How do dogs respond to changes in cortisol levels in conspecifics and humans?

This project aims to understand whether and how dogs detect changes in cortisol levels in dogs and humans. This phenomenon may have evolved because of the selective advantage an animal has, if it can avoid danger detected by other animals, in addition to its own perception. However, this ability has potential welfare and training implications - charities have started to train dogs to alert patients living with Addison's disease, a condition resulting in low cortisol levels, to the onset of an adrenal crisis.
Working with a world-leading charity, this project will take a multidisciplinary approach to quantify the performance of Addison alert dogs and assess the emotional contagion effect(s) of conspecific and interspecific stress. Using sweat samples we will assess sensitivity and specificity of response and use mass-spectrometry to identify critical compounds that trigger alerting behaviour. Using tests of trainability and affective state, developed and validated at University of Bristol, we will also explore the effect of presenting naive dogs with urine samples from humans and dogs collected at times of naturally occurring stress.
The project therefore has the potential to improve understanding of emotional contagion and signaling and the welfare and working ability of dogs.
The student will have the unique opportunity to join a strong cross-institutional, multidisciplinary collaboration. They will be primarily based at the world-renowned Animal Welfare and Behaviour Group at Bristol Veterinary School and will also work in Dr Muller's laboratory at the Cardiff School of Biosciences to learn methods of collection, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of volatile organic compounds, as used in vertebrate chemical ecology. A placement with Medical Detection Dogs, a world leader in training dogs for medical alert and bio-detection will complement the training. The student will gain skills across disciplines in behavioural observation, measuring working dog performance and welfare, scent analysis, data processing and evaluation.