VMD 511: Animal Welfare, Ethics and Jurisprudence (2+0)

EXERCISE, HUMAN CONTACT, SOCIALIZATION, AND TRAINING

Some dogs clearly enjoy exercise, but when companion animals are exercised they also experience exploration, territory marking and socializations all of which are likely to add to the hedonistic experience of the activity. The benefits of exercise periods will depend on the exploratory and social opportunities offered to the dogs. Human contact can be very important for them . Often less than an hour a day , like  45 minutes has been shown to be beneficial. Dogs used in research can be trained to cooperate with husbandry and research procedures. Dogs given more human contact time are less nervous, (good for their welfare), and more cooperative and easier to handle (good for the staff and researcher).