{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/141177"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/141177","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Changes in the Activity Levels and Physiological Welfare of Dogs Pre- and Post-Adoption","abstract":"Numerous potential stressors that are present in the animal shelter are often absent or less intense in the home, which can lead to changes in adopted dogs’ behavior, activity, and overall welfare. Given notable differences between these environments, dogs’ activity or behavior in the shelter may not necessarily reflect that in a home. Instead, this behavior may be indicative of the dog’s welfare while being sheltered. Our study utilized a within-subjects design to examine how dogs’ activity, physiology, and perceptions of their behavior change within and between the shelter and home environments. To evaluate this, 19 dogs wore PetPace Health Monitoring collars to measure their activity and physiology across each of their final 20 days in the shelter and their first 20 days post-placement into a home. Dogs’ activity was measured each minute using an accelerometer, while dogs’ pulse, heart rate variability (HRV), and respiration were measured using an acoustic sensor within these collars. A modified C-BARQ was completed by care staff in the shelter three weeks post-intake and adopters and caregivers in the home three weeks post-placement to evaluate dogs’ behavior and activity in both environments. Our results revealed that, while living in a home, dogs had significantly lower pulse and respiration rates, as well as higher HRV, than when they were in the shelter. Dogs also spent, most significantly, more time resting and less time in high activity in their homes as compared to the shelter. Each day in the home, dogs’ rate of rest significantly increased by 1.2%, while their rate of high activity decreased by 5.6% in the home and 1.8% in the shelter. Care staff in the shelter and caregivers in the home also reported significant differences in dogs’ behavior, although reports of behavior remained mild in both environments. Most notably, dogs displayed greater fear-based and aggression-related behaviors in the home, while their excitability was higher towards visitors in the shelter. Additionally, we found that both care staff and caregivers underestimated how much time dogs spent resting while also overestimating the amount of time dogs spent in higher levels of activity. Taken together, the increase in dogs’ rest and decrease in their high activity in a home, combined with improvements in pulse and respiration rates and heart rate variability, provide compelling evidence of the positive change in welfare dogs experience in a home. Furthermore, these results support the use of activity monitoring as a means of evaluating the welfare of shelter-living dogs. Underestimations by staff of dogs’ perceived rest and overestimations of their high activity highlight the advantages of continuous monitoring technologies for canine welfare assessment. Moreover, differences in dogs’ fear and aggression in the home, as compared to the shelter, reinforce the difficulty in predicting post-placement behavior. These results also further support the need for behavioral support programs for adopters and caregivers. Further considerations for interventions like foster care should be made, particularly for dogs that display elevated levels of high activity and reduced rest. Temporary placement with a caregiver might address these concerns and provide behavioral information in a home environment, offering potential support for both the immediate and long-term welfare of dogs in animal shelters.","abstract_html":"Numerous potential stressors that are present in the animal shelter are often absent or less intense in the home, which can lead to changes in adopted dogs’ behavior, activity, and overall welfare. Given notable differences between these environments, dogs’ activity or behavior in the shelter may not necessarily reflect that in a home. Instead, this behavior may be indicative of the dog’s welfare while being sheltered. Our study utilized a within-subjects design to examine how dogs’ activity, physiology, and perceptions of their behavior change within and between the shelter and home environments. To evaluate this, 19 dogs wore PetPace Health Monitoring collars to measure their activity and physiology across each of their final 20 days in the shelter and their first 20 days post-placement into a home. Dogs’ activity was measured each minute using an accelerometer, while dogs’ pulse, heart rate variability (HRV), and respiration were measured using an acoustic sensor within these collars. A modified C-BARQ was completed by care staff in the shelter three weeks post-intake and adopters and caregivers in the home three weeks post-placement to evaluate dogs’ behavior and activity in both environments. Our results revealed that, while living in a home, dogs had significantly lower pulse and respiration rates, as well as higher HRV, than when they were in the shelter. Dogs also spent, most significantly, more time resting and less time in high activity in their homes as compared to the shelter. Each day in the home, dogs’ rate of rest significantly increased by 1.2%, while their rate of high activity decreased by 5.6% in the home and 1.8% in the shelter. Care staff in the shelter and caregivers in the home also reported significant differences in dogs’ behavior, although reports of behavior remained mild in both environments. Most notably, dogs displayed greater fear-based and aggression-related behaviors in the home, while their excitability was higher towards visitors in the shelter. Additionally, we found that both care staff and caregivers underestimated how much time dogs spent resting while also overestimating the amount of time dogs spent in higher levels of activity. Taken together, the increase in dogs’ rest and decrease in their high activity in a home, combined with improvements in pulse and respiration rates and heart rate variability, provide compelling evidence of the positive change in welfare dogs experience in a home. Furthermore, these results support the use of activity monitoring as a means of evaluating the welfare of shelter-living dogs. Underestimations by staff of dogs’ perceived rest and overestimations of their high activity highlight the advantages of continuous monitoring technologies for canine welfare assessment. Moreover, differences in dogs’ fear and aggression in the home, as compared to the shelter, reinforce the difficulty in predicting post-placement behavior. These results also further support the need for behavioral support programs for adopters and caregivers. Further considerations for interventions like foster care should be made, particularly for dogs that display elevated levels of high activity and reduced rest. Temporary placement with a caregiver might address these concerns and provide behavioral information in a home environment, offering potential support for both the immediate and long-term welfare of dogs in animal shelters.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Phillips, Grace E."],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Animal and Poultry Sciences","degree_department":"Animal and Poultry Sciences","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Gunter, Lisa M."],"committee_members":["Feuerbacher, Erica N.","Bergamasco, Luciana"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12-11","date_published":"2025-12-11","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:27Z","subjects":["canine activity","shelter dog","companion animal","canine behavior","canine welfare"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International"],"rights_urls":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/141177","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Gunter, Lisa M."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Feuerbacher, Erica N.","Bergamasco, Luciana"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Animal and Poultry Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Phillips, Grace E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-02-05T20:25:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-02-05T20:25:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-12-11"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.dcmitype","label":"Dc Type Dcmitype","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Animal and Poultry Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["canine activity","shelter dog","companion animal","canine behavior","canine welfare"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/141177"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Numerous potential stressors that are present in the animal shelter are often absent or less intense in the home, which can lead to changes in adopted dogs’ behavior, activity, and overall welfare. Given notable differences between these environments, dogs’ activity or behavior in the shelter may not necessarily reflect that in a home. Instead, this behavior may be indicative of the dog’s welfare while being sheltered. Our study utilized a within-subjects design to examine how dogs’ activity, physiology, and perceptions of their behavior change within and between the shelter and home environments. To evaluate this, 19 dogs wore PetPace Health Monitoring collars to measure their activity and physiology across each of their final 20 days in the shelter and their first 20 days post-placement into a home. Dogs’ activity was measured each minute using an accelerometer, while dogs’ pulse, heart rate variability (HRV), and respiration were measured using an acoustic sensor within these collars. A modified C-BARQ was completed by care staff in the shelter three weeks post-intake and adopters and caregivers in the home three weeks post-placement to evaluate dogs’ behavior and activity in both environments. Our results revealed that, while living in a home, dogs had significantly lower pulse and respiration rates, as well as higher HRV, than when they were in the shelter. Dogs also spent, most significantly, more time resting and less time in high activity in their homes as compared to the shelter. Each day in the home, dogs’ rate of rest significantly increased by 1.2%, while their rate of high activity decreased by 5.6% in the home and 1.8% in the shelter. Care staff in the shelter and caregivers in the home also reported significant differences in dogs’ behavior, although reports of behavior remained mild in both environments. Most notably, dogs displayed greater fear-based and aggression-related behaviors in the home, while their excitability was higher towards visitors in the shelter. Additionally, we found that both care staff and caregivers underestimated how much time dogs spent resting while also overestimating the amount of time dogs spent in higher levels of activity. Taken together, the increase in dogs’ rest and decrease in their high activity in a home, combined with improvements in pulse and respiration rates and heart rate variability, provide compelling evidence of the positive change in welfare dogs experience in a home. Furthermore, these results support the use of activity monitoring as a means of evaluating the welfare of shelter-living dogs. Underestimations by staff of dogs’ perceived rest and overestimations of their high activity highlight the advantages of continuous monitoring technologies for canine welfare assessment. Moreover, differences in dogs’ fear and aggression in the home, as compared to the shelter, reinforce the difficulty in predicting post-placement behavior. These results also further support the need for behavioral support programs for adopters and caregivers. Further considerations for interventions like foster care should be made, particularly for dogs that display elevated levels of high activity and reduced rest. Temporary placement with a caregiver might address these concerns and provide behavioral information in a home environment, offering potential support for both the immediate and long-term welfare of dogs in animal shelters."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["The stress of the shelter environment can contribute to significant changes in the behavior and welfare of shelter-living dogs. As such, the behavior of dogs seen in shelters may not be predictive of a dog’s behavior in a home post-adoption. To better understand the experiences of dogs in shelter and home environments, this study explored changes and connections in dogs’ activity, behavior, and physiology pre- and post-adoption. Continuously worn PetPace Health Monitoring Collars measured changes in dogs’ activity and physiological welfare, including respiration, pulse rates, and heart rate variability, for 19 dogs across their last 20 days in a shelter environment and first 20 days in an adopted or foster home. Additionally, a C-BARQ behavioral questionnaire was used to evaluate changes in reports of dogs’ behavior prior to adoption in the shelter and post-adoption in the home. The results of the study revealed that dogs’ physiological welfare, including respiration, pulse, and heart rate variability, improved in the home environment compared to time spent in the shelter. Furthermore, dogs spent significantly more time at rest and less time engaging in high levels of activity in the home, while elements of their behavior also changed between the environments. Taken together, these results provide further evidence of the positive impact that a home environment can have on a dog’s welfare. Changes in dogs’ activity and behavior post-adoption further indicate that a dog’s behavior in a shelter may not be predictive of their behavior in a home. Shelter staff should consider foster care for dogs that are engaging in high levels of activity and spending little time at rest in the shelter, as these are likely indicators of a shelter-living dog’s environmental stress. In doing so, shelter staff can provide dogs a break from shelter stressors, improve their immediate physiological welfare, and gain more accurate information about behaviors and activity of a dog in a home environment, aiding in the success of their future placement in an adopted home."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Changes in the Activity Levels and Physiological Welfare of Dogs Pre- and Post-Adoption"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Gunter, Lisa M."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Feuerbacher, Erica N.","Bergamasco, Luciana"],"dc:contributor.department":["Animal and Poultry Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Phillips, Grace E."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-02-05T20:25:09Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-02-05T20:25:09Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-12-11"],"dc:description.abstract":["Numerous potential stressors that are present in the animal shelter are often absent or less intense in the home, which can lead to changes in adopted dogs’ behavior, activity, and overall welfare. Given notable differences between these environments, dogs’ activity or behavior in the shelter may not necessarily reflect that in a home. Instead, this behavior may be indicative of the dog’s welfare while being sheltered. Our study utilized a within-subjects design to examine how dogs’ activity, physiology, and perceptions of their behavior change within and between the shelter and home environments. To evaluate this, 19 dogs wore PetPace Health Monitoring collars to measure their activity and physiology across each of their final 20 days in the shelter and their first 20 days post-placement into a home. Dogs’ activity was measured each minute using an accelerometer, while dogs’ pulse, heart rate variability (HRV), and respiration were measured using an acoustic sensor within these collars. A modified C-BARQ was completed by care staff in the shelter three weeks post-intake and adopters and caregivers in the home three weeks post-placement to evaluate dogs’ behavior and activity in both environments. Our results revealed that, while living in a home, dogs had significantly lower pulse and respiration rates, as well as higher HRV, than when they were in the shelter. Dogs also spent, most significantly, more time resting and less time in high activity in their homes as compared to the shelter. Each day in the home, dogs’ rate of rest significantly increased by 1.2%, while their rate of high activity decreased by 5.6% in the home and 1.8% in the shelter. Care staff in the shelter and caregivers in the home also reported significant differences in dogs’ behavior, although reports of behavior remained mild in both environments. Most notably, dogs displayed greater fear-based and aggression-related behaviors in the home, while their excitability was higher towards visitors in the shelter. Additionally, we found that both care staff and caregivers underestimated how much time dogs spent resting while also overestimating the amount of time dogs spent in higher levels of activity. Taken together, the increase in dogs’ rest and decrease in their high activity in a home, combined with improvements in pulse and respiration rates and heart rate variability, provide compelling evidence of the positive change in welfare dogs experience in a home. Furthermore, these results support the use of activity monitoring as a means of evaluating the welfare of shelter-living dogs. Underestimations by staff of dogs’ perceived rest and overestimations of their high activity highlight the advantages of continuous monitoring technologies for canine welfare assessment. Moreover, differences in dogs’ fear and aggression in the home, as compared to the shelter, reinforce the difficulty in predicting post-placement behavior. These results also further support the need for behavioral support programs for adopters and caregivers. Further considerations for interventions like foster care should be made, particularly for dogs that display elevated levels of high activity and reduced rest. Temporary placement with a caregiver might address these concerns and provide behavioral information in a home environment, offering potential support for both the immediate and long-term welfare of dogs in animal shelters."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["The stress of the shelter environment can contribute to significant changes in the behavior and welfare of shelter-living dogs. As such, the behavior of dogs seen in shelters may not be predictive of a dog’s behavior in a home post-adoption. To better understand the experiences of dogs in shelter and home environments, this study explored changes and connections in dogs’ activity, behavior, and physiology pre- and post-adoption. Continuously worn PetPace Health Monitoring Collars measured changes in dogs’ activity and physiological welfare, including respiration, pulse rates, and heart rate variability, for 19 dogs across their last 20 days in a shelter environment and first 20 days in an adopted or foster home. Additionally, a C-BARQ behavioral questionnaire was used to evaluate changes in reports of dogs’ behavior prior to adoption in the shelter and post-adoption in the home. The results of the study revealed that dogs’ physiological welfare, including respiration, pulse, and heart rate variability, improved in the home environment compared to time spent in the shelter. Furthermore, dogs spent significantly more time at rest and less time engaging in high levels of activity in the home, while elements of their behavior also changed between the environments. Taken together, these results provide further evidence of the positive impact that a home environment can have on a dog’s welfare. Changes in dogs’ activity and behavior post-adoption further indicate that a dog’s behavior in a shelter may not be predictive of their behavior in a home. Shelter staff should consider foster care for dogs that are engaging in high levels of activity and spending little time at rest in the shelter, as these are likely indicators of a shelter-living dog’s environmental stress. In doing so, shelter staff can provide dogs a break from shelter stressors, improve their immediate physiological welfare, and gain more accurate information about behaviors and activity of a dog in a home environment, aiding in the success of their future placement in an adopted home."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/141177"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"],"dc:subject":["canine activity","shelter dog","companion animal","canine behavior","canine welfare"],"dc:title":["Changes in the Activity Levels and Physiological Welfare of Dogs Pre- and Post-Adoption"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.dcmitype":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Animal and Poultry Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:27Z"}