Dog Leashing Measure

Abstract

The Dog Leashing Measure (van Eeden et al., 2023) is a specialized psychological instrument developed to quantify human dimensions related to pet management in conservation settings. Specifically, it assesses the complex interplay of attitudes, normative beliefs, and behavioral beliefs concerning the act of dog leashing and associated restrictions within natural areas.

The scale, consisting of 15 items, was initially validated using a sample of adult participants in Victoria, Australia. This sample included both dog owners and individuals without dogs, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of public perception regarding environmental policy and companion animal access. Reliability analysis, focusing on internal consistency, was reported for the derived factors.

Keywords

Dogs, Environmental Attitudes, Interspecies Interaction, Social Norms, Environmental Policy, Nature (Environment), Environmental Measures, Beliefs About Control over One’s Dog While Off-Leash, Beliefs About the Benefits to Dogs of Being Off-Leash in Natural Areas, Perception That Dogs Are Discriminated Against in Natural Areas, Social Norms About Dog Leashing.

Authors

van Eeden, Lily M., Geschke, Andrew, Hames, Fern, Squires, Zoe E., Weston, Michael A.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Dog Leashing Measure questionnaire is to systematically measure the behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes held by dog owners regarding the practice of leashing dogs in sensitive natural areas.

Furthermore, the scale aims to gauge participant attitudes toward existing or proposed restrictions concerning dogs’ access to and movement within these environmental settings. This information is crucial for informing effective conservation management and environmental policy development.

Construct

The Dog Leashing Measure primarily assesses constructs related to human behavior in the context of wildlife and conservation management, drawing heavily on components often utilized in theories of planned behavior (TPB). The scale captures four distinct psychological dimensions related to compliance and justification for leashing behavior:

• Social Norms About Dog Leashing: Measures the perceived social pressure or prevailing expectations regarding appropriate dog management practices in public and natural spaces.

• Beliefs About Control over One’s Dog While Off-Leash: Assesses the perceived behavioral control and confidence dog owners have in managing their dog without a leash, particularly concerning obedience and potential negative interactions.

• Perception That Dogs Are Discriminated Against in Natural Areas: Captures the subjective feeling among owners that regulations unfairly target or restrict canine access compared to other recreational activities.

• Beliefs About the Benefits to Dogs of Being Off-Leash in Natural Areas: Measures the perceived value and welfare benefits owners attribute to allowing their dogs unrestrained freedom in environmental settings.

Validity

No specific data regarding the scale’s construct validity, criterion validity, or predictive validity is available in the source documentation.

Reliability

The reliability of the Dog Leashing Measure was established through an analysis of internal consistency for the derived factors.

Internal Consistency: The measure demonstrated acceptable to good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alphas ranging from .705 to .822 across the factors. The authors employed a unique methodology for factor development: factors were created by identifying correlations between individual statements, and then combining positively correlated statements. New factor scores were subsequently generated by averaging the scores across these combined statements. Although two items did not align with any identifiable new factor, they were retained in the final 15-item measure, despite their non-alignment with the statistically derived subscales.

Factor Analysis

No detailed data regarding formal exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis procedures is available in the source documentation.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Responses are recorded on a 5-point Likert-type scale, ranging from ‘strongly disagree (1)’ to ‘strongly agree (5).’

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)

Population Details: Location: Australia (Victoria). Respondents: Adult Participants with and without Dogs.

Test Methodology: Test Reliability; Internal Consistency

Keywords

Beliefs About Control over One’s Dog While Off-Leash, Beliefs About the Benefits to Dogs of Being Off-Leash in Natural Areas, Perception That Dogs Are Discriminated Against in Natural Areas, Social Norms About Dog Leashing, Conservation Psychology, Companion Animals.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

• van Eeden, Lily M.: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0456-9670
• Weston, Michael A.: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8717-0410

Affiliation:

• van Eeden, Lily M.: Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
• Geschke, Andrew: Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
• Hames, Fern: Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
• Squires, Zoe E.: Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
• Weston, Michael A.: Deakin University, School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Email addresses:

• van Eeden, Lily M.: [email protected]

Correspondence Address:

van Eeden, Lily M.: Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Commercial: No

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

References

van Eeden, L. M., Geschke, A., Hames, F., Squires, Z. E., & Weston, M. A. (2023). The leashing behavior of dog owners in different types of natural areas. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 28(4), 356–371. The definitive academic source for this measure can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2022.2077482

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Items of the Dog Leashing Measure

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Number of items: This measure consists of 15 items.

Test Items Available: No

Subscales:

• Social norms about dog leashing
• Beliefs about control over one’s dog while off-leash
• Perception that dogs are discriminated against in natural areas
• Beliefs about the benefits to dogs of being off-leash in natural areas