Evaluation of a pheromone collar on canine behaviors during transition from foster homes to a training kennel in juvenile Military Working Dogs

The purpose of this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was to determine if the use of a pheromone collar was beneficial in reducing the stress of young Military Working Dogs (MWDs) transitioning from foster care into the training kennel at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Although the MWD is bred and trained to be robust and resilient, stark changes in environment and lifestyle can be a shock and lead to deleterious physiological and psychological effects, especially in young developing dogs. To evaluate the potential efficacy and utility of a pheromone collar on the dogs' behaviors during transition, each MWD that returned from foster between October 2014 and February 2015 was randomly assigned to either a placebo or treatment pheromone collar. Collars were worn for 4 weeks. Three behavioral assessments were performed before collar placement, then again at weeks 3 and 5 of the study, as well as 1 performance evaluation at week 3. The data were analyzed to determine if use of the pheromone collar had any effect on stress-related behaviors or performance. The results suggest that there was no reduction in observed behavioral signs of stress between the placebo and treatment groups. Further research should focus on a multimodal approach to mitigation of stressors.