Group Housing: Part Two
In Part One of this series, we discussed guidelines for group housing of dogs. In Part Two, we will discuss research findings and recommendations for group housing. Group housing dogs; it can be inhumane to group house dogs unless they have been matched for compatibility and appropriately introduced to each other.
A recent study (Santos O, Polo G, et al. Grouping Protocol in Shelters; Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2013, vol 8, 3-8.) in Brazil evaluated a protocol for introducing dogs to each other for the purposes of group housing. The protocol utilized 21 dogs and required 2 handlers, 2 ropes, an outdoor area, and an indoor area. Dogs wore head collars (made out of ropes) during steps 1 and 2, described below. Desensitization and counter conditioning were used to introduce one dog to another dog. The goal was to house the two dogs together.
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