here as it means you are all as passionate as I am about our canine friends! Regards, Tammie King Anthrozoology Research Group Monash University
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