Assessment of behavior and development of coordination abilities in working dogs under unstable surface conditions

Abstract

The article describes a method for developing coordination abilities in working dogs using the «Suspended Coordination Platform» training device. It focuses on the results of an experimental study examining the effect of unstable surface exposure on dogs' balance, coordination, and ability to maintain body balance, as observed in German and Belgian Shepherds as examples. The "Improvement Index" is introduced as a parameter to characterize dynamics of test results and facilitate comparison between the two groups regardless of their absolute values. It was found that stair climbing time decreased for all Shepherds. However, those dogs in the experimental group that regularly exercised on the «Suspended Coordination Platform» significantly increased their stair climbing speed by 39.9%, while the control group showed a 33.5% increase. An analysis of the test results of the sample population for the dog walk passage time showed that the average time spent on passing the obstacle during the initial testing in autumn was 7.89±1.40 s for the experimental group, versus 15.86±2.39 s for the control group (td = 2.88, p = 0.05). During spring retesting, the dog walk completion time for those in the experimental group was 4.36±0.45 s with greater stability, while for the control group it was 11.1±1.12 s (td = 5.56, p = 0.001). It should be noted that a reliable difference at the final testing is significant at p < 0.001. The experimental group showed a significant increase in obstacle negotiation speed, with an "Improvement Index" of 44.8%. The control group also showed improvements, but only by 30.2%. This proves the positive effect of additional training on the unstable platform of the simulator on the development of coordination skills in dogs. Thus, the effectiveness of the simulator is demonstrated, and recommendations for its use in canine units are provided.