Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare

Responding to the Challenge

The scientific study of animal behaviour, cognition, and welfare improves our understanding of animal emotions, their biological needs, and why they behave in the way they do. Importantly, it can help us to learn how best to respond to the challenges that animals face when living in captive or wild environments.

Utilising our first-class facilities and working with a range of partners, including universities, charities, government organisations, and businesses, a team of experts at the University of Lincoln is undertaking groundbreaking studies into animal behaviour, offering innovative and practical approaches to the welfare of a diverse range of animal species.

A Dog's Life

For some time, our team of Lincoln scientists has been exploring interactions with our favourite animals, delivering fascinating research into their behaviour and emotions. Working with academics from the University of Sussex, the University of Saint-Etienne, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the team recently discovered that women’s vocal pitch increases when addressing dogs who have larger eyes. Researchers conducted speech tests with male and female participants to assess the pitch used when addressing images of dogs whose eye sizes had been manipulated to increase or decrease. The research confirmed that large eye size induced pet-directed speech in women but not men.

A new study has been investigating for the first time the effects that sirens, loud noises, and flashing lights have on dogs while carrying out vital work that keeps humans safe, such as in police and military settings. The research found that both strobe lighting and acoustic distraction significantly reduced the dog's ability to move efficiently in their environment and impaired their decision-making abilities.

"These distractions can have a considerable effect on dogs’ performance," explains Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, Daniel Mills. "In our clinic, we routinely manage many animals with sensitivities to sound and other distractions, but it's possible through a carefully structured reward-based programme to prevent many of these issues."

The team is also currently working to directly enhance the UK defence sector, in a new project which explores new training and assessment methods of military dogs. This work could help to better understand dogs’ how to enhance the overall performance when deployed and working with handlers. This builds on previous research, the findings of which identified that dogs learn tasks less efficiently when compared to training in silence, and can be applicable in a military setting when training canines.

It's Been Emotional

Gaining a better understanding of the feelings and the emotions of our pets and animal companions and correctly identifying an animal’s emotional state is key to successful human-animal interactions. The team has discovered that cat and dog owners perceive a much larger catalogue of emotions than had previously been documented, ranging from simple to complex.

More than 400 cat and dog owners were surveyed to assess the spectrum of states and behavioural characteristics they discerned in their pets. The questionnaire included six simple emotions (anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise) and 16 complex emotions (amusement, anxiety, boredom, confusion, curiosity/interest, disappointment, embarrassment, empathy, frustration, grief, guilt/shame, jealousy, love/affection, pain, positive anticipation, and pride). 

"The results are important as problems can arise if an owner misconstrues their pet’s emotional state," explains Professor Mills. "For example, if an owner attributed guilt as an emotion in their pet via facial expression and behavioural signals after an episode of misbehaviour, they may feel it necessary to reprimand them."

More Than a Feeling

Exploring the degree to which animals possess a conscious experience is another important element in the quest to better understand our pets. Professor of Animal Cognition Anna Wilkinson joined a global consortium of scientists and philosophers recently to sign the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness, which stated that consciousness in reptiles, amphibians, and others is a ‘realistic possibility’, underpinned by strong scientific support.

“I was delighted to be part of this groundbreaking declaration," said Professor Wilkinson. "It's important to consider feelings in species that are less similar to humans and may have feelings and emotions but don't exhibit them in ways that we, as humans, easily recognise.

"Our research investigating the remarkable cognitive abilities in reptiles and amphibians has formed an important part of this evidence. We have shown that salamanders have substantial long-term memory, lizards can learn from each other, and tortoises can feel emotions and change their behaviour on the basis of this. This suggests that these groups of animals have a realistic likelihood of consciousness and that it is important to treat them as such when making decisions about them."

Animal Instincts

As well as collaborating with scientists and researchers from around the world, our team of experts are also supporting and mentoring a number of postgraduate research students as they conduct their own exciting studies into animal behaviour and welfare. Subjects cover everything from assessing pain and anxiety in dogs to exploring cognition in tortoises and other cold-blooded animals.

Perceptions of welfare issues in the equine industry is another area of study. PhD student Erica Cheung has been examining current training practices for performance horses working in equestrianism and dressage in a bid to understand why some bad practices, such as a lack of turnout, inadequate food, and the use of incorrect equipment, remain part of the care and training regimes for these animals.

"I'm really passionate about horse welfare and want my research to make a difference," said Erica. "I'm only a year into my PhD, but I’ve already grown as a researcher, developing lots of new skills. I chose to study at the University of Lincoln because of the reputation of its animal behaviour and welfare academics. I've been blessed to have such a fantastic and knowledgeable supervisory team for my studies."