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Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the effectiveness of the selection of service dogs by types of their higher nervous activities. The studies were carried out on dogs of the German Shepherd breed in the conditions of the cynological center of the Main Department of National police in Luhansk region. The excitability of dogs was determined by express method of L. V. Krushinsky, the number of movements made by the dog in 2 minutes was measured with a pedometer. The performance of dogs was assessed by the method of finding and choosing the necessary objects by the animals.
The results of the studies showed that when the animals were grouped according to the excitability index, sanguine dogs reliably (P≥0.95) had increased excitability limits compared to phlegmatic dogs. Thus, the pedometer is quite a suitable special device for determining the types of higher nervous activities of dogs.
When analyzing the performance indicators of dogs with different types of higher nervous activities, it was found that sanguine dogs (both males and females) reliably (P≥0.95) demonstrated better performance compared to dogs of the corresponding sex of the phlegmatic type. Out of 20 trials, dogs of this temperament type made almost 93% of the choices right, which is 25.8% more than phlegmatic dogs did. Dogs with such a nervous system have more pronounced basic behavioral reactions.
Sexual dimorphism does not significantly affect the type of higher nervous activities and the performance of service dogs.
It has been established that the types of higher nervous activity affect the performance of dogs and this must be considered in the practical selection of the dogs most suitable for special training. The preferred type of higher nervous activity for dogs is sanguine, as animals of this type can quickly and accurately adapt to environmental changes and can be easily trained.

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