Pets: Behavior and Welfare Assessment
The current comprehensive view is that the welfare of pets can be accessed on the basis of three distinct but overlapping domains: health and physiological functioning (body), affective state (mind), and social functioning including normal development, behavior, and temperament (nature). Behavioral assessment is used to assess each of these domains. Behavior provides information about pets’ […]
Welfare epidemiology as a tool to assess the welfare impact of inherited defects on the pedigree dog population
The effect that breed standards and selective breeding practices have on the welfare of pedigree dogs has recently come under scrutiny from both the general public and scientific community. Recent research has suggested that breeding for particular aesthetic traits, such as tightly curled tails, highly domed skulls and short muzzles predisposes dogs with these traits […]
Pet dog management practices among a representative sample of owners in Victoria, Australia
It is often assumed that pet dogs experience better welfare than livestock production animals because many owners consider them to be members of the family and, collectively, spend billions of dollars on them annually. However, this assumption is not based on scientific evidence, and a scientifically validated tool for assessing the welfare of companion dogs […]