Discipline: Ethology

Exploring the relationship between horse-owner attributes and their approach to horse training

E. Bartlett, E. J. Blackwell, L. J. Cameron, J. Hockenhull

Published in 2024

Scientific article aimed at identifying the factors that influence horse owners' choice of training approach. An online survey revealed that the choice of approach depended on several factors: age, gender, goals, activities, role in the industry and whether or not respondents had undergone training in animal behavior. Beliefs about the sentience and cognitive abilities of horses, and the use of scientific data were correlated with the likelihood of applying aversive methods.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Working animals, Animal mediation, Human-animal relationships, Stress

Go to document

How is pig welfare assessed in studies on farrowing housing systems? A systematic review

Bianca Vandresen, Jen-Yun Chou, Maria José Hötzel

Published in 2024

Systematic review analyzing methods to assess the welfare of sows and piglets in different housing systems in the period around farrowing and lactation: it looks at conventional farrowing crates and alternative systems (loose farrowing pens, group housing, outdoor farrowing, hinged crates and ellipsoid crates).

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of th animal to environment, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Lactation, Housing, Restraint equipment, Maternity, One Welfare, Stress, livestock farming system

Go to document

Effects of different tooth grinding procedures on the occurrence of tooth injuries, skin lesions, performance and behaviour of suckling piglets

Franziska Anna kleine Kruthaup, Michaela Fels, Carolin Bernarda Timphaus, Fritjof Freise, Swetlana Herbrandt, Elisabeth große Beilage

Published in 2024

Scientific article analysing the impacts of teeth grinding techniques for piglets on piglet and sow lesions, and on the weight development and behavior of unweaned piglets. A diamond rolling head caused more dental pulp injuries than a tea cup roller. Roller grinding caused fewer head lesions in piglets than when teeth were left intact. Weight gain in piglets with tea cup-ground teeth was greater than for the two other groups. Where necessary, tooth grinding with a cup wheel is to be preferred.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Aggression, Aggressiveness, Pain, Lactation, Maternity, Mutilation

Go to document

Time budgets and 24 h temporal patterns variation of activities in stabled dairy dromedary camels

Chayma Chaouch Aoun, Moufida Atigui, Marwa Brahmi, Eya Gherairi, Mohamed Hammadi

Published in 2024

Scientific article on the 24-hour time budget of dairy camels. These animals spend most of their time in a standing position, feeding, while rumination is high at night in particular.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Camelidae

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements

Go to document

Effects of single- or pair-housing on the welfare of shelter dogs: Behavioral and physiological indicators

Hecker G, Martineau K, Scheskie M, Hammerslough R, Feuerbacher EN

Published in 2024

Scientific article reporting that dogs housed in pairs in shelters, even for a short time, exhibit fewer stress-related behaviors (lip licking, whining, and ears back) than dogs housed individually. In addition, the urinary cortisol:creatinine levels in non-isolated dogs were lower.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords: Adoption, Animal-based measurements,Abandonment, Behavioural disorders, Housing, Socialization, Stress, Welfare indicators

Go to document

Access to bedding and outdoor runs for growing-finishing pigs: is it possible to improve welfare without increasing environmental impacts?

A.K. Ruckli, S. Hörtenhuber, S. Dippel, P. Ferrari, M. Gebska, M. Heinonen, J. Helmerichs, C. Hubbard, H. Spoolder, A. Valros, C. Winckler, C. Leeb

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that the provision of bedding or access to an outdoor run to improve pig welfare can have an impact on the environment through changes in feed efficiency and manure management.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Livestock buildings, Societal issues, Enrichment, Environment, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Housing, Pollution, livestock farming system

Go to document

Sixty Years of Tinbergen's Four Questions and Their Continued Relevance to Applied Behaviour and Welfare Research in Zoo Animals: A Commentary

Robert Kelly, Paul Rose

Published in 2024

Scientific article illustrating how ethologist Tinbergen's four questions - based on the causality, ontogeny, phylogeny and function of animal behaviors - can help zoo animal research in areas such as sentience, welfare, conservation and species management.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Biodiversity, Population management, Living environment, Evolutionary processes, Behavioural disorders

Go to document

Towards Dog Bark Decoding: Leveraging Human Speech Processing for Automated Bark Classification

Artem Abzaliev, Humberto Pérez Espinosa, Rada Mihalcea

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that artificial intelligence speech-modelling tools that have been pre-trained on human speech can be applied to some classification tasks relating to dog vocalizations and can help in their interpretation. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Human-animal relationships, Vocalisation

Go to document

Music enrichment improves the behavior and leukocyte profile of dairy cattle

Esmeralda G. Contreras-Torres, Juan F. Hernández-Chavez, Carlos A. Díaz-Quiroz, Ramón Molina-Barrios, Paulina Arrayales Millán, Ruth G. Ulloa-Mercado

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing the positive effect of music on cows' willingness to enter the milking parlour and on their blood leukocyte profile.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements,Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Lactation, Housing

Go to document

Gilts prefer an open pen to a stall

Ede, T., Ceribelli, M. & Parsons, T.D.

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that, when given a choice, gilts prefer to spend time in an open pen rather than in an individual stall. Intrinsic (personality) and extrinsic (time of day, experimental day) factors also influence gilts' housing preferences.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Housing, Restraint equipment, Personality, Fear

Go to document