OPEN-FIELD ACTIVITY AND HUMAN INTERACTION AS A FUNCTION OF AGE AND BREED IN DOGS

Open field (OF) activity was studied in kennel reared purebred beagles from two separate colonies (2-13 years in age) and pound source mixed breed dogs (9 months to 10 years in age). Dogs were observed for 10 m in sessions and records were taken of: locomotion, urination, sniffing , grooming, rearing, vocalizing, jumping frequencies and inactivity (1 6). Since dogs are uniquely social towards people, we also measured hu man interaction (HI), which recorded the same behaviors as during OF w hen a person was present in the room. Measures of exploratory behavior decreased as a function of age in pound source dogs in the OF test, b ut not in beagles from either colony. No breed differences were found between the young dogs. In the HI test, age effects were found in beag les but nor pound source dogs. OF activity correlated with tests of co gnitive function, but differences were found between the three groups. These findings indicate that OF activity is age sensitive in dogs, bu t that breed and test conditions are also essential factors. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.