Table 2.
Noradrenaline, serotonin, and cortisol levels in the blood serum of dogs in relation to the sex and the use of the stroking stimulus (n = 40).
| Items | Noradrenaline | Serotonin | Cortisol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pg/mL | ng/mL | ng/mL | ||
| F + NS | 238.48 | 457.73 | 51.83 | |
| M + NS | 278.52 | 602.51 | 59.16 | |
| F + SS | 344.18 | 507.08 | 46.16 | |
| M + SS | 451.33 | 578.41 | 48.97 | |
| SEM | 0.039 | 0.073 | 0.012 | |
| Effect of sex (EP) |
F | 291.33 b | 482.41 b | 48.99 b |
| M | 364.33 a | 590.46 a | 54.07 a | |
| Effect of stroking (EB) |
NS | 258.50 y | 530.12 y | 55.49 x |
| SS | 397.76 x | 542.75 x | 47.57 y | |
| p-value | ||||
| EP effect | 0.042 | 0.032 | 0.042 | |
| EB effect | 0.011 | 0.023 | 0.031 | |
| EP x EB interaction | 0.235 | 0.218 | 0.089 | |
x,y; a,b Means within the same column differ significantly (p ≤ 0.05) according to Tukey’s test (effect of sex (EP) x effect of stroking (EB) interaction); Standard error of the mean (SEM) divided by the square root of the replication number, n = 40; NS—negative stimuli, SS—positive stimuli; groups: F+NS—female dogs before stroking; M+NS—male dogs before stroking; F+SS—female dogs after stroking, M+SS—male dogs after stroking.