This clever crow seems to be using the lid of a jar to snowboard on the roof. This shows some important elements of animal sentience. We see that the crow has a clear understanding of what to do to achieve his or her aim (snowboarding in this case!), and how to do it. The crow has ability to plan his or her actions, and use a tool (the lid). Last but not least – it shows that birds love to have fun!!
Posts Tagged ‘happiness’
Mar
03
2011
Optimism and pessimism in dogs
We all know that some people have a positive ‘glass-half-full’ attitude to life, whereas others are more pessimistic, and now research suggests that the same could be true for dogs.
Professor Mike Mendl, Head of the Animal Welfare and Behaviour research group at Bristol University, who led the research, said: “We all have a tendency to think that our pets and other animals experience emotions similar to our own, but we have no way of knowing directly because emotions are essentially private”. However, his research team was able to develop a new method to study ‘pessimistic’ or ‘optimistic’ decisions in dogs.
Dogs, like humans, can tend to optimism or pessimism
Separation-related behaviour and anxiety
Around half of all pet dogs in the UK will, at some stage of their lives, show separation-related behaviour (SRB) when left alone. SRB can include vocalisation, destructiveness and inappropriate toileting. Many pets are given up for re-homing for performing these undesirable behaviours; however, it is believed that dogs show SRB because they are experiencing feelings of anxiety. The research found that dogs who display high levels of separation-related behaviour also appear to have a more negative underlying mood (affective state) when they are not separated from their owners.
The research
Twenty-four dogs from two UK re-homing centres were used in the study. Firstly, each dog took part in a separation-related behaviour test which was designed to measure his or her response to being left alone. The dogs were taken to a room for 20 minutes where they could interact with one of the researchers. The next day they were taken back to the same room but this time the researcher only interacted with the dog for a few minutes, then left the room. The researchers used video recordings to give each dog a SRB score based on how he or she behaved when alone in the room.
For the second test, the dogs were trained that when a bowl was placed one side of the room (the ‘positive’ position) it would contain a small amount of food, but when placed on the other side (the ‘negative’ position) it would be empty. The bowl was then placed at different locations between the positive and negative positions. Dogs who ran quickly to these ambiguous locations, as if expecting the positive food reward were said to have made an ‘optimistic’ judgement, and others who moved more slowly and were said to have made a ‘pessimistic’ judgement. The dogs who behaved more pessimistically tended to be the ones who also showed higher levels of SRB when left alone for a short time. But should we be surprised by this?
Emotional states influence how dogs approach a situation
Professor Mike Mendl said “We know that people’s emotional states affect their judgements and that happy people are more likely to judge an ambiguous situation positively. What our study has shown is that this applies similarly to dogs – that a ‘glass-half-full’ dog is less likely to be anxious when left alone than one with a more ‘pessimistic’ nature.”
This study provides an important insight into dogs’ emotions and suggests that at least some dogs who show separation-related behaviour may have underlying negative emotional states. Owners should be encouraged to seek treatment for these dogs to enhance their welfare rather than give them up for re-homing.
Sources:
Mendl, M., Brooks, J., Basse, C., Burman, O., Paul, E., Blackwell, E. and Casey, R. (2010). Dogs showing separation-related behaviour exhibit a pessimistic cognitive bias. Current Biology 20, 19: 39-40.
e! Science News (2010). Dogs may be pessimistic too [Accessed 19 October 2010].
May
11
2010
A spring in their step
The signs are that dairy cows really enjoy being let out of their shed after a long confinement during winter weather. Our clip shows them enjoying their taste of freedom!
We have quoted broadcaster and farmer John Humphrys before but his remark is well worth repeating because this clip shows you exactly what he’s talking about:
“They tear about the field, kicking their legs into the air …For six months they have lived in sheds, slept in stalls, stood on concrete. Now, once again, they have the grass beneath their feet. They seem, quite literally, to be full of the joy of spring. It lifts the spirits to watch them.”
Jan
29
2009
In search of happiness
Farmer and award-winning journalist John Humphrys knows all about the importance of the sentience of farm animals. Describing the importance of kind treatment of farm animals, he says: “Good farming is about healthy and, yes, happy animals.”
Because farm animals are sentient beings, how they are treated is of vital importance to them.
Animals who are afraid of humans because they have been treated roughly or unkindly may be more stressed and suffer health and welfare problems.
Kind treatment is more likely to mean happy and well-cared-for cows. Now researchers have found that cows whose farmers talk to them by name are, perhaps unsurprisingly, more relaxed.
You can see the clip about the cows here.
Talking about dairy cows let out from the winter sheds into the great outdoors, John Humphrys says:
“They tear about the field, kicking their legs into the air …For six months they have lived in sheds, slept in stalls, stood on concrete. Now, once again, they have the grass beneath their feet. They seem, quite literally, to be full of the joy of spring. It lifts the spirits to watch them.”