Worksheet- Further links between welfare and dog training PDF

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Summary

This is a document about the laws regarding dogs and dog welfare and how these can impact dog training...

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Level 4 Introduction to Canine Training

Further links between welfare and dog training Read: A practitioner’s guide to working dog welfare. (Rooney et al., 2009)

Questions

Answer Dogs are not particularly well adapted for life in a kennel environment; most find kennel life challenging and many experience compromised welfare. Many current working dogs were neither bred nor raised in kennels and for these the transition is especially stressful. Many kennel environments do not provide all that the

How can the kennel environment contribute to a dog’s stress levels?

animal needs (e.g., social contact, control over its environment, adequate exercise), and hence dogs may have difficulties coping with the environment and may experience negative feelings. An inappropriate kennel environment may also result in discomfort, pain, elevated levels of disease and distress, and may prevent a dog from expressing its normal behaviours. This is what we mean when we say that many kennelled dogs show poor welfare. Previous work found a link between welfare an working ability in explosive search dogs. They found that stressed dogs tend to perform badly during search dog training. Poor welfare can lead to ill health and may affect work output. Dog users

How does welfare impact a dog’s learning ability?

have a legal and moral duty of care to maximize their dogs’ welfare and minimize psychological suffering. Long term stress can lead to a reduced ability to learn. Studies of long-term kennelled search dogs have shown a reduction in learning ability as early as 6 years of age, which may be linked to high stress levels. Research has shown that a level of contact with people is more important than the physical kennel environment for the welfare of working dogs, as well as for dogs in

In relation to stress, why is it important to get to know a dog on an individual basis?

laboratory and rescue kennels. Many working dogs were originally household pets and spent a large amount of time in contact with people. Once within the working environment, this level of contact is not always possible which can be stressful to the dog. Using large plastic Elizabethan collars to stop dogs over-grooming can allow sores

Is it ethical to use an Elizabethan collar to prevent a dog from overgrooming? Can you provide an alternative suggestion? Define ‘stereotypy’ behaviour

to heal, but it also prevents the dog from carrying out a behaviour that it has been using to relieve stress. Hence it is important to give dogs the chance to carry out alternative stress-relieving behaviours, such as social interaction or chewing toys or food items. Stereotypy behaviour is a repetitive behaviour that relieves the animal’s feelings of stress. It is important to let the dog stereotype directly but provide other options.

Level 4 Introduction to Canine Training What is the link between environmental temperature and a dog’s stress levels? How might this inform your training sessions? During winter, outdoor temperatures often drop below freezing that can make the kennel environment extremely cold and uncomfortable. Our studies have shown that low temperatures can result in high levels of stress hormones in several breeds of dog and that dogs that live in heated kennels generally rest more. For laboratory dogs, is recommended that temperatures are kept within the range 10–26

Level 4 Introduction to Canine Training C. This should also be the case for working dogs. However, when this is impossible, caretakers should look out for signs that the dog is having difficulty coping with the temperature, such as shivering or coldness to the touch, and should adapt husbandry accordingly (e.g., increase bedding, provide coats). This behaviour looks very similar to shivering in response to cold, but may occur when the dog is not cold, and it can be a sign of high psychological stress. It is often accompanied by fearful behaviour such as cowering, hiding, and avoiding eye contact. Stress can cause:

How can stress impact the health of a dog?

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Change in normal behaviour

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Emergence of fearful behaviour

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Self-mutilation or over-grooming

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Performance of stereotypies or repetitive behaviours

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Shivering or cold body temperature

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Trembling or body shaking

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Paw-lifting

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Loss of weight

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Loose faeces

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Coprophagy

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Soreness of the feet

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Vocalisation

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Chewing of the kennel...