It is increasingly required that non-human animals in laboratories are provided with adequate enrichment to promote the welfare of the animals. In a previous publication we showed that laboratory dogs intensively used the horn of calf hooves as chewing objects. In this report, we describe the effect of calf horn on selected behaviors of 62 laboratory dogs (60 beagles, two Foxhound crossbreds) in three research facilities (A, B, C). In addition, we assessed the dogs' tooth condition and fecal consistency. The selected behaviors: "aggressive behavior," "mounting," "tussle," "coprophagy," "manipulation" of the equipment and "abnormal behavior" did not change. In facilities A and C, the dogs receiving horn showed a significant reduction in staying near the fence of the kennel and observing the outside area. By analyzing the overall behavior in facility B, we found that "exploration" increased with horn, whereas "inactivity," "social play" and "other social behavior" decreased. In conclusion, the results indicate that horn of calf hooves offers alternative stimulation. We found positive effects on tartar/plaque reduction and fecal consistency which should be confirmed in further studies.

中文翻译：

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咀嚼小牛角对实验犬行为的影响。

越来越需要为实验室中的非人类动物提供足够的营养以促进动物的福祉。在以前的出版物中，我们表明实验犬强烈使用小牛蹄角作为咀嚼对象。在本报告中，我们描述了小牛角对在三个研究机构（A，B，C）中的62只实验犬（60只小猎犬，两只猎狗杂交）的选定行为的影响。此外，我们评估了狗的牙齿状况和粪便稠度。所选的行为：“攻击性行为”，“安装”，“折腾”，“共病”，“操纵”设备和“异常行为”没有改变。在设施A和C中，接受角的狗在狗窝围栏附近和观察室外区域时的停留时间明显减少。通过分析设施B的总体行为，我们发现“探索”随着号角的增加而增加，而“不活跃”，“社交”和“其他社交行为”则减少。总之，结果表明小牛蹄角提供了替代刺激。我们发现对牙垢/牙菌斑减少和粪便稠度的积极影响应在进一步研究中得到证实。结果表明小牛蹄角提供了替代刺激。我们发现对牙垢/牙菌斑减少和粪便稠度的积极影响应在进一步研究中得到证实。结果表明小牛蹄角提供了替代刺激。我们发现对牙垢/牙菌斑减少和粪便稠度的积极影响应在进一步研究中得到证实。