Publications

A protocol for training group-housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to cooperate with husbandry and research procedures using positive reinforcement

There has been increased recognition of the 3Rs in laboratory animal management over the last decade, including improvements in animal handling and housing. For example, positive reinforcement is now more widely used to encourage primates to cooperate with husbandry procedures,...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Animal TrainingAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Kemp, C., Thatcher, H., Farningham, D. et al. 2017. A protocol for training group-housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to cooperate with husbandry and research procedures using positive reinforcement. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 197, 90-100.

Do aversive-based training methods actually compromise dog welfare?: A literature review

The methods by which dogs are trained vary between methods involving mainly negative reinforcement and positive punishment (aversive-based methods) and methods based essentially in positive reinforcement and negative punishment (reward-based methods). However, the use of aversive-based methods is highly controversial....

Year Published: 2017Topics: Animal TrainingAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Fernandes, J. G., Olsson, I. A. S., Vieira de Castro, A. C. 2017. Do aversive-based training methods actually compromise dog welfare?: A literature review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 196, 1-12.

Using automated image analysis in pig behavioural research: Assessment of the influence of enrichment substrate provision on lying behaviour

Visual monitoring of pig behaviours over long periods is very time consuming and has possibility for observer bias. Automated image processing techniques now give the potential to carry out behavioural research in a more effective way. To illustrate this, an...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Nasirahmadi, A., Edwards, S. A., Matheson, S. M. et al. 2017. Using automated image analysis in pig behavioural research: Assessment of the influence of enrichment substrate provision on lying behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 196, 30-35.

Influence of enrichment material and herbal compounds in the behaviour and performance of growing pigs

Pigs reared in barren conditions are exposed to many different stressors, compromising their welfare and producing physiological and behavioural changes. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of environmental enrichment (EE) consisting of natural hemp ropes, sawdust,...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Casal-Plana, N., Manteca, X., Dalmau, A. et al. 2017. Influence of enrichment material and herbal compounds in the behaviour and performance of growing pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 195, 38-43.

Behavioural responses of fish larvae modulated by analgesic drugs after a stress exposure

Fish are known to respond to a wide range of irritant chemicals, displaying clear behavioural changes after exposure to potentially noxious stimuli. Recent evidence shows that these agents can have an impact on larval forms of fish. However, very little...

Year Published: 2017Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Lopez-Luna, J., Canty, M. N., Al-Jubouri, Q. et al. 2017. Behavioural responses of fish larvae modulated by analgesic drugs after a stress exposure. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 195, 115-120.

Effects of environmental enrichment on decision-making behavior in pigs

The animal's emotional state, potentially modulated by environmental conditions, may affect cognitive processes such as interpretation, judgement and decision making behaviour. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a common method to examine decision making behavior in humans in terms of...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: van der Staay, F. J., van Zutphen, J. A., de Ridder, M. M. et al. 2017. Effects of environmental enrichment on decision-making behavior in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, 14-23.

The ins and outs of the litter box: A detailed ethogram of cat elimination behavior in two contrasting environments

Few studies have sought to describe cat elimination behavior in detail and much of the information presently available focuses on factors that potentially cause cats to reject a litter box. Thus, the ethograms published in the current veterinary and scientific...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: McGowan, R. T. S., Ellis, J. J., Bensky, M. K. et al. 2017. The ins and outs of the litter box: A detailed ethogram of cat elimination behavior in two contrasting environments. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, 67-78.

Aggressiveness in group-housed rabbit does: Influence of group size and pen characteristics

The aim of this work was to study how the group size and the number of doorways in a pen may influence the aggressive interactions throughout the reproductive cycle among does kept in a part-time group housing system. Thirty-two crossbred...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Housing, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Zomeño, C., Birolo, M., Zuffellato, A. et al. 2017. Aggressiveness in group-housed rabbit does: Influence of group size and pen characteristics. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, 79-85.

Behaviour, stress and welfare of Sprague Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) on diet board feeding for 24 months

Diet board (DB) feeding aims to reduce the health hazards associated with ad libitum (AL) feeding. Rats have to gnaw wood to detach food from the DB, reducing their food consumption. We studied the welfare effects of DB by measuring...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Laaksonen, S., Nevalainen, T., Ketola, J. et al. 2017. Behaviour, stress and welfare of Sprague Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) on diet board feeding for 24 months. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, 86-94.

Emotional states and emotional contagion in pigs after exposure to a positive and negative treatment

After-effects of events that elicit an emotional state on both the animals that experienced these events and on their group members have only scarcely been studied. We investigated effects of a positive vs. negative treatment on the behaviour and emotional...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Reimert, I., Fong, S., Rodenburg, T. B. et al. 2017. Emotional states and emotional contagion in pigs after exposure to a positive and negative treatment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 193, 37-42.