Working Dog Welfare: Where are we now and where are we going? – Presented by Dr Mia Cobb

Working dogs are widely used by people around the world in roles as diverse as detection, mobility, and asset protection. The physical health and mental wellbeing of working dogs are important to their performance and program efficiency, with economic, social, and legal implications for operators where animal welfare is compromised. The field of animal welfare science has rapidly developed in the last decade, with important updates to our understanding of animal welfare and its relevance to the sustainable participation of dogs in working roles. This presentation will provide an overview of recent scientific advances that are relevant to working dogs, situated in the context of changing community attitudes. This will include defining what animal welfare is, explaining the modern theoretical framework for assessing animal welfare including identification of opportunities for improvement and examining the ways in which working dog welfare can be measured. In addition, research exploring the public’s perceived welfare of working dogs and implications for social license to operate will be discussed, using relevant case studies. Finally, this presentation will identify opportunities and roles for all working dog industry stakeholders toward clear communication, continuous improvement, and transparency to enable good animal welfare for working dogs in the 2020s and beyond.