The effects of cage size and pair housing on exercise in beagle dogs (1989)

Hughes, H. C., Campbell, S., Kenney, C.

Abstract

Dogs in the single cage size spent slightly less time moving, but they moved at a greater speed than when housed in double sized cages [probably because of the extreme confinement condition leading to frustration and possibly abnormal behavior patterns, and because of the absence of any structures in the cage]. When a pair of dogs were housed in a barren cage 25% smaller than recommended, the distance traveled and the amount of time spent moving increased significantly [probably because they were no longer able to keep adequate social distances and hence were quasi-forced to keep moving all the time in a barren cage without any structures or visual barrier]. From this data, it is apparent that human contact is the single most consistent and important factor in encouraging dogs to be active [in an otherwise unstimulating environment].