Development and validation of a welfare assessment protocol for working dogs
Working dogs perform critical functions, and Colombian regulations require safeguarding their welfare; however, validated instruments to verify compliance are lacking. Therefore, this study aims to develop and apply a welfare assessment protocol for working dogs in Colombia, based on the Welfare Quality® framework with expert validated indicators. A two round Delphi process defined, prioritized, and integrated indicators at three levels (fundamental, intermediate, basic). The protocol was applied to 65 dogs from eight canine units in Bogotá. Negative cut-off points were established for each indicator, and an overall welfare score was calculated per unit. Associations among animal based, management, and resource measures were analyzed with Fisher’s exact test, logistic regression, and Random Forest models. Expert consensus resulted in a protocol comprising 32 indicators that proved applicable under real conditions. 16 indicators exceeded their negative cut-offs threshold. No canine unit showed poor welfare; one was excellent, five good, and two acceptable. The human-animal relationship was associated with signs of stress during work, and exercise was associated with reaction to humans. Social housing was related to kennel space, provision of shelter, and affiliative behaviors. The predictive models showed high apparent fit with potential overfitting. Overall, the findings indicate that protocol is applicable and sensitive and aligns with Colombian regulatory requirements. Future research should assess intra- and inter-observer reliability, include larger samples sizes, review low reliability indicators, and replace a single overall score with criterion or domain profiles to improve discrimination and operational management.
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