We investigated the effects of an owner’s body odor on their dog’s behavior while separated. Twelve privately owned, healthy dogs with no history of separation anxiety were included. Four odor stimuli: owner’s sock, dried beef meat, lavender oil, and a control (cotton; no odor) were selected. Each odor stimulus was inserted into a cushion cover and presented to a penned dog for 30 min. The dog was left alone in a room, and the dog’s behavioral responses recorded by video. Investigation of the owner’s sock by dogs was significantly (P < 0.05) longer than lavender oil, which was similar to dried beef meat. Although there was no significant difference with the control, approximately 50% of the dogs spent >twice as much time investigating the owner’s sock than the control, suggesting the dogs showed stronger interest in their owners’ socks. Also, those dogs with a prolonged investigation time with their owner’s socks had a long lying duration around the odor (r_s=0.661, P < 0.05), suggesting an attachment behavior toward maintaining proximity to their owner’s sock as a substitute for the presence of their owner. However, suppressive vocalization effects associated with owner separation were not apparent.

Although a large number of dairy cows in Japan are raised under restraint with tie- (50%) and stanchion-stalls (20%), few studies have investigated the distinctions between the two systems. Here, we compared the two systems on cows’ comfort using their behaviour and autonomic nervous activity as indicators. Time budgets were calculated for maintenance behaviours of eight Holstein steers kept in tie- and stanchion-stalls, and the self-grooming frequency was recorded. Simultaneously, apex-base bipolar lead electrocardiograms were used to measure the autonomic nervous activity of steers. The heart rate (HR) and parameters of heart rate variability (low-frequency power: LF; high-frequency power: HF; and LF/HF ratio) were used to assess the discomfort of steers. Steers in stanchion-stalls showed less lying with head backward (P < 0.05) and a lower frequency of self-grooming toward hindlimbs (P < 0.001) and lumbar region (P < 0.001) than those in tie-stalls. HR, HF power, and LF/HF ratio showed no significant difference between steers in tie- and stanchion-stalls, indicating an absence of a stress response; however, the higher LF power in stanchion-stall steers (P < 0.05) might be associated with lying posture. Overall, these results indicate that, although some behaviours were restricted in steers kept in stanchion-stalls, the autonomic nervous activity indicates that there were no significant differences in comfort levels of the animals kept in tie- and stanchion-stalls.