Student I.

D 09151100

What Psychological Implications Does

A Lack Of Social Enrichment Have
Upon A Dog?
1087 words

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 CONTENTS

PAGE

1.0 SUMMARY
3

2.0 INTRODUCTION
3

3.0 ENRICHMENT
3

3.0a INANIMATE ENRICHMENT

4

3.0b SOCIAL ENRICHMENT

4

4.0 DISCUSSION
5

5.0 CONCLUSION
6

WORKS CITED
6

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1.0 SUMMARY:
The report shows the variation of enrichment methods, including items
such as toys etc, and interactions such as petting and walking etc. It
shows that both methods are crucial to the development of socialization
and the dog’s mental well-being. It was concluded that as dogs are highly
social animals, withdrawing any element of enrichment would lead to
unwanted behaviour and psychological implications becoming detrimental
to their health.

KEYWORDS: socialization, enrichment, unwanted behaviour

2.0 INTRODUCTION:
The aim of this report is to establish whether there are any significant
psychological implications upon a dog, if it suffers from a lack of social
enrichment.

Different methods used for enrichment will be reviewed, and compared, to

the psychological implications if any of these methods are withdrawn.

This is a particular topic of interest due to the increasing typical working

week for many dog owners, with the dogs often becoming neglected and
displaying unwanted behaviour.

3.0 ENRICHMENT:
3.0a INANIMATE ENRICHMENT:

This includes objects designed to stimulate dog’s natural behaviours.

Chewing is an important and natural behaviour and items need to be

provided to accommodate this. The addition of toys is also crucial for the
dogs to express natural behaviours and postures, such as pulling,
chewing, stalking and guarding etc

“The benefits of enrichment to laboratory beagles’ enclosures were

observed by Hubrecht (1993a, b, 1995b). Suspended toys or chews (e.g.
rawhide, Gumbone toy, plastic tube and dowel stick) were used by
puppies 64% of the time and by sub-adult males (7-13 months) 24% of
the time. Such items not only reduced to dogs’ inactive time, but also

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decreased destructive behaviour aimed at cage fixtures and furnishings.”
(Refinement, 2004)

“Any enrichment device should provide a measurable benefit to the

animals and should not be seen as a substitute for social contacts, or to
compensate for boring accommodation.”(Refinement, 2004)

3.0b SOCIAL ENRICHMENT:

Social enrichment is divided into two sub-categories, dog-dog interaction

and human-dog interaction.

Firstly, dog-dog interaction takes place in many forms and usually starts
at birth. The mother will interact with her pups and as they grow, will
teach the acceptable and non-acceptable behaviours within the litter.
“Dogs that are well socialized from birth, are less likely to be aggressive
or suffer from fear-biting.” ()

Playing with other dogs, either in the home, or at a dog park also teaches
the skills and habits necessary for participating within their own society.

Human-dog interaction can also be varied and also starts soon after birth,
with the handling of the pups by the breeder. Although studies suggest
that “long-term effects on behavioural development may also be
produced in some mammals by events occurring in utero”(Serpell, 1995).
With an ultrasound machine, pups can now be seen within the mother as
early as the fourth week of gestation. “When a pregnant animal is petted
her litter is more docile.”(Whimbey, 1963) Even just 45 minutes a day has
been shown to be beneficial.(Coppola, 2006)

Other social interactions include stroking, tickling, grooming, and walking

and consist of the human being a participant in the activity. Puppy/Dog
classes are the most popular form of social interaction. These can take on
many levels, from one on one training to group sessions, all focusing on
positive interaction to stimulate the dogs’ mental well-being.

4.0 DISCUSSION:
So as the average working week increases around the world and pet
owners are absent-mindedly neglecting even small parts of enrichment,
what psychological impact is this having?

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From the information presented so far, it is apparent that the two areas of
enrichment are crucial to the development of behavioural traits. Also it is
suggested that “events that influence the brain just after birth can have
influences that are difficult to reverse in adult dogs.”(Hart, 2006)

“A dog is a social animal, so a lack of social interaction can seriously

damage its psychological well-being, causing a build up of frustration and
anger that can explode at any minute”(Stilwell, 2009) Symptoms of
frustration appear early. Even within a few days of missing walks,
unwanted behaviour is displayed. Becoming more vocal, whining,
exaggerated yawns, barking etc, unwanted chewing of items, are all early
signs that the dog is suffering mental anxiety. If this then continues long
term effects can be detrimental to the dogs’ psychological health.
Frustration, boredom and loneliness can all contribute to anger, how this
displayed varies from human-dog aggression to dog-dog aggression.
When the mental anguish is such as that the dog continues to show
unwanted behaviour including aggression, pet owners find themselves in
situations where the behaviour becomes uncontrollable. A proportion of
owners will seek help, usually in the form of behavioural experts, but
many chose to re home them.

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Unfortunately, the most recent statistics published by the National Council are from 1997, and only
1,000 shelters replied to the survey at that time. Using the National Council's numbers from 1997 and
estimating the number of operating shelters in the United States to be 3,500 (the exact number of
animal shelters operating in the United States does not exist), these estimates were made:

It is estimated that approximately 3.7 million animals were euthanized in the nation’s shelters in 2008.

Fig 1: Adapted from the American Humane Society, Newsroom Factsheet

There are other reasons for euthanasia other than aggression, including
sickness and injury, however these figures show only a small proportion of
dogs that enter have a positive outcome.

A particular breed of dog may also require extra stimulation. Some breeds
can get bored very quickly; others struggle to interact with other dogs. All
these factors can contribute to the level of mental anxiety and studies
emphasize the importance of providing enrichment with the dogs’ natural
behaviour in mind. (Wells, 2004)(Refinement, 2004)

Studies have also shown that enrichment in older dogs can also slow down
the rate of cognitive decline.(Milgrim) “Leisure activities involving mental,
physical and social interactions all seem to offer some protection against
developing dementia, but activities that combine all three kinds of
stimulation offer the greatest benefit.”(Anita)

5.0 CONCLUSION:
Both methods of enrichment are crucial for the mental well-being of dogs.
Withdrawing any part can have a psychological impact. Symptoms are
usually displayed in the form of frustration and unwanted behaviour, and
if not addressed early, the effects can be detrimental.

Enrichment is not something that is to be done as and when, it is vitally

important that is part of everyday life, from puppy to geriatric.

Works Cited
Anita, K., Stephanie, P.-B., Hui-Xin, W., Merrill, S., Bengt, W., & Laura, F.
Mental, Physical and Social Componants in Common Leisure Activities in
Old Age in Relation to Dementia: Findings From The Kungsholmen Project.

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Coppola, C., Grandin, T., & Enns, R. (2006). Human Interaction and
Cortisol: Can human contact reduce stress for shelter dogs? Physiology
and Behaviour , 537-41.

Hart, B., Hart, L., & M.J, B. (2006). Canine and Felline Behaviour Therapy
2nd Edition. Blackwell.

Milgrim, N., & E. Head, S. Z. (n.d.). Learning ability in aged beagle dogs is
preserved by behavioural enrichment and dietry fortification: a two year
longitudinal study. Neurobiology of Ageing .

Refinement, B. J. (2004). Husbandry refinements for rats, mice, dogs and

non-human primates used in telemetry procedures. England: Laboratory
Animals Ltd.

Serpell, J. A. (1995). The Domestic Dog: It's Evolution, Behaviour and

Interactions with People. Cambridge University Press.

Socialization 4.3 Dogs. (n.d.). Retrieved Oct 7, 2009, from Wikipedia.

Stilwell, V. (2009, August 13). Chaining dogs un-leashes bad behaviour.

USA Today .

Wells, D. (2004). A Review of Environmental Enrichment For Kennelled

Dogs, canis familiaris. Applied Animal Behaviour Science , 307-17.

Whimbey, V. H. (1963). Behaviour of Adult Rats is Modified By The

Experience The Mother Had. Sciencemag .

The American Humane Society (accessed Oct 2009). Newsroom

Factsheets.