Improving canine welfare in commercial breeding (CB) operations: Evaluating rehoming candidates

Highlights

• Commercial breeding dog welfare may be compromised during and after rehoming.

• Breeder management practices may affect the risk of transition problems.

• More than half the dogs assessed exhibited fearful responses to a stranger approach.

• The number of socialization practices was associated with decreased risk.

• Dog to caretaker ratio was associated with health and behavior outcomes.

Abstract

Disposal of dogs retired from commercial breeding facilities presents a scientific and ethical problem. This pilot study aimed to develop criteria for identifying commercial breeding (CB) dogs likely to be at risk for problems during transitioning to rehoming, and to identify breeder practices associated with higher and lower risk. Dogs (n = 283) over 18 months of age from 17 CB kennels located in Indiana and Illinois, USA were assessed. The Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) tool was used to assess behavior during a 4-step stranger approach test. At each step, the dog was given a RYG score; R, red (fearful), Y, yellow (ambivalent), or G, green (affiliative or neutral). After behavior assessment, 50 mg of hair was shaved from each dog’s lower back for analysis of hair cortisol concentration (HCC). A FitBark monitor collected 24 -hs of activity data. Additionally, a questionnaire was developed to interview each facility owner about their management practices. Overall mean HCC (n = 266) was 8.92 pg/mg (2.01–108.99 +/−14.24 pg/mg) while mean HCC at each facility ranged from 5.65 to 38.48 pg/mg. Mean activity score (n = 250) was 9.04 ± 4.3 and ranged from 2.8 to 32.8. Eight components from a principal component analysis (PCA) were retained as predictors in two mixed effects linear regression models. In Model 1, the component Socialization was significantly associated with HCC (p = 0.01). In Model 2 the components Late RYG (p < 0.001) and Activity (p = 0.002) were positively associated with Early RYG while Dog:Care (dog to caretaker ratio) (p = 0.03) and PD (periodontal disease) (p < 0.001) were negatively associated. Over half the dogs assessed using the stranger approach test exhibited fearful responses, suggesting that they might be at greater risk for problems if selected to transition to a new home. Additionally, the breeders’ management practices varied widely, with the number of socialization practices employed inversely associated with HCC. Further research is needed to assess the predictive value of the risk assessment and the generalizability of these results in a larger population of dogs and kennels.

Introduction

Dogs have become increasingly popular companion animals in the USA with approximately 60 million households reportedly keeping at least one companion dog (American Pet Products Association, 2017). Commercial dog breeders help to meet high demand for purebred dogs. However, the welfare of dogs maintained in high volume breeding kennels is socially contentious (Bauer et al., 2017), especially given that many people now view dogs as family members (Bir et al., 2016). Commonly raised concerns include maintenance of the dogs in squalid conditions without appropriate attention to their behavioral and physical health needs resulting in irreversible, adverse welfare consequences. For example, McMillan et al. (2011) reported that dogs placed in pet homes that were previously used as breeding stock in commercial breeding (CB) establishments displayed severe, persistent behavioral and psychological issues. Because of the purported deficits in the selection, rearing, and management practices used in high volume CB kennels, societal concerns about such operations have been heightened (Osborne, 2008).

A major limitation in drawing conclusions about the conditions in CB kennels is the paucity of published research on the topic. Until recently, most have relied primarily on owner reports of behavior of former breeding dogs and indirect inferences about CB dog welfare based on related questionnaires (McMillan et al., 2011, 2013; McMillan, 2017) rather than on direct observations of dogs in commercial kennels. Thus, significant deficits in knowledge of the actual conditions and welfare states experienced by dogs and puppies from CB facilities exist. This in turn constrains understanding of causal factors associated with poor welfare outcomes for these dogs. Further, some of the recent findings from studies conducted on-site at CB kennels appear to conflict with McMillan et al. (2011; 2013). For example, one study assessing dog physical welfare and the cleanliness of dogs’ primary enclosures in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-licensed CB facilities in Indiana, USA, found no significant problems in these areas (Stella et al., 2018a). Moreover, Bauer et al. (2017) found relatively high proportions of affiliative behaviors in dogs in commercial kennels approached by familiar and unfamiliar people. Additionally, conflation of the terms, “commercial breeding establishment” and “puppy mill” that occurred throughout the McMillan et al. manuscripts make it difficult to understand exactly what populations of dogs were included. As represented in the public domain, these terms may include dogs from many sources, including USDA licensed CB facilities, unlicensed facilities, neglectful facilities, non-commercial breeders, or hoarding situations. The inconsistencies between results of studies conducted at high volume breeding kennels and those indirectly inferring welfare conditions and states of being in dogs therefore raise questions and warrant further examination.

Further, the challenge of meeting the welfare needs of large numbers of dogs maintained in kennels is not limited to breeding kennels. Investigations of the behavior and welfare of dogs living confined in kennels of other types such as re-homing shelters (Barnard et al., 2016; Hennessey et al., 2001) and laboratories (Scullion Hall et al., 2017; Hetts et al., 1992) reveal commonalities in risks to dog welfare. While there may be differences specific to CB dogs, issues such as limited opportunities for early socialization (Scott and Fuller, 1965; Serpell et al., 2016), a lack of environmental control (Taylor and Mills, 2007; Tuber et al., 1999) and restricted space (Beerda et al., 1999a, 1999b), exercise (Menor-Campos et al., 2011), social opportunities (Hubrecht et al., 1992; Hubrecht, 1993; Hughes et al., 1989) and environmental complexity (Hubrecht, 1993, 2002; Wells, 2004) are likely shared. Additionally, a poor-quality environment and related management may lead to chronic stress, negatively impacting health and behavior. Therefore, quantifying the intensity and duration of the activation of the HPA-axis is an important aspect of assessing kennel dog welfare. One non-invasive tool that can be utilized is measuring hair cortisol concentration (HCC). Cortisol accumulates in hair over weeks to months and has been reported to be a marker of chronic stress (Heimburge et al., 2019).

The widespread reports of behavioral health issues in dogs suggested to originate from CB facilities must be critically evaluated in the context of sustainable, responsible dog breeding. According to McMillan et al. (2011) most of the behavioral problems reported of dogs from CB programs appeared to be associated with fear, clustering around social and non-social fears, sensitivity to touch, and house-soiling while alone. Interestingly the authors reported unpublished data that approximately 75% (878 dogs) of their study population demonstrated the ability to “overcome much of the increased levels of fear” with “dedicated behavioral therapy and extreme owner patience” and suggested that due to this degree of success “these dogs should not be avoided as pets” (McMillan et al., 2011).

These findings have significance for considerations relating to the disposal of dogs at the end of their breeding careers, which raises significant ethical, scientific and practical challenges. Older breeding dogs at the end of their reproductive lives face risks associated with “convenience euthanasia” or disposal in other ways that potentially jeopardize their welfare. These include long transport distances and holding times when sold at auctions. A potential solution is for commercial breeders to rehome their retired dogs. Rehoming of this population, however, entails challenges that must be understood and addressed. Already high rates of relinquishment and euthanasia of dogs due to behavioral problems (Patronek et al., 1996) could be worsened by flooding the market with animals that may or may not be successfully homed, or that may be returned due to physical or behavioral health problems.

Ensuring the welfare of dogs originating from CB facilities requires understanding of how to identify and prepare viable candidates for rehoming and how best to humanely transition dogs out of their breeding careers in high volume kennels to minimize risks of poor rehoming outcomes. Thus, the objectives of our study were to develop criteria for identifying CB dogs that might be at greater risk for problems associated with rehoming and to identify breeder practices associated with scores of higher versus lower risk. Because fear, especially of unfamiliar people, potentially poses a major obstacle to successful transitioning to life outside of the kennel, this pilot study aimed to 1) quantify the proportion of the dogs that would exhibit fearful responses to approach of an unfamiliar person and 2) to explore associations between kennel management factors and dog behavioral responses to approach of an unfamiliar person, hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and general activity levels.