Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Peanut butter pumpkin yogurt pops. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(2) (March/April), 49.
This article with photos describes how to make a snack for dogs.
Murtagh, K., Farnworth, M. J., Brilot, B. O. 2020. The scent of enrichment: Exploring the effect of odour and biological salience on behaviour during enrichment of kennelled dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 223, 104917.
Worldwide, millions of dogs are held in kennels for extended periods of time and may experience compromised welfare. Enrichment, often using toys, is considered important to minimize the negative impacts of kennelling. However, the value...
Majecka, K., Pąsiek, M., Pietraszewski, D. 2020. Behavioural outcomes of housing for domestic dog puppies (Canis lupus familiaris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 222, 104899.
Domestic dogs experience a sensitive period for learning during early life and conditions during this time can have important consequences in the adult. We investigated the effects of kennel environment during early life, comparing the...
Lindig, A., McGreevy, P., Crean, A. 2020. Musical dogs: A review of the influence of auditory enrichment on canine health and behavior. Animals 10(1), 127.
Music therapy yields many positive health outcomes in humans, but the effects of music on the health and welfare of nonhuman animals vary greatly with the type of music played, the ethology of the species...
Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Enrichment items. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(1) (January/February), 38.
This article with photos describes how to make a cat ball toy using empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls.
Broom, D. M., Johnson, K. G. 2019. Stress and Animal Welfare: Key Issues in the Biology of Humans and Other Animals (2nd ed). Springer, Berlin, Germany.
This is the Second Edition of a well-received book that reflects a fresh, integrated coverage of the concepts and scientific measurement of stress and welfare of animals including humans. This book explains the basic biological...
van der Leij, W. J. R., Selman, L. D. A. M., Vernooij, J. C. M. et al. 2019. The effect of a hiding box on stress levels and body weight in Dutch shelter cats; a randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE 14(10), e0223492.
While staying in an animal shelter, cats may suffer from chronic stress which impairs their health and welfare. Providing opportunities to hide can significantly reduce behavioural stress in cats, but confirmation with physical parameters is...
Arena, L., Wemelsfelder, F., Messori, S. et al. 2019. Development of a fixed list of terms for the Qualitative Behavioural Assessment of shelter dogs. PLOS ONE 14(10), e0212652.
The shelter environment may have a severe impact on the dogs’ quality of life, and there is thus a need to develop valid tools to assess their welfare. These tools should be sensitive not only...
Quadarella, M. A., Kundu, M. C., Alderfer, T. K. et al. 2016. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 4(4) (December), 47-49.
Our goal was to improve dog socialization by increasing novel human interactions, while also providing non-animal care staff opportunity to interact with the dogs. Our volunteer dog socialization program was developed to explore the possibility...
Köster, L. S., Sithole, F., Gilbert, G. E. et al. 2019. The potential beneficial effect of classical music on heart rate variability in dogs used in veterinary training. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 30, 103-109.
Heart rate variability (HRV), the variability between subsequent heart beats, is a measure of autonomic tone, influenced by psychophysiological factors, neurohormonal mechanisms and cardiac disease. Auditory stimulation, specifically classical music, has been documented to benefit...