Pets: Behavior and Welfare Assessment
Publication Type: |
Book Section |
Year of Publication: |
2010 |
Authors: |
B. L. Sherman |
Publication/Journal: |
Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior |
Publisher: |
Academic Press |
Keywords: |
animal welfare, behavioral assessment, cat welfare, dog welfare, free choice profiling, proxy assessment, quality of life, welfare illustrator grid, welfare of pets, well-being |
ISBN: |
978-0-08-045337-8 |
Abstract:
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’ health, needs, preferences, and internal states and reflects how they interact with their environment. Several types of behavioral assessments may be used to make management or treatment decisions in order to enhance the welfare of pets.