Assessing In-Kennel Behavior of Dogs as a Predictor of Length of Shelter Stay

Abstract

Approximately 3.9 million canines reside in animal shelters in the United States. Close to a fifth of these dogs will be euthanized due to a variety of reasons; some of these reasons are related to the dog’s behavior (e.g., aggression). Behavior modification programs have been shown to improve canine behavior while at the shelter and simultaneously increase adoptability and long-term placement potential. However, few studies have investigated what behavioral traits or skills significantly improve chances of adoption. The current study systematically replicates Protopopova and colleague’s (2014) research examining how certain canine behaviors can lead to faster or slower times to adoption. In doing so, we plan to address several perceived limitations in their original study by using novel adopters for each dog interaction and including male adopters for dog interactions. This study will also establish whether the results will generalize to a new shelter and population, specifically the canines at the Eau Claire County Humane Association (ECCHA).