Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of Stay
Length of stay is an important metric for animal shelters, and studies have identified physical characteristics of dogs, and some behaviors, that predict length of stay. Although many shelters include leash walks when introducing dogs to potential adopters, it is unknown whether behaviors during har...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/6/856 |
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| author | Betty McGuire Bailey Guy Miles Garland Alexandra Jackson |
| author_facet | Betty McGuire Bailey Guy Miles Garland Alexandra Jackson |
| author_sort | Betty McGuire |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Length of stay is an important metric for animal shelters, and studies have identified physical characteristics of dogs, and some behaviors, that predict length of stay. Although many shelters include leash walks when introducing dogs to potential adopters, it is unknown whether behaviors during harnessing and walking influence length of stay. During 707 walks of 120 dogs at a New York shelter, we recorded excitable behaviors, such as jumping on handlers, grabbing the leash, and pulling on the leash, whose measures of prevalence were largely unknown for shelter dogs. We also examined whether dog demographic characteristics predicted behaviors and whether behaviors predicted length of stay. During harnessing, jumping on handlers had the highest prevalence (45%), while during walking, pulling on the leash was most prevalent (86%). Dog age was the most common demographic predictor of behaviors, with jumping on handlers and total pulls/walk decreasing with age. Grabbing the leash predicted length of stay, with longer stays for dogs that displayed this behavior. These two findings suggest that it would be beneficial for shelter staff and volunteers to focus training efforts on younger dogs and those that grab the leash. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0ce88d7fdf5f4b499caf2bf2391e0ca9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-0ce88d7fdf5f4b499caf2bf2391e0ca92025-08-20T02:42:35ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-03-0115685610.3390/ani15060856Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of StayBetty McGuire0Bailey Guy1Miles Garland2Alexandra Jackson3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USADepartment of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USADepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USADepartment of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USALength of stay is an important metric for animal shelters, and studies have identified physical characteristics of dogs, and some behaviors, that predict length of stay. Although many shelters include leash walks when introducing dogs to potential adopters, it is unknown whether behaviors during harnessing and walking influence length of stay. During 707 walks of 120 dogs at a New York shelter, we recorded excitable behaviors, such as jumping on handlers, grabbing the leash, and pulling on the leash, whose measures of prevalence were largely unknown for shelter dogs. We also examined whether dog demographic characteristics predicted behaviors and whether behaviors predicted length of stay. During harnessing, jumping on handlers had the highest prevalence (45%), while during walking, pulling on the leash was most prevalent (86%). Dog age was the most common demographic predictor of behaviors, with jumping on handlers and total pulls/walk decreasing with age. Grabbing the leash predicted length of stay, with longer stays for dogs that displayed this behavior. These two findings suggest that it would be beneficial for shelter staff and volunteers to focus training efforts on younger dogs and those that grab the leash.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/6/856jumpingmouthingleash-bitingpulling on leashbarkingsex |
| spellingShingle | Betty McGuire Bailey Guy Miles Garland Alexandra Jackson Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of Stay Animals jumping mouthing leash-biting pulling on leash barking sex |
| title | Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of Stay |
| title_full | Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of Stay |
| title_fullStr | Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of Stay |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of Stay |
| title_short | Behaviors of Shelter Dogs During Harnessing and Leash Walks: Prevalence, Demographics, and Length of Stay |
| title_sort | behaviors of shelter dogs during harnessing and leash walks prevalence demographics and length of stay |
| topic | jumping mouthing leash-biting pulling on leash barking sex |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/6/856 |
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