Table 4.
Definitions and variable type (score/duration) of behaviours coded from the behaviour test.
| Variable | Variable Type | Possible Values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploration | |||
| Tail | Score (point sampling, every 30 s) | 3 | Tail mostly high: tail is held above the tail base. |
| 2 | Tail mostly medium: tail is in line with the tail base. | ||
| 1 | Tail mostly low: tail is lower than the tail base. | ||
| Active | Duration | Puppy is moving or exploring. Moving is defined as a forward or backwards movement; coding starts when dog starts to move leg, followed by body movement. Does not include if dog moves legs but does not change spatial position. Exploring is coded when the puppy’s nose is <5 cm from ground or from objects, apparently sniffing, mouthing, manipulating, or scratching objects with the paw. | |
| Whimper | Duration | Puppy is producing a high-pitched noise. | |
| Near Stranger | Duration | Puppy’s head is <50 cm from the stranger. | |
| Out of Sight | Duration | Puppy is out of sight. | |
| Greeting | |||
| Greeting Approach Score | Score | 0 | Does not approach the stranger (10 cm from stranger’s hands) within 45 s after she started to attract the puppy’s attention. |
| 1 | Approaches the stranger within 21–45 s after she started to attract the puppy’s attention. | ||
| 2 | Approaches the stranger within 11–20 s after she started to attract the puppy’s attention. | ||
| 3 | Approaches the stranger within 10 s after she started to attract the puppy’s attention. | ||
| 4 | Puppy is already in contact with stranger when she starts to attract the puppy’s attention. | ||
| Whimper | Duration | Puppy is producing a high-pitched noise. | |
| Near Stranger | Duration | Puppy’s head is <50 cm from the stranger. | |
| Direct Body Contact | Duration | Direct body contact with stranger (only when puppy initiates contact). | |
| Out of Sight | Duration | Puppy is out of sight. | |
| Solvable problem | |||
| Whimper | Duration | Puppy is producing a high-pitched noise. | |
| Invisible | Duration | Puppy is out of sight. | |
| Problem-solving Latency | Duration | The time from release of the puppy until the puppy starts consuming the food. | |
| Unsolvable problem | |||
| Whimper | Duration | Puppy is producing a high-pitched noise. | |
| Touch Object | Duration | Puppy touches cardboard or paper cup with a body part. If puppy is touching object AND near a person, touch object was coded. | |
| Invisible | Duration | Puppy is out of sight. | |
| Near Breeder | Duration | Puppy’s head is <10 cm away from breeder. (In the analysis, this variable was added up with “Near Experimenter” and “Near Stranger” as “Near Person”). | |
| Near Experimenter | Duration | Puppy’s head is <10 cm away from experimenter. (In the analysis, this variable was added up with “Near Breeder” and “Near Stranger” as “Near Person”). | |
| Near Stranger | Duration | Puppy’s head is <10 cm away from stranger. (In the analysis, this variable was added up with “Near Experimenter” and “Near Stranger” as “Near Person”). | |
| Novel object | |||
| Novel Object Approach Score | Score | 2 | Approaches to within 20 cm of the novel object within 5 s. |
| 1 | Approaches to within 20 cm of the novel object after 5 s. | ||
| 0 | Does not approach the novel object to within 20 cm within 30 s. | ||
| Touch Object | Duration | Puppy touches novel object with a body part. | |
| Out of Sight | Duration | Puppy is out of sight. | |
| Whimper | Duration | Puppy is producing a high-pitched noise. | |
| Near Breeder | Duration | Puppy’s head is <10 cm from Breeder. (In the analysis, this variable was added up with “Near Experimenter” and “Near Stranger” as “Near Person”). | |
| Near Experimenter | Duration | Puppy’s head is <10 cm from Experimenter. (In the analysis, this variable was added up with “Near Breeder” and “Near Stranger” as “Near Person”). | |
| Near Stranger | Duration | Puppy’s head is <10 cm from Stranger. (In the analysis, this variable was added up with “Near Breeder” and “Near Experimenter” as “Near Person”). | |
| Startle | |||
| Initial startle reaction (addresses how strong puppies’ first reaction was after the noise) | Score | 0 | No visible reaction. |
| 1 | Weak reaction: only one body part moves (e.g., either ears or head). | ||
| 2 | Strong reaction: two or more body parts are moving and changing position (e.g., head and paws). | ||
| 3 | Very strong reaction: Puppy lowers body completely, their belly touches the floor OR puppy makes a sudden move with all body parts. | ||
| Activity after noise (addresses puppies’ further reactions after the startle stimulus) | Summary score with 1 point each for the below variables | 0 | Puppy does not change activity and keeps doing what s/he was doing before or runs towards noise. |
| 1 | Puppy changes activity and does not run towards noise. | ||
| 1 | Freeze (puppy stops movement for more than 2 s). Only codable if dog was moving at the time of the noise (otherwise coded as NA). | ||
| 1 | Flee (puppy runs away from the direction of the noise). | ||
| 1 | Seeks comfort from breeder (puppy hides behind the breeder or jumps up at her). | ||
| 1 | Tail lowered for at least 2 s after noise. | ||
| Play after noise (addresses how fast puppies were playing after the loud noise) | Score | 0 | Puppy engages in play within 15 s after the noise. |
| 1 | Puppy does not play within 15 s after the noise. | ||