First evaluation of a maternal bovine (Bos taurus)–appeasing pheromone in canines (Canis familiaris) shows no reduction in kennel noise
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether the topical application of a maternal bovine (Bos taurus)-appeasing substance (mBAS) to laboratory dogs (Canis familiaris) would affect barking intensity, alter the prevalence of loud barking, or have adverse effects. Methods: A controlled experiment with a repeated-measures design was performed with a convenience sample of 12 dogs from an existing research colony. The room housing the dogs served as the experimental unit across two 5-day treatment periods (one period for control and one for mBAS). A decibel meter recorded sound levels every 30 s to quantify barking intensity. Dogs with clinical signs of illness were excluded. Results: A total of 22,502 decibel readings were recorded, and mBAS did not significantly affect decibel levels regardless of time of day or research day. Additionally, mBAS did not significantly affect loud barking. No adverse effects were noted, and no dogs were excluded from the study. Conclusions: Our results suggest that mBAS does not meaningfully reduce vocalizations in kenneled laboratory dogs nor does it offer welfare benefits to dogs or human caretakers. The substance is well tolerated in this species and may be considered for future research endeavors in interspecies pheromonal communication. Clinical Relevance: Species-specific maternal pheromones can reduce stress-associated behaviors in animals, including vocalization intensity and frequency in dogs. Existing research suggests that interspecies pheromone use is beneficial, and while our data did not support this hypothesis, they contribute to the scientific understanding of this underexplored research area.
Institution: Texas A&M University
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7124989583
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