{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T19:58:36Z","timestamp":1788292716559,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782950400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Canine Nutrition, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand"},{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/052czxv31","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>New Zealand working farm dogs can struggle to maintain their body weight and condition during periods of high workload, despite substantial energy intake, highlighting the need to optimise energy balance. One potential strategy for reducing overall energy demands is to reduce energy expenditure for thermoregulation, particularly during colder conditions, which may improve both recovery and energy utilisation. This study investigated whether wearing coats influenced the sleep behaviour, activity, and apparent nutrient digestibility of outdoor-kennelled dogs. Eight adult working-breed dogs (n = 8) were studied using a randomised cross-over design, in which dogs wore a coat or no coat during overnight periods (15:00\u201309:00 h). Behaviour was monitored using triaxial accelerometers and classified using a validated machine learning model, while apparent nutrient digestibility was determined from pooled faecal samples. Dogs spent more time sleeping when wearing a coat compared to no coat (48.1% vs. 40.0%, p = 0.008), with the effect being most evident during cooler evening hours. Time spent resting and being active was reduced when coats were worn (p &lt; 0.05), while overall activity did not differ (p = 0.856). No differences were observed in apparent digestibility of energy or nutrients (p &gt; 0.05), although protein digestibility tended to be higher when coats were worn (p = 0.079). These findings suggest that coats can improve sleep behaviour, likely through improved thermal comfort. While this study was conducted in research dogs under relatively mild temperature conditions, the results indicate the potential welfare and functional benefits for working farm dogs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16132035","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T10:04:44Z","timestamp":1782986684000},"page":"2035","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Accelerometry-Based Assessment of Overnight Coat Use on Dog Sleep and Activity Patterns: Implications for Farm Dog Welfare"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Ting","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0554-5125","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michelle","family":"Smit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4413-8637","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xuan","family":"Cai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7398-2653","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rene A.","family":"Corner-Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2131-4012","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ina","family":"Draganova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3049-1835","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christopher J.","family":"Andrews","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7460-9351","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David G.","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1080\/00480169.2011.567967","article-title":"Age, breed, sex distribution and nutrition of a population of working farm dogs in New Zealand: Results of a cross-sectional study of members of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association","volume":"59","author":"Singh","year":"2011","journal-title":"N. Z. Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Dalton, C. (2024, November 03). Farm Dogs\u2014Heading Dogs, Huntaways and All-Purpose Dogs, Available online: https:\/\/teara.govt.nz\/en\/farm-dogs\/page-1."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Singh, I. (2013). Assessing Current Feeding Practices of Farmers and Energy Requirements of Working Farm Dogs in New Zealand: A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Animal Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. [Doctoral Dissertation, Massey University]."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.7120\/09627286.23.2.189","article-title":"Estimating the economic value of Australian stock herding dogs","volume":"23","author":"Arnott","year":"2014","journal-title":"Anim. Welf."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bermingham, E.N., Thomas, D.G., Cave, N.J., Morris, P.J., Butterwick, R.F., and German, A.J. (2014). Energy Requirements of Adult Dogs: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE, 9.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0109681"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Isaksen, K.E., Linney, L., Williamson, H., Norman, E.J., Cave, N.J., and Cogger, N. (2021). TeamMate: A Longitudinal Study of New Zealand Working Farm Dogs. III. Factors Affecting the Risk of Dogs Being Lost from the Workforce. Animals, 11.","DOI":"10.20944\/preprints202103.0620.v1"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barandun, M.A., Bult, S., Demierre, S., Vidondo, B., and Forterre, F. (2020). Colder Ambient Temperatures Influence Acute Onset Canine Intervertebral Disc Extrusion. Front. Vet. Sci., 7.","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2020.00175"},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"National Research Council (NRC) (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, The National Academies Press."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2584S","DOI":"10.1093\/jn\/124.suppl_12.2584S","article-title":"Energy Needs of Companion Animals: Matching Food Intakes to Requirements Throughout the Life Cycle","volume":"124","author":"Burger","year":"1994","journal-title":"J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S37","DOI":"10.1093\/jn\/121.suppl_11.S37","article-title":"Energy Requirement for Maintenance of Adult Dogs","volume":"121","year":"1991","journal-title":"J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"375","DOI":"10.1152\/ajplegacy.1962.202.2.375","article-title":"Seasonal variations in caloric intake of dogs living in an arctic environment","volume":"202","author":"Durrer","year":"1962","journal-title":"Am. J. Physiol. Leg. Content"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S22","DOI":"10.1093\/jn\/121.suppl_11.S22","article-title":"Evaluation of the Energy Requirements of Adult Kennel Dogs","volume":"121","author":"Finke","year":"1991","journal-title":"J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1016\/0166-4328(95)00002-B","article-title":"Energy conservation and sleep","volume":"69","author":"Berger","year":"1995","journal-title":"Behav. Brain Res."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1325","DOI":"10.1152\/physrev.00010.2018","article-title":"The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease","volume":"99","author":"Besedovsky","year":"2019","journal-title":"Physiol. Rev."},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"93","article-title":"The reciprocal link between sleep and immune responses","volume":"152","author":"Opp","year":"2014","journal-title":"Arch. Ital. Biol."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"(2026, June 27). Animal Welfare Act 1999, Available online: https:\/\/www.legislation.govt.nz\/act\/public\/1999\/0142\/latest\/DLM49664.html."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"Association of American Feed Control Officials (2026). Official Publication, AAFCO, Publictions."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Redmond, C., Smit, M., Draganova, I., Corner-Thomas, R., Thomas, D., and Andrews, C. (2024). The Use of Triaxial Accelerometers and Machine Learning Algorithms for Behavioural Identification in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris): A Validation Study. Sensors, 24.","DOI":"10.3390\/s24185955"},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"NIWA (2026, April 13). National Climate Database. Available online: https:\/\/niwa.co.nz\/climate-and-weather\/obtaining-climate-data-niwa."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"AOAC International (2019). AOAC Method 930.15: Loss on Drying (Moisture) for Feeds (at 135 \u00b0C for 2 hours). Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, AOAC International. [21st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"AOAC International (2019). AOAC Method 942.05; Ash of Animal Feed. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, AOAC International. [21st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"AOAC International (2019). AOAC Method 992.15: Crude Protein in Meat and Meat Products Including Pet Foods: Combustion Method. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, AOAC International. [21st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"AOAC International (2019). AOAC Method 978.19: Water-Binding Capacity of Dietary Fiber. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, AOAC International. [21st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"AOAC International (2019). AOAC Method 922.06: Fat in Flour: Acid Hydrolysis Method. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, AOAC International. [21st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"AOAC International (2019). AOAC Method 2003.06: Crude Fat in Feeds, Cereal Grains, and Forages: Randall\/Soxtec\/Hexanes Extracton-Submersion Method. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, AOAC International. [21st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_26","unstructured":"R Core Team (R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, 2024). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, 4.1.1."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"378","DOI":"10.32614\/RJ-2017-066","article-title":"glmmTMB balances speed and flexibility among packages for zero-inflated generalized linear mixed modeling","volume":"9","author":"Brooks","year":"2017","journal-title":"R J."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"478","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-04502-2","article-title":"The cyclic interaction between daytime behavior and the sleep behavior of laboratory dogs","volume":"12","author":"Schork","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jveb.2012.10.007","article-title":"Characterizing behavioral sleep using actigraphy in adult dogs of various ages fed once or twice daily","volume":"8","author":"Zanghi","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Vet. Behav."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Owczarczak-Garstecka, S.C., and Burman, O.H.P. (2016). Can Sleep and Resting Behaviours be Used as Indicators of Welfare in Shelter Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?. PLoS ONE, 11.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0163620"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"615","DOI":"10.1080\/09291016.2014.884303","article-title":"Comparison of daily distribution of rest\/activity in companion cats and dogs","volume":"45","author":"Piccione","year":"2014","journal-title":"Biol. Rhythm. Res."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jveb.2008.10.037","article-title":"A practitioner\u2019s guide to working dog welfare","volume":"4","author":"Rooney","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Vet. Behav."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Isaksen, K.E., Linney, L., Williamson, H., Cave, N.J., Beausoleil, N.J., Norman, E.J., and Cogger, N. (2020). TeamMate: A longitudinal study of New Zealand working farm dogs. I. Methods, population characteristics and health on enrolment. BMC Vet. Res., 16.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12917-020-2273-2"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"293","DOI":"10.1152\/jappl.1965.20.2.293","article-title":"Aerobic work capacity and plasma FFA turnover","volume":"20","author":"Issekutz","year":"1965","journal-title":"J. Appl. Physiol."},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"Hand, M.S., Lewis, D.D., Thatcher, C.D., Remillard, R.L., and Roudebush, P. (1998). The canine athlete. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, Mark Morris Associates. [4th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lefter, R., Cojocariu, R.O., Ciobica, A., Balmus, I.M., Mavroudis, I., and Kis, A. (2022). Interactions between Sleep and Emotions in Humans and Animal Models. Medicina, 58.","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina58020274"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1007\/s44338-026-00191-1","article-title":"Assessment of the relationship between sleep and welfare in dogs using AWAG data","volume":"3","author":"Malkani","year":"2026","journal-title":"Discov. Anim."},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"95","article-title":"Consequences of sleep deprivation","volume":"23","year":"2010","journal-title":"Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"359","DOI":"10.1353\/pbm.1998.0051","article-title":"Current perspectives on the function of sleep","volume":"41","author":"Rechtschaffen","year":"1998","journal-title":"Perspect. Biol. Med."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"762","DOI":"10.1002\/ajhb.10093","article-title":"Is obesity associated with poor sleep quality in adolescents?","volume":"14","author":"Gupta","year":"2002","journal-title":"Am. J. Hum. Biol."},{"key":"ref_41","unstructured":"Kryger, M.H., Roth, T., and Dement, W.C. (2022). Sleep in animals. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine, Elsevier Saunders. [5th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1435","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(99)01376-8","article-title":"Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function","volume":"354","author":"Spiegel","year":"1999","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Schork, I.G., Manzo, I.A., Oliveira, M.R., Costa, F.V., Young, R.J., and De Azevedo, C.S. (2023). Testing the Accuracy of Wearable Technology to Assess Sleep Behaviour in Domestic Dogs: A Prospective Tool for Animal Welfare Assessment in Kennels. Animals, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/ani13091467"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Straube-Koegler, S., Dobenecker, B., Lauer, S., Wielaender, F., Zablotski, Y., and Fischer, A. (2025). Actical Accelerometers as a Clinical Tool for the Monitoring of Sleeping and Resting Periods in Individual Dogs. Animals, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15172571"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22760","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-02117-1","article-title":"Developmental features of sleep electrophysiology in family dogs","volume":"11","author":"Reicher","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."}],"container-title":["Animals"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/13\/2035\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T11:12:45Z","timestamp":1782990765000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/13\/2035"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"13","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]}},"alternative-id":["ani16132035"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ani16132035","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2615"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2615","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]]}}}