Human–dog interactions and behavioural responses ofvillage dogs in coastal villages in Michoacán, Mexico

Abstract

tIn Mexican villages, most households keep dogs that roam freely. Therefore, socialisationof village dogs occurs in a different context than that of companion dogs in developedcountries. The objectives of this study were: (1) to assess village dogs’ behavioural responsestowards familiar and unfamiliar humans, (2) to compare body condition of dogs living ina village with a seasonal trade in international tourism (IT-village) with dogs living in avillage located in the vicinity of a sea-turtle nesting site (STN-village), and (3) to identifywhether dog characteristics influence dog behaviour and body condition.Two coastal villages in Michoacán, Mexico, were selected as case study sites. Fifty-nine dogs were initially visited, 35 of which were repeatedly visited during the high andlow seasons for international tourism and sea-turtle nesting. Caregivers were interviewedregarding human–dog interactions, and dogs were behaviourally tested and rated for bodycondition. Behavioural indicators were: (1) the dog’s qualitative response to a caregiver’scall and (2) the dog’s willingness to approach an unfamiliar human. Additionally, a dog cen-sus per village was conducted to ascertain the dog population structure. Dogs were kept byover 60% of households in both villages. Body condition was optimal for 68% of the dogs. Inthe low season, dogs in the STN-village had better body condition than dogs in IT-village(P = 0.007). Dog characteristics that influenced behavioural responses were: sex, age, andwhether the dog played with humans. The most common response to the caregiver’s callwas tail wagging, shown by 83% of male dogs and 50% of female dogs (P = 0.021). About 70%of the pups approached the unfamiliar human completely, whereas only 24% of the juveniles(P = 0.040) and 26% of the adults did so (P = 0.026). Human–dog play was reported to occurmainly with children (77%). The percentage of dogs that played with humans was higherin dogs responding with tail wagging (82%) than in dogs showing the rest of the responsecategories (withdrawal, baring teeth, and other) (50%) (P = 0.012). Human–dog play wasreported for 85% of the male dogs compared to 55% of the female dogs (P = 0.036). Thisstudy showed that village dogs were socialised to familiar humans but were not attractedto unfamiliar humans. Village dogs maintained their body condition in the low season.Child–dog play may have a role in shaping village dog social behaviour towards humans.