Animal Behaviour and Welfare
Introduction
The results of Paul’s research findings have been published in 4 books, 7 book chapters and over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has been awarded over $500K in research grant income including the ARC Linkage Project LP0669908.
Among various topics, Paul's group has been investigating motor laterality in quadrupeds; in dogs, this can be studied through paw use.
Photo from The Sydney Morning Herald
His most significant contributions to research are in the fields of behaviour and welfare in domestic animals, especially dogs and horses. He is one of only two veterinarians recognised worldwide by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as Specialists in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine. His contribution to the field of animal welfare was acknowledged in 2000 when he was the co-winner of the Prince Laurent Prize - the most prestigious international prize for animal welfare scientists.
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Paul's work in animal welfare focuses mainly on dogs and horses. ©Photo supplied by P. McGreevy, University of Sydney |
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Paul has led seminal studies into the prevalence of abnormal behaviours in horses in relation to stabling including geophagia, and the effects of observational learning on food selection horses as well as the first reports of crib-biting in foals. He developed new methods of assessing equine gut function and post-inhibitory rebound of motivation when he examined the behavioural and physiological consequences associated with the short-term prevention of crib-biting in horses. He has also shown how the digestive efficiency, behaviour and gut transit times of horses change as a result of crib-biting. These findings are critical in helping to explain the functional significance of equine stereotypies and are widely employed by practitioners in the field. Paul's interest in Equidae is not confined to abnormal behaviours. His work on laterality in free-ranging horses has demonstrated that motor laterality differs in breeds of horse. It has also shown that the absence in horses of a correlation between laterality of nostril use and motor bias indicates that lateralization in equine brains occurs on at least two levels - sensory and motor. |
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| Even as foals, horses can demonstrate a motor bias when grazing. ©Photo supplied by P. McGreevy, University of Sydney. |
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Working with zebras in South Africa, Paul has adapted his technique for use in all free-ranging quadrupeds.
The behaviour of undomesticated Equidae can help us to understand the domestic horse.
©Photo supplied by P. McGreevy, University of Sydney.
Paul's work with dogs established an intriguing relationship between the distribution of retinal ganglion cells and nose length in the dog. This demonstrates that many different breeds of dog have different visual fields. It has profound implications for dog trainers, handlers and keepers since all dogs cannot be expected to perceive the same visual stimuli or respond to the world in the same way. This work may help to explain some of the behavioural differences between breeds, with short-nosed dogs being less likely to act like a running predator and hunt in packs and more likely to be able to focus on human faces, using their area centralis.
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Pugs and Afghans are likely to see the world very differently. ©OLIVER Image Library; Photo supplied by P. McGreevy |
Breed differences are of growing importance to veterinary science and indeed the genomic revolution, so Paul's online Listing of Inherited Disorders in Animals (LIDA) initiative www.vetsci.usyd.edu.au/lida promises to provide critical data for vets and dog breeders alike. LIDA receives more than 25,000 hits per month.
Play-fighting is of critical importance to the social fabric of dog communities.
©Photo supplied by P. McGreevy, University of Sydney
Projects Underway
- Several international collaborative projects in equitation science including the significance of whorls, the effects of martingales, the development of temperament tests and the functional significance of equine paedomorphosis.
- An commissioned textbook: “An Introduction to Equitation Science” (Wiley-Blackwell) –being co-written with Dr Andrew McLean
- Development of online reporting and surveillance of inherited disorders in companion animals
- Risk factors of separation related distress and aggression in dogs.
- The neuroscience of aggression in dogs.
- Applied learning theory in horses
- Behavioural/welfare canine
- Quality of life in companion animals
- Natural History of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction - Canine Sand Maze Validation
- The functional significance of motor laterality in dogs
- Development of assisted reproductive technology for the Tasmanian Devil