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
. 2020 Apr 1;10(4):595.
doi: 10.3390/ani10040595.

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and their Handlers

Justyna Wojtaś  1 , Mirosław Karpiński  1 , Piotr Czyżowski  1
Affiliations

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and their Handlers

Justyna Wojtaś et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Search and rescue dogs are an important link in the search for missing persons. The aim of the study was to assess exam stress in search and rescue dogs and their guides. The study included 41 rescue teams taking exams of field and rubble specialties. The level of cortisol, which is the main glucocorticosteroid modulating stress reactions in humans and dogs, was analyzed. The biological material used to assess the hormone concentration was saliva collected in a non-invasive way. In total, 164 test samples were collected: two from the dog and two from the guide before and immediately after the exam. Rescue exams were shown to significantly increase salivary cortisol in both dogs and their guides. Strong interactions between cortisol levels in human-dog teams were also found with a more pronounced effect in female dog-female handler dyads.

Keywords: canine; handler; hormonal interaction; salivary cortisol; search and rescue dog.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflictsof interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box plot of the cortisol level in the dog handlers before and after the examination.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Box plot of the cortisol level in the dogs before and after the examination.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scatter plot for the correlation between cortisol levels in the dogs and their handlers before the examination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wojtaś J., Karpiński M., Tajchman K., Czyżowski P., Goleman M., Zieliński D., Kozak A., Krupa W., Garbiec A., Drozd L. Canis lupus familiaris—Domestication. Folia Pomer. Univ. Technol. Stetin. Agric. Aliment. Pisc. Zootech. 2018;345:129–136. doi: 10.21005/AAPZ2018.48.4.13. - DOI
    1. Hennessy M., Davis H., Williams M., Mellott C., Douglas C. Plasma Cortisol Levels of Dogs at a County Animal Shelter. Physiol. Behav. 1997;62:485–490. doi: 10.1016/S0031-9384(97)80328-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pastore C., Pirrone F., Balzarotti F., Faustini M., Pierantoni L., Albertini M. Evaluation of physiological and behavioral stress-dependent parameters in agility dogs. J. Vet. Behav. Clin. Appl. Res. 2011;6:188–194. doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2011.01.001. - DOI
    1. Diverio S., Barbato O., Cavallina R., Guelfi G., Iaboni M., Zasso R., Di Mari W., Santoro M., Knowles T. A simulated avalanche search and rescue mission induces temporary physiological and behavioural changes in military dogs. Physiol. Behav. 2016;163:193–202. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.05.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ahrens F., Knies K., Schneider M., Kohler F., Erhard M. Influence of different training and outdoor conditions on plasma histamine and cortisol concentrations in search-and-rescue dogs. Inflamm. Res. 2005;54:34–35. doi: 10.1007/s00011-004-0415-9. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources