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A comparative test of inequity aversion in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and dingoes (Canis dingo).

ABSTRACT: Despite much recent empirical work on inequity aversion in nonhuman species, many questions remain about its distribution across taxa and the factors that shape its evolution and expression. Past work suggests that domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and wolves (Canis lupus) are averse to inequitable resource distributions in contexts that call upon some degree of training such as 'give paw' and 'buzzer press' tasks. However, it is unclear whether inequity aversion appears in other canid species and in other experimental contexts. Using a novel inequity aversion task that does not require specific training, this study helps address these gaps by investigating inequity aversion in domestic dogs and a closely related but non-domesticated canid, the dingo (Canis dingo). Subjects were presented with equal and unequal reward distributions and given the opportunity to approach or refuse to approach allocations. Measures of interest were (1) subjects' refusal to approach when getting no food; (2) approach latency; and (3) social referencing. None of these measures differed systematically across the inequity condition and control conditions in either dogs or dingoes. These findings add to the growing literature on inequity aversion in canids, providing data from a new species and a new experimental context. Additionally, they raise questions about the experimental features that must be in place for inequity aversion to appear in canids.

SUBMITTER: McAuliffe K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8457503 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have the potential to act as disease reservoirs for wildlife and are important sentinels for common circulating pathogens. Therefore, the infectious disease seroprevalence among domestic dogs in northern Botswana may be indicative of pathogen exposure of various wildlife species. The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of Ehrlichia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma spp., Dirofilaria immitis, canine adenovirus, canine parvovirus, and canine distemper virus in domestic dogs as proxies of disease prevalence in the local wildlife in the Okavango Delta region of Botswana. Statistical analysis assessed crude and factor-specific seroprevalence proportions in relation to age, sex, and geographical location as predictors of seropositivity. Logistic regression was used to identify adjusted predictors of seropositivity for each of the pathogens of interest. RESULTS:Samples from 233 dogs in a total of seven locations in Maun, Botswana, and surrounding villages were collected and serologically analyzed. No dogs were seropositive for B. burgdorferi, while low seroprevalence proportions were observed for Anaplasma spp. (2.2%) and D. immitis (0.9%). Higher seroprevalence proportions were observed for the tick-borne pathogen Ehrlichia spp. (21.0%), and 19.7% were seropositive for canine adenovirus (hepatitis). The highest seroprevalence proportions were for canine parvovirus (70.0%) and canine distemper virus (44.8%). The predictors of seropositivity revealed that adults were more likely to be seropositive for canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, and canine parvovirus than juveniles, and location was a risk factor for canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus, and Ehrlichia spp. CONCLUSIONS:Results indicate that increasing tick control and vaccination campaigns for domestic dogs may improve the health of domestic animals, and potentially wildlife and humans in the Okavango Delta since viral and vector-borne bacterial pathogens can be transmitted between them.

Project description:It is now widely agreed that a positive affective state is a crucial component of animal well-being. The judgment bias test represents a widespread tool used to assess animals' optimistic/pessimistic attitude and to evaluate their emotional state and welfare. Judgment bias tests have been used several times with dogs (Canis familiaris), in most cases using a spatial test with a bowl placed in ambiguous positions located between a relatively positive trained location (P) which contains a baited bowl and a relatively negative trained location (N) which contains an empty bowl. The latency to approach the bowl in the ambiguous locations is an indicator of the dog's expectation of a positive/negative outcome. However, results from such tests are often inconclusive. For the present study, the judgment bias test performance of 51 shelter dogs and 40 pet dogs was thoroughly analysed. A pattern emerged with shelter dogs behaving in a more pessimistic-like way than pet dogs. However, this difference between the two populations was detected only when analysing the raw latencies to reach the locations and not the more commonly applied adjusted score (i.e. average latency values). Furthermore, several methodological caveats were found. First of all, a non-negligible percentage of dogs did not pass the training phase, possibly due to the experimental paradigm not being fully suited for this species. Second, results showed a high intra-dog variability in response to the trained locations, i.e. the dogs' responses were not consistent throughout the test, suggesting that animals may not have fully learned the association between locations and their outcomes. Third, dogs did not always behave differently towards adjacent locations, raising doubts about the animals' ability to discriminate between locations. Finally, a potential influence of the researcher's presence on dogs' performance emerged from analyses. The implications of these findings and potential solutions are discussed.

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A comparative test of inequity aversion in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and dingoes (Canis dingo).

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