Better Animal Handling

Better Animal Handling

Humans have domesticated and handled animals for 14,000 years. Modern times have brought urbanization and technology which have caused a drastic decline in human-animal interactions. As a result, the knowledge of how to properly handle, restrain, and house animals is in decline. In Better Animal Handling, C.B. Chastain, veterinarian and professor emeritus, describes effective, humane animal handling with emphasis on safety measures to prevent injury and the transmission of zoonotic diseases.

Episodes

October 26, 2019 16 mins

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Dr. C.B. Chastain with support from his over-achiever cattle dog, Abby, explains the sequence of domesticating different species of animals, the decline in the knowledge of proper animal handling, and the types of animal handlers.

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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This week Dr. C.B. Chastain and Abby describe:

  • Handler affection for animals
  • Proper animal handler attitude
  • The power of patience
  • The use of voice, touch, and body language

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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November 19, 2019 15 mins

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Dr. Chastain and Abby describe the animal handling importance of:

  • Safety first
  • Distraction versus pain for restraint
  • Animals' respect for handlers
  • Appropriate attire for handling animals

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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November 26, 2019 15 mins

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Topics for this week's episode by Dr. Chastain and Abby are:

  • Handling Considerations
    • Pre-handling
    • Pre-restraint
    • Effects on animals
    • Surroundings and conditions
    • Personnel
    • Duration
  • Risks of Injury

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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This week Dr. Chastain and Abby explain:

  • What are zoonoses?
  • How to prevent transmission of zoonoses

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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In this episode, your hosts will explain:

  • Disease transmission among animals by handlers
  • Ethics of animal handling
  • Legal concerns

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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December 17, 2019 11 mins

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This week's topics are:

  • How better animal handling makes one a better person
  • Chemical restraint
  • Five steps to becoming an animal handler
  • Ten keys to how to better handle animals

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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December 24, 2019 15 mins

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In this week's episode, Dr. Chastain and Abby explain:

  • Prey and predator behavior
  • Social dominance
  • Causes of irreparable handling resistance

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com 

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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This week, Dr. Chastain and Abby cover:

  • Critical socialization periods with humans
  • Flight zones and points of balance to move animals
  • The sense of smell and behavior

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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January 7, 2020 14 mins

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In this episode, Dr. Chastain and Abby explain the relationship between animal behavior and:

  • Hearing
  • Touch
  • Body heat

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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January 14, 2020 15 mins

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Dr. Chastain and Abby talk about how vision differs among animals and the effects on their behavior.  Topics include:

  • Field of vision
  • Pupil shape
  • Depth perception
  • Acuity
  • Color differentiation
  • Night vision

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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January 21, 2020 13 mins

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This week's episode is about forms of aggression, including:

  • Maternal
  • Pain-related
  • Predatory
  • Territorial and possessive
  • Fear-induced
  • Intermate
  • Dominance

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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This week, Dr. Chastain and Abby explain:

  • Species differences in aggressiveness and avoidance
  • Training methods for animals

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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February 4, 2020 12 mins

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This week, Dr. Chastain and Abby discuss:

  • Psychological health and stereotypic behavior
  • Nutraceuticals for behavior modification
  • Animal behavior specialists

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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This episode with Dr. Chastain and Abby deals with:

  • Small animal containment general requirements
  • Confinement and behavior
  • Ethics and liabilities of animal containments
  • Recovering escaped small animals

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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February 18, 2020 19 mins

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This week, Dr. Chastain and Abby describe and explain dog containments, including:

  • Dog cages
  • Crates
  • Runs
  • Houses
  • Fences
  • Tethering
  • Entering and exiting dog enclosures

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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February 25, 2020 10 mins

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This week, Dr. Chastain and Abby cover:

  • Cat cages and catteries
  • Cat crates
  • Cat fences and exercise tunnels

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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This week, Abby and Dr. Chastain discuss the topics of:

  • General containment requirements of small mammals
  • Basic containment needs for rodents
  • Containments for rats and mice
  • Containments for Guinea pigs

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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In this episode, Dr. Chastain and Abby describe the behaviors and physical needs of various small mammals for different containments.

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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March 17, 2020 12 mins

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In this episode, Dr. Chastain and Abby describe the essential requirements for:

  • Pet rabbit containments
  • European ferret containments

Link to show notes:  BetterAnimalHandling.com

Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

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