Presentation Details
| Assessing behavioral management programs in research dogs Carly I.O'Malley, Elizabeth A.Nunamaker. Charles River, Wilmington, MA, USA |
Abstract
Assessing animal welfare is vital to working with research animals. Holistic animal welfare assessment should assess the behavioral management program aimed to promote species-typical behaviors, positive human-animal interactions, and cooperation with husbandry and research procedures. A dog welfare assessment tool was launched to assess and harmonize dog management programs. The tool assessed welfare categories including physical, behavioral, environmental, training, procedural, and employee culture of care. For this presentation, the focus will be on the elements related to behavioral management. Fourteen sites participated in the initial benchmarking assessments in September 2024 and March 2025. Sites performed well on overall dog behavior (avg: 98%), promoting animal cooperation (avg: 98%), and providing resources to promote species-typical behaviors (avg: 88%). Opportunities for improvement were with performing regular behavioral assessments (avg. 76%), providing exercise opportunities (avg: 66%), and implementing more habituation and training (avg: 77%). The presentation will focus on how the tool is used for decision making at the site and company level.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
Content Locked. Log into a registered attendee account to access this presentation.