Discrimination of estrus odor in urine by male dogs in different experimental settings

This study assessed the most suitable behavioral test for discrimination of the odor of female dog urine during estrus and anestrus, in order to identify chemical compounds acting as female pheromones. Twelve male dogs were used for testing. Urine samples were collected from 16 females in estrus, 5 females in anestrus, 5 spayed females and 8 males. In Test 1, five samples were arranged randomly in a lineup outdoors and the dogs showed no spontaneous interest or preference towards the estrus samples.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research