The dog or its muzzle as a signal of danger to humans?

Racca, Anais and Baudoin, C. (2009) The dog or its muzzle as a signal of danger to humans? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 4 (2). p. 94. ISSN 1558-7878

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The dog or its muzzle as a signal of danger to humans?
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Abstract

In France, dogs of specific breeds as well as dogs trained to
attack (police, security services, etc.) have to be muzzled in
public areas. A dog wearing a muzzle may constitute an
ambiguous cue for humans as it indicates that the dog is
potentially dangerous while at the same time that the dog’s
potential danger is controlled. The aim of our present study
was to determine whether a muzzled dog would induce a
greater fear response in humans than the same non-muzzled
dog. We were interested specifically in the German shepherd
dog as it is one of the typical breeds used by police and
security services, but also very popular as a pet.

Additional Information:In France, dogs of specific breeds as well as dogs trained to attack (police, security services, etc.) have to be muzzled in public areas. A dog wearing a muzzle may constitute an ambiguous cue for humans as it indicates that the dog is potentially dangerous while at the same time that the dog’s potential danger is controlled. The aim of our present study was to determine whether a muzzled dog would induce a greater fear response in humans than the same non-muzzled dog. We were interested specifically in the German shepherd dog as it is one of the typical breeds used by police and security services, but also very popular as a pet.
Keywords:human-dog interaction, human behavior, fear behavior, muzzle, German shepherd dog
Subjects:C Biological Sciences > C800 Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C890 Psychology not elsewhere classified
D Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related subjects > D300 Animal Science
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Psychology
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ID Code:4370
Deposited On:05 Apr 2011 09:15

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