Perth Veterinary And Behaviour Service

🐴 WELFARE WEDNESDAY | Clicker Training for Desensitising Horses to Novel Obstacles 🐴

As part of our commitment to equine welfare, we’re spotlighting recent research on the Efficacy of the Clicker Method During Desensitising by Özlem Hacan, Sibel Danışan, and Ceyhan Özbeyaz (2022).

This study highlights how clicker training can help horses learn to approach new, potentially intimidating objects calmly and willingly—a key part of welfare-focused training.

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: The research involved fourteen Arabian horses navigating a “de-spooking” track with challenging obstacles, including a hanging pool noodle door. Horses trained with the clicker method excelled, with a 100% success rate in this task compared to 43% in the control group. Clicker-trained horses also showed fewer stress indicators, such as baulking or pinned ears. Notably, their average heart rate was higher (139.28 pcs/min) than the control group (109.42 pcs/min), signalling excitement rather than fear, as observed through fewer fright responses like trotting.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? Clicker training’s simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness make it a beneficial method for teaching horses to remain calm in new situations. This training helps reduce reactive behaviours, enhancing the horse’s confidence and safety for trainers, riders, and veterinarians.

The results of this study suggest that clicker training is an effective, welfare-friendly approach to desensitising horses, allowing them to engage willingly in tasks while fostering a positive bond with handlers.

Halloween can be a scary time for most pets - we have created this poster to display in your window/door for trick or treaters which can be downloaded and printed 👻🦇

🐱 In the October issue of Feline Focus, Laura Watson RVN takes us back to basics with her article ‘Interacting with cats 101’. Read it now to find out what C.A.T stands for and make sure you are familiar with:

➡️ How to approach a cat
➡️ Touch zones
➡️ Feline emotions and behavioural responses

Find out more about the author Life of a Cat Nurse

🤩 With a free ISFM Nurse Membership, you can view Feline Focus by logging in to https://portal.icatcare.org. Select Forums & Library and head to the Resource Library tab.

Become a author! ✍️ Share something you are passionate about or submit a case report – there are plenty of options. 📧 Get in touch with us at [email protected]

DISTRACTED DOG WALKERS

The distracted dog walker is commonly seen chatting on their cell phone, wearing headphones or socializing with other people while oblivious to what their dog is doing, how their dog is feeling or what is going on in the environment.

This may not sound like a problem to some, but it is something that many people have a problem with, even more so if you have a reactive dog.

I compare walking a dog to driving a car. It’s not so much about our driving skills, but having to constantly be aware of the driving skills of others – trying to predict what they will do, which rules of the road they will ignore and how distracted they are. This is especially true in the country I live in, where driving can be a stressful experience.

I understand that we often need to multi task – there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time in our day to accomplish everything we need to, but walking our dogs should not be one of these times.

Some people might say – “but my dog is really friendly, well socialized, gets on well with everyone, is well trained, knows this environment well etc. and I hear that.

But another dog might not be – maybe they need space, are reactive, are not sociable, are recovering from an illness, might be terrified of another dog racing straight towards them chasing a ball thrown from a ball launcher etc.

If distracted dog walkers have no regard for other dogs or other people, they should at least have regard for their own dogs. Walking your dog should be a time of bonding, of relationship, of seeing the environment through the eyes of your dog, of reinforcing and teaching wanted behaviours, of keeping them safe and protected from the unknown.

Our dogs need us to be focused, to pay attention, to be aware and attentive.

Our dogs depend on us to advocate for them.

It's okay to ask a dog trainer what their credentials are - and you should expect them to have some, whether it's a degree or a certification. Safe and effective dog trainers are constantly learning, not just through experience, but by seeking out education.