Education

Early training and the impact of fear

The peak socialisation period for puppies is between 6 and 12 weeks of age. This is the key period where new sounds, smells, sights and experiences all combine to inform the young dog what is to be...

Cooperative care for companion dogs: emotional health and wellness

Dogs are important members of a unique interspecies relationship that involves a care and concern that permeates species boundaries. However, the various interactions that humans have with companion...

Teaching students how to interpret animal emotions 2: putting research into practice

Translating educational strategies into specific teaching plans requires much work. To avoid the duplication of effort, this article reported on the design and outcomes of authentic classroom-based...

Teaching students how to interpret animal emotions part 1: in the classroom and on placement

The aim of teaching animal emotions is to enable students to interpret an animal's emotional state in real-life or ‘authentic’ contexts. The most authentic situation is the veterinary practice...

Supporting students in practice part 2: role of the training practice team

The authors could find limited articles detailing the experience of SVNs in the CLE. The veterinary nursing profession could therefore look to the literature currently available in student human...

Supporting students in practice part 1: clinical supervisor role

The experiences a student has in the CLE are critical in preparing student human nurses (SHNs) for their career, allowing opportunities to put theory into practice, develop clinical skills, and build...

Cry wolf: a major misunderstanding about dog behaviour

‘Dominance’ or ‘pack theory’ describes an ever-popular misbelief that, just as their wolf ancestors lived in hierarchical groups headed by an ‘alpha pair’ enjoying first rights to all valued...

Quality improvement for patient safety and a better practice culture

Figure 1 shows the relationship between quality improvement and practice culture. Quality improvement can be defined as the combined efforts of the whole team to make changes that will lead to...

Surveillance of hospital acquired infections in veterinary practices

A surveillance programme has two overall goals: to monitor specific outbreaks, e.g. meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP); and establish a baseline threshold for HAI incidences....

Canine behaviour medicine in UK small animal practice

If behaviour is an essential consideration in the assessment and treatment of disease (Overall, 2013; Landsberg and Tynes, 2014), then a basic understanding of a dog's natural behaviour is necessary...

Weight management: insights from the science of human behaviour change

Veterinary professionals (particularly veterinary surgeons) are often taught that their role is to impart knowledge in order that the other party can change their behaviour; discussions with clients...

An evidence-based approach to workplace anaesthesia training. Part 2

When a SVN enters a workplace, they are expected to begin to ‘put into action’ what they have learned in the classroom. This is no simple transition (Konkola et al, 2007). Students may struggle to...