Willis, J. K., Ccavara, J. M., Kendall, L. V. 2013. Food enrichment of laboratory beagles: Behavioral benefits and durability concerns. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 608 (Abstract #PS1).

Enrichment can be a key element in stress reduction in domestic dogs in both pet and kennel environments. However, providing enrichment to laboratory dogs can be a means for injury or ingestion of objects. Devices provided as enrichment may not be used as intended and may not effectively serve as enrichment at all. Our aim was to evaluate the activity of laboratory dogs provided food enrichment using commercially available activity feeder toys (2 types were used) and compared with a control condition without enrichment. We wanted to evaluate how much time dogs spent interacting with their food in each case, the efficacy and durability of devices, and if the presence of enrichment changed their behavior in other ways. All dogs were videotaped for 4 h, immediately following the presentation of either food alone or food in an activity feeder. Behaviors were scored using an ethogram and results were tabulated in amount of time spent performing different behaviors. Dogs spent more time engaged with their food when it was presented in both types of food enrichment when compared with control. Dogs spent as little as 5 min interacting with their food in the control condition and as much as 43 min interacting with their food when enrichment was provided. Dogs with enrichment did not stay consecutively engaged with the enrichment but rather exhibited an overall activity level increase, returning to devices repeatedly for short bursts of engagement. Dogs provided with enrichment were more active and used their space more when enrichment was provided. Enrichment altered the way in which laboratory dogs used their time with an increase in purposeful behavior and overall exercise. Commercially available activity feeder toys for pet dogs were not as durable as expected, with some being destroyed in as little as 15 min. We hope to design a similar, but more durable food enrichment device that could be used effectively for repeated use in the laboratory environment.