Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jun 30;17(2):153-8.
doi: 10.4142/jvs.2016.17.2.153.

Evaluation of effects of olfactory and auditory stimulation on separation anxiety by salivary cortisol measurement in dogs

Yoon-Joo Shin  1 , Nam-Shik Shin  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of effects of olfactory and auditory stimulation on separation anxiety by salivary cortisol measurement in dogs

Yoon-Joo Shin et al. J Vet Sci. .

Abstract

Separation anxiety (SA) is a serious behavioral problem in dogs. In this study, salivary cortisol was studied to determine if the owner's odor or voice could reduce SA in dogs. Twenty-eight dogs with SA were divided into three groups: group 1 (control), group 2 (with owner's clothes during the separation period; SP) and group 3 (a recording of the owner's voice was played during SP). The dog's saliva was collected after the owner and their dog were in the experimental room for 5 min (PRE). The dog was then separated from the owner for 20 min and saliva collected four times at intervals of 5 min (SP1-4). Finally, the owner was allowed back into the room to calm the dog for 5 min, after which saliva was collected (POST). Evaluation of salivary cortisol concentrations by ELISA revealed that the ratios of SP1 concentration to PRE or POST concentrations were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 or 3. Additionally, the concentrations of SP1-PRE and SP1-POST among groups differed significantly. These findings indicate that the owner's odor or voice may be helpful to managing stress in dogs with SA.

Keywords: cortisol; dog; physiology; saliva; separation anxiety disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Hormonal results of the three groups (mean ± SE). (A) Variation in salivary cortisol level in group 1. Changes along periods were significantly different (p = 0.000). (B) Variation in salivary cortisol level in group 2. Changes along the periods were significantly different (p < 0.005). (C) Variation in salivary cortisol level in group 3. Hormonal changes along periods were significantly different (p < 0.005). There were no significant differences among groups at corresponding sampling times (p > 0.05). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 in comparison of pre-separation period (PRE) and post-separation period (POST). SP, separation period.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Cortisol concentration ratio of SP1 at different time points (mean ± SE). (A) At SP1 to that at PRE. (B) At SP1 to that at POST. *p < 0.05 in comparison with group 1.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. The differences in cortisol concentration between time points (mean ± SE). (A) Between PRE and SP1. (B) Between SP1 and POST. *p < 0.05 in comparison with group 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Appleby D, Pluijmakers J. Separation anxiety in dogs: the function of homeostasis in its development and treatment. Clin Tech Small Anim Pract. 2004;19:205–215. - PubMed
    1. Bamberger M, Houpt KA. Signalment factors, comorbidity, and trends in behavior diagnoses in dogs: 1,644 cases (1991-2001) J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2006;229:1591–1601. - PubMed
    1. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, Bernadina W, Van Hooff JARAM, De Vries HW, Mol JA. Chronic stress in dogs subjected to social and spatial restriction II. Hormonal and immunological responses. Physiol Behav. 1999;66:243–254. - PubMed
    1. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, Janssen NSCRM, Mol JA. The use of saliva cortisol, urinary cortisol, and catecholamine measurements for a noninvasive assessment of stress responses in dogs. Horm Behav. 1996;30:272–279. - PubMed
    1. Beerda B, Schilder MBH, van Hooff JARAM, de Vries HW, Mol JA. Behavioural and hormonal indicators of enduring environmental stress in dogs. Anim Welf. 2000;9:49–62.