The Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale (LCAS)
The Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale (LCAS) is a validated, reliable tool used to evaluate a dog’s anxiety in relation to an individual specific trigger – in cases where the dog is displaying anxiety to a range of different triggers.
The Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale (LCAS) is a validated,
reliable tool used to evaluate a dog’s anxiety in relation to an individual
specific trigger – in cases where the dog is displaying anxiety to a range of
different triggers, the scale can be repeated to give a separate score for
each. For evaluation of anxiety/fearfulness as a trait, please refer to the
Positive and Negative Activation Scale.
The scale provides a quantifiable record of your dog’s
immediate response that can be used to evaluate and compare the response in
different conditions and during treatment.
Please note, many dogs with anxiety also suffer from low
grade pain and so a careful evaluation by a veterinarian for medical conditions
that might be contributing to the problem is essential.
The tool has been developed and validated by researchers
within the Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare Group, School of Life
Sciences, University of Lincoln.
The LCAS can be used:
a) As a clinical tool to evaluate and describe the
anxious/fearful/phobic reaction a dog has to a specific stimulus.
b) To improve the management of problems relating to anxiety,
and also as a research tool, to evaluate new treatments related to anxiety– see
related publications. Our unpublished work shows that scoring of the items is
generally reliable within owners, i.e. an owner can use the tool to reliable
monitor their dog’s behaviour.
c) In the screening of shelter dogs at the time of
relinquishment, or working dogs to predict their need for remedial intervention.
Product: LCAS is a 16 item questionnaire with each item
relating to a specific sign. Each is scored for severity to generate a total
score.
Academic
Profile: https://staff.lincoln.ac.uk/dmills
Consultancy: Consultancy services offered through the Animal Behaviour Clinic a professional service to industry and a referral only clinic for pets and animals of all species with behaviour and training problems located at the University of Lincoln’s City Centre campus.
Commercial Use:
This assessment tool is freely available for personal use. If you require commercial use please send enquiries to contracts@lincoln.ac.uk.
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swap_vertical_circlelibrary_booksReferences (4)
- Mills D.S. Müller, H. W., McPeake, K. J., & Engel, O. (2020), Development and Psychometric Validation of the Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 171
- McPeake, K. J., & Mills, D. S. (2017), The use of imepitoin (Pexion™) on fear and anxiety related problems in dogs–a case series, BMC veterinary research, 13(1), 173
- Lopes Fagundes, A. L., Hewison, L., McPeake, K. J., Zulch, H., & Mills, D. S (2018), Noise sensitivities in dogs: an exploration of signs in dogs with and without musculoskeletal pain using qualitative content analysis, Frontiers in veterinary science, 5, 17
- Engel, O., Müller, H. W., Klee, R., Francke, B., & Mills, D. S. (2019), Effectiveness of imepitoin for the control of anxiety and fear associated with noise phobia in dogs, Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 33(6), 2675-2684
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swap_vertical_circlecloud_downloadSupporting documents (1)Product brochureThe Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale (LCAS).pdfAdditional files may be available once you've completed the transaction for this product. If you've already done so, please log into your account and visit My account / Downloads section to view them.