Domestic Animal Behavior for Veterinarians and Animal Scientists

by Katherine A. Houpt

This popular quick reference is back with the latest updated information available. True to earlier adoptions, Houpt maintains organization by common types of behavior and addresses advances in communication, perception, cognition and clinical behavior. Key to the fourth edition is advancements in the use of psychotropic drugs and the role of underlying disease in some behavior problems. Also new to this edition are discussions of progress and research in understanding equine and production animal behavior, and the relationship between behavior and animal welfare.The text · Physiological basis and development for each type of behavior;· Normal and aberrant manifestations in each domestic animal species, including horses and farm animals;· Treatments for problem situations;· Consideration of the effects of domestication on each species.This text is intended for animal science and veterinary students and includes a glossary of medical terms, illustrations of anatomy and behavior, and over 1500 classical and contemporary references

Genres: Animals, Reference, Science, Nonfiction

496 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1982

Reviews

[Karen Machin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book I would have finished if I didn’t have to. There is a wealth of information in this book which provides endless facts about domestic animal behaviour. It reads like trivial pursuit not a succinct presentation of animal behaviour that provides the reader with a deeper understanding of animal behaviour. However, it is the most comprehensive collection of information about domestic animal behaviour.

Unfortunately, the 2018 version is already out of date and there are sections of the book that need updating, especially sections that use the term “dominance” incorrectly and promotes punishment. One of the positives is that most of the information is referenced so that the source of the information can be found. However, some sections and statements that are made without acknowledgement of the research. Therefore caution should be taken in accepting everything as stated especially when some facts are derived from a single animal.

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[Debi Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great current research. My specific interest is horses but reading about the others helped as well.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 6th edition is definitely an improvement over the 5th, which had a lot of frankly horrific training advice (without citations, so it was presumably primarily the opinion of the author). The 6th edition limits itself to straightforwardly summarizing findings from the scientific literature. A lot of its value is as a reference to direct you to said literature.

[Zahar]

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