Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Maddie’s Insights are practical tips based on current research to help pets and people and that you can use in your shelter.
Speaker: Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, Associate Professor, School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech and Director, Applied Behavior & Welfare Lab
Dogs are often housed alone in shelter settings to reduce injury and disease spread. However, social isolation can be a stressor for dogs. Most prior studies have focused on laboratory dogs or shelter dogs that have been kenneled for several months. Thus, those results might not necessarily generalize to shelter dogs, many of which have shorter lengths of stay than those dogs studied to date and might be cohoused soon after intake.
Dr. Feuerbacher and her team investigated the behavioral and physiological effects of single- or pair-housing shelter dogs, most of which had recently entered the shelter, as well as the impact of pair-housing on length of stay. In this talk, Dr. Feuerbacher will review the literature on cohousing dogs, go into detail on her study methods and results, and discuss the benefits and practical considerations of pair-housing dogs.
Attendees will learn to:
Identify behavioral and physiological benefits of pair housing
Identify adoption benefits of pair housing
Understand the requirements to consider using pair housing safely
If you have any questions about this webcast, please visit Maddie's Pet Forum https://maddies.fund/MIwebcast01092025
Maddie’s Insights are practical tips based on current research to help pets and people and that you can use in your shelter.
Speaker: Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, Associate Professor, School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech and Director, Applied Behavior & Welfare Lab
Dogs are often housed alone in shelter settings to reduce injury and disease spread. However, social isolation can be a stressor for dogs. Most prior studies have focused on laboratory dogs or shelter dogs that have been kenneled for several months. Thus, those results might not necessarily generalize to shelter dogs, many of which have shorter lengths of stay than those dogs studied to date and might be cohoused soon after intake.
Dr. Feuerbacher and her team investigated the behavioral and physiological effects of single- or pair-housing shelter dogs, most of which had recently entered the shelter, as well as the impact of pair-housing on length of stay. In this talk, Dr. Feuerbacher will review the literature on cohousing dogs, go into detail on her study methods and results, and discuss the benefits and practical considerations of pair-housing dogs.
Attendees will learn to:
Identify behavioral and physiological benefits of pair housing
Identify adoption benefits of pair housing
Understand the requirements to consider using pair housing safely
If you have any questions about this webcast, please visit Maddie's Pet Forum https://maddies.fund/MIwebcast01092025
