Discipline: Ethology

Freedom to Move: Free Lactation Pens Improve Sow Welfare

Orla Kinane, Fidelma Butler, Keelin O'Driscoll

Published in 2022

Article comparing welfare criteria for sows housed in free-range farrowing crates and conventional farrowing crates. It shows that the greater freedom of movement provided by free-range farrowing crates throughout lactation can improve locomotor health and reduce stress levels in sows.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Societal issues

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Alternative Practices in Organic Dairy Production and Effects on Animal Behavior, Health, and Welfare

Hannah N. Phillips, Bradley J. Heins

Published in 2022

Scientific review describing organic milk production systems, and the husbandry practices they include that could affect animal welfare, including alternative methods of pain management during calf disbudding and treatment of mastitis in cows as well as management of adverse behaviours during milking.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines

Keywords:Societal issues, Living environment, Livestock farming system

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Quality of Life within Horse Welfare Assessment Tools: Informing Decisions for Chronically Ill and Geriatric Horses

Mariessa Long, Christian Dürnberger, Florien Jenner, Zsófia Kelemen, Ulrike Auer, Herwig Grimm

Published in 2022

A scientific review, analyzing how tools for the assessment of equine welfare, quality of life and equine perceptions of quality of life, define and operationalize these concepts. It discusses how appropriate these tools are to the assessment of quality of life as part of end-of-life decision-making for chronically-ill or elderly horses.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Societal issues, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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Unwilling or Unable? Using 3D tracking to evaluate dogs' reactions to differing human intentions

Christoph J. Völter, Lucrezia Lonardo, Maud G.G.M. Steinmann, Carolina Frizzo Ramos, Karoline Gerwisch, Monique-Theres Schranz, Iris Dobernig, Ludwig Huber

Published in 2022

Scientific paper showing that machine learning can reveal the cognitive capacity in pet dogs to distinguish between unwilling/unable motivational behaviours in humans: analysis based on 3D-tracking through machine learning reveals that dogs distinguish between similar actions (ie not giving them food) on the basis of human intentionality (being unable/not wanting to feed them).

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Modelling, Human-animal relationships

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Welfare of farm animals : studying it to improve it

Stéphane Ingrand, Xavier Fernandez

Published in 2022

Scientific study of the impact of research carried out at INRAE over the last 30 years with the aim of improving the welfare of farm animals. This research has led to the implementation of new national and European regulations, and the adoption of new practices and equipment in animal husbandry.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Mutilation, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Assessment of Welfare in Groups of Horses with Different Management, Environments and Activities by Measuring Cortisol in Horsehair, Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Hybrid Orbitrap High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Francesco Cerasoli, Michele Podaliri Vulpiani, Giorgio Saluti, Annamaria Conte, Matteo Ricci, Giovanni Savini, Nicola D'Alterio

Published in 2022

Scientific article comparing the stress levels of recreational (riding school), working (police), and free-roaming horses that have been assessed as having a positive welfare evaluation by the AWIN protocol, by measuring hair cortisol levels. Free-ranging horses have the highest hair cortisol levels.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Living environment, Stress

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Audience effect on domestic dogs' behavioural displays and facial expressions

Giulia Pedretti, Chiara Canori, Sarah Marshall-Pescini, Rupert Palme, Annalisa Pelosi, Paola Valsecchi

Published in 2022

Scientific paper investigating facial expressions and stress levels, calculated from the salivary cortisol levels of dogs under different conditions: positive anticipation, non-social frustration and social frustration. It finds no correlation between salivary cortisol levels and these situations, but identifies facial expressions specific to positive communication with humans.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

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

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Behavioural and physiological indicators of shelter dogs' welfare: Reflections on the no-kill policy on free-ranging dogs in Italy revisited on the basis of 15 years of implementation

S. Cafazzo, L. Maragliano, R. Bonanni, F. Scholl, M. Guarducci, R. Scarcella, M. Di Paolo, D. Pontier, O. Lai, F. Carlevaro, E. Bucci, N. Cerini, L. Carlevaro, L. Alfieri, C. Fantini, E. Natoli

Published in 2014

Scientific paper assessing the well-being of dogs in Italian shelters, using oxidative stress and behavioural indicators. Dogs that regularly left their crates for a walk were less anxious, more sociable towards other dogs, and had higher antioxidant capacities.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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Dogs are more pessimistic if their owners use two or more aversive training methods.

Rachel A. Casey, Maria Naj-Oleari, Sarah Campbell, Michael Mendl, Emily J. Blackwell

Published in 2021

Article showing that dogs trained with aversive methods may be more pessimistic and therefore have a lower level of welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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Does Clicker Training Lead to Faster Acquisition of Behavior for Dog Owners?

Brian Burton

Published in 2020

Report showing that the effectiveness of clicker training in dogs depends on the particular behaviour you are trying to teach them.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords: Learning, training, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships

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