| Summary: | Maternal care alters neurology and behaviour in mammals. However, little is known about the impact of maternal care in domestic dogs. Rapid neurological development occurs in dogs between postnatal days 3 and 16, yet maternal care within this period has not been thoroughly investigated. Knowledge of neurological development and maternal care is mainly derived from studies of white laboratory rats and, while numerous differences exist between rats and dogs, the physiological mechanisms underpinning the programming of stress-related behaviour are likely to be similar. This thesis sought to investigate maternal care in dogs and the impact it may have on stress-related behaviour in later life. The methodology used to study maternal care in dogs is differing and therefore an aim of this thesis was to provide an overview of differences between litters while comparing sampling methodologies. Six litters of dogs were observed on postnatal days 3, 6, 9 and 12. Maternal care behaviours included dam presence, nursing, contact (frequent behaviours) and anogenital licking (infrequent behaviour). A 24-hour period was compared to five time sampling periods: 12-hour night (1800-0600 hours), 12-hour day (0600-1800 hours), and two sets of four fifteen-minute periods during: night (1800-0600 hours), day (0600-1800 hours) and anytime. A shorter sampling period (four fifteen-minute periods) was representative of the 24-hour period for frequent behaviours. Maternal care behaviour impacts offspring response to stress later in life. An observational study was employed to determine whether maternal care behaviours differ between and within dog litters. Ten litters, including six of the litters above, were observed over postnatal days 3, 6, 9 and 12. Differences between dams were evident for all behaviours (p<0.001), while no differences within a litter were observed for any behaviour. Isolation initiates fear in domestic animals, thus an isolation box can be used to determine stress-related behaviour. Forty-seven puppies (previously ...
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