The encyclopedia of applied animal behaviour and welfare

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Psychological factors affecting equine performance

For optimal individual performance within any equestrian discipline horses must be in peak physical condition and have the correct psychological state. This review discusses the psychological factors that affect the performance of the horse and, in turn, identifies areas within the competition horse industry where current behavioral research and established behavioral modification techniques could be applied to further enhance the performance of animals. In particular, the role of affective processes underpinning temperament, mood and emotional reaction in determining discipline-specific performance is discussed. A comparison is then made between the training and the competition environment and the review completes with a discussion on how behavioral modification techniques and general husbandry can be used advantageously from a performance perspective

Stress - its effects on health and behavior: a guide for practitioners

KEY POINTS � Stress may affect the physical, mental, and social health of an animal. � The effect of stressors is individual to the animal concerned and results from the appraisal of the stressor by the animal. � Emotional states are not mutually exclusive and emotional conflict can also have serious behavioral consequences. � Treatment of animals presenting with problems deemed to be stress-related should focus on the amelioration of background stress as well as specific stress-related triggers. � Providing animals with certain coping mechanisms as well as teaching them some key life skills may be beneficial for the prevention of stress-related problems

A meta-analysis of studies of treatments for feline urine spraying

Feline urine spraying inside the home is a common problem behaviour that owners seek advice for from veterinarians. Individual trials relating to a variety of interventions produce variable results, and to date, no consensus on the value of different treatments has emerged. This study therefore aimed to meta-analyse, current data from appropriate published clinical trials that evaluate treatments for feline urine spraying. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for study selection were predefined and methodological quality was assessed by two independent reviewers. Ten studies in nine publications that either evaluated pharmacotherapy or pheromonatherapy (the use of a synthetic analogue of the F3 facial fraction in the cat) were suitable for analysis. There was a significant (P 0.001) association between the use of any intervention and the number of cats that ceased or reduced urine spraying by at least 90%. Analysis by intervention type indicated that fluoxetine, clomipramine and pheromonatherapy may each assist in managing urine spraying beyond a placebo based intervention. This is the first time meta-analytical techniques have been used and reported to evaluate the efficacy of interventions used in veterinary behavioural medicine, and it has established confidence in the value of both conventional treatments (pharmacotherapy) and a more recently developed treatment modality (pheromonatherapy) as an adjunct to the management of this problem. It is suggested that future research into treatment efficacy for this problem uses the benchmark standard of randomised, controlled trials lasting for at least 8 weeks, with the outcome criteria of cessation of feline urine spraying or reduction by at least 90%

Development of a head-mounted, eye-tracking system for dogs

Growing interest in canine cognition and visual perception has promoted research into the allocation of visual attention during free-viewing tasks in the dog. The techniques currently available to study this (i.e. preferential looking) have, however, lacked spatial accuracy, permitting only gross judgements of the location of the dog’s point of gaze and are limited to a laboratory setting. Here we describe a mobile, head-mounted, video-based, eye-tracking system and a procedure for achieving standardised calibration allowing an output with accuracy of 2-3º. The setup allows free movement of dogs; in addition the procedure does not involve extensive training skills, and is completely non-invasive. This apparatus has the potential to allow the study of gaze patterns in a variety of research applications and could enhance the study of areas such as canine vision, cognition and social interactions

Conference Notes

Notes on the 2008 National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Genesis of a Special Issue

Notes from guest editor Daniel Cronn-Mills on the special issue of volume 52 of Speaker & Gavel

Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Fourth NDC-IE conference occurred eleven years later in Peoria, Illinois. It was hosted by Bradley University in the summer of 2008. This NDC-IE included the largest attendance ever with a total of 93 participants. The topics discussed included: research, the role of a DOF, growth of programs, ethics in forensics, tournament administration, education/competitive duality, growth of the activity and debate and IE relationships

Participants

List of conference participants for the 2008 National Developmental Conference on Individual Events