In this text I will be reflecting on my canine handling skills that I had previous to studying Canine Therapy at Writtle University. For the past 6 years I have competed in dog agility with my 4 dogs as well as training others. In doing so, I have seen many behaviours relating to injury, frustration, and excitement and have utilised my handling skills in these situations. I have also learnt to read body language and understand how behaviour might correlate with pain. I am confident in my handling skills specifically in different environments with unfamiliar surroundings as I have experienced this at different competitions. I have worked with a range of different dog breeds including rescue dogs and I know how you have to adapt to each individual.
As part of my work experience, I volunteered at a canine physiotherapy and hydrotherapy centre. I worked with end-of-life patients, post-surgical patients as well as working dogs. With all patients, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is involved because you are responsible for your dog so your dog should still have a good quality of life and have all its five welfare needs met (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, 2013) (RSPCA, 2017).
Following on, I did work experience in 2 different vet practices where I saw many different breeds, temperaments, injuries, and surgeries. This expanded my skill set as I delt with dogs in a lot of pain directly after surgery and saw them progress in their recovery. One particular case was an emergency, the owners were concerned because the dog started misbehaving and not acting itself. The dog was bleeding from the inside as she had a burst spleen during surgery, she had a 50% chance of surviving as she was also hypothermic. The owner decided the vets could do whatever was possible for her to survive. This is where the Animal Welfare Act 2006 comes in because the owner and the vet have to decide what’s right to do for the animal. Veterinary researcher and behaviourist, Daniel Mills suggests that most behavioural problems are caused by pain. He found that almost 80% of behaviour problems in his own practice relate to suspected or diagnosed pain (Hekman, 2020).
Reference List:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013). Code of practice for the welfare of d. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code- of-practice-for-the-welfare-of-dogs [Accessed Oct. 2022].
Hekman, J. (2020). Pain’s Effect on Behavior. [online] Whole Dog Journal. Available at: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/pains-effect-on-behavior/ [Accessed Oct. 2022].
RSPCA (2017). Animal Welfare Act – RSPCA. [online] Rspca.org.uk. Available at: https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/endcruelty/changingthelaw/whatwechanged/animal welfareact [Accessed Oct. 2022].