Preference Ranking Procedure: Method Validation with Dogs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In order to provide more test options to determine the preference of dogs regarding pet food products, a preference ranking procedure was proposed previously and then validated in this study. The validation of the procedure was conducted by repeating the main portion of the preliminary test with a one-year gap and the results from both studies were compared. The results showed a general agreement and proved that the preference ranking procedure is capable of showing consistent results. ABSTRACT: The growth of the number of pet products and the pet food industry is continuous. This is partially driven by palatability and perceptions of preference. A preference ranking procedure for dogs has been proposed in order to suggest a more efficient method to study the palatability of food products for dogs. This method was developed based on the assumption that (1) dogs would be more motivated to solve a puzzle for foods that they preferred and (2) the order in which the dogs obtained the treats from the puzzles would indicate the ranking of their preferences. This current study included a validation test that was conducted with 12 dogs to determine if the proposed method was reliable. The validation followed the same procedure as the preliminary test for most parts and dedicated a separate phase each for training, fats, proteins, starches, and complex diets. The results from phases 2 to 4 showed a similar pattern with the preliminary test: Fish oil was preferred over lard, liver over beef, and corn over chickpea. The results from phase 5 showed that the ranking of the combination of the ingredients reflected the preference of the dogs for individual ingredients. As a result, this method was concluded to be reliable.