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Accurate phenotyping is a critical component of any behavioral research. We compared owner responses to the Canine Behavior and Research Questionnaire section on separation-related behaviors with video footage of their dogs (n = 31). A focal animal continuous recording method was used to describe the behavior of dogs during the first 25 minutes after owners' departure. Nine dogs were recorded in the presence of 1 or 2 conspecifics, whereas 23 other dogs were alone. There was a significant moderate positive correlation between the separation-related behavior questionnaire score and the percentage of time exhibiting behaviors suggestive of anxiety ( r s = 0.438; P = 0.003). There was a similar moderate positive correlation between the questionnaire score and the first principal component score of recorded behaviors ( r s = 0.385; P = 0.008). Correlations between the questionnaire responses for individual behaviors and the occurrence of those behaviors on video were higher for the more apparent behaviors such as destruction. Although the significant positive correlation between owner responses and the dog's behavior in the initial 25 minutes of being left alone is suggestive that owners may have an indicative knowledge of their dog's behavior during their absence, further work with more participants and repeated recordings is required.

Livestock herding dogs are crucial contributors to Australian agriculture. However, there is a dearth of empirical studies of the behavioural interactions between dog and livestock during herding. A statistical approach that may reveal cause and effect in such interactions is lag sequential analysis. Using 48 video recordings of livestock herding dogs and sheep in a yard trial competition, event-based (time between behaviours is irrelevant) and time-based (time between behaviours is defined) lag sequential analyses identified several significant behavioural interactions (adjusted residuals greater than 2.58, the maximum likelihood-ratio chi-squared statistic for all eight contingency tables identified all sequences as highly significant (p &lt, 0.001)). These sequences were: The dog ceasing all movement followed by the sheep also ceasing movement, the dog chasing the sheep and a group of sheep escaping the main flock, a single sheep escaping the flock and the dog chasing, sheep initiating movement followed by the dog following, foot-stamping followed by the dog ceasing all movement, and, foot-stamping by the sheep and the dog lip-licking in response. Log linear regression identified significant relationships among undesirable behaviours in sheep and both observed trial duration (p = 0.001) and trial score (p = 0.009). No differences in the herding styles of dogs were identified between sex of dog and frequency of sheep escape behaviours (p = 0.355) nor the sex of dog and competition level (p = 0.116). The identification of trial score as a predictor of efficient performance confirms the benefits of incorporating extant objective measures to assess livestock herding dogs.

This study investigated the value that handlers and breeders assign to various behavioural traits in Australian livestock herding dogs. Data were obtained from 811 handlers and breeders through the &lsquo, Australian Farm Dog Survey&rsquo, Respondents were asked to consider dogs within four contexts: utility (livestock herding in both paddocks and yards), mustering (livestock herding in paddocks and along livestock routes), yards (in and around sheds, sale-yards and transport vehicles), and trial (specifically a standard 3-sheep trial), and to rate the value of 16 working manoeuvres (movement sequences used in herding), 11 working attributes (skills or attributes used in herding) and five general attributes (personality traits ascribed to an individual dog). The most valued working manoeuvres were cast, force and gather. Bite, bark and backing were considered of little value in certain contexts, notably the trial context. Across all four contexts, the general attributes most valued in dogs were being trainable, motivated, confident and friendly, while control and trainability were the working attribute traits considered to be of most value. Excitability was revealed to be a &lsquo, Goldilocks&rsquo, trait in that respondents preferred not too much or too little but a &lsquo, just right&rsquo, amount in their preferred dog. Analysis indicated a handler preference for either specialised dogs for the utility context or dogs who are easy to work with because of a broad range of traits favoured in the yard context. These results reveal both generalities across and the need for specialisation within these four herding contexts. Further investigation may help to reveal how well handlers distinguish between innate and learnt behaviours when selecting and training livestock herding dogs. Identifying which group handlers fit into optimally may assist in selecting suitable dog&ndash, human dyads.

Evidence from other species justifies the hypotheses that useful hybrid vigour occurs in dogs and that it can be exploited for improved health, welfare and fitness for purpose. Unfortunately, most of the relevant published canine studies do not provide estimates of actual hybrid vigour because of inadequate specification of the parentage of mixed-bred dogs. To our knowledge, only three published studies have shed any light on actual hybrid vigour in dogs. There are two reports of actual hybrid vigour between Labrador and Golden retrievers, the first ranging from +2.5% to -6.0% for components of a standardised applied-stimulus behavioural test, and the second being at least +12.4% for chance of graduating as a guide dog. The third study provides a minimum estimate of negative actual hybrid vigour: crossbreds between Labrador retrievers and poodles had a higher prevalence of multifocal retinal dysplasia than the average prevalence in their purebred parent breeds. The lack of estimates of actual hybrid vigour can be overcome by including the exact nature of the cross (e.g. F1, F2 or backcross) and their purebred parental breeds in the specification of mixed-bred dogs. Even if only F1 crossbreds can be categorised, this change would enable researchers to conduct substantial investigations to determine whether hybrid vigour has any utility for dog breeding.

The skilled movement of livestock by dogs is highly valued among livestock handlers in the harsh farming environment of Australia. However, their workload has not been studied empirically. This pilot study aimed to measure the distance, speed, and heart rate of a group of sheep dogs (n = 6) working during an 11-day period of peak activity (shearing). In addition, it sought to determine the technological capabilities and limits of a modern Global Positioning System (GPS) device for monitoring working dogs during peak work. Distances recorded ranged from 1.7 km up to 68.3 km in a day. The furthest cumulative distance covered by a dog during the study period was 279.2 km. The maximum speed recorded in the yard area was 37.01 km/h. Because of the limitations of the equipment and the nature of the work, we were unable to measure heart rate reliably. The GPS units used in the study were effective at measuring the considerable variation in movement and speed of the dogs while working. However, battery life limitations prevented recording of the dogs' full activity over each day. Characterizing elite and peak performance in these working dogs may assist in comparisons with other sporting and working breeds and in identifying phenotypic traits of value in herding and related working contexts.