Nicola Rooney

My research focuses on the behaviour and wellbeing of companion animals, and their interactions with humans. I am particularly interested in play behaviour as shown below, and in developing ways of measuring, prioritising and improving the welfare of companion species.

Dog at play
Much of my work has focussed on domestic dogs, and I have an international reputation in the field of working dog performance and welfare having spoken at many international meetings, and contributed to numerous policy documents and guidelines.

I have also studied pet rabbits and a range of species (wild and domestic) and their interactions with people.

Working Dogs

For the past fourteen years I have headed a team conducting research on working dogs, working collaboratively with many agencies worldwide. My research aims to improve both dog team performance and also individual dog welfare. Research topics included:

Examining working dog selection criteria and breed differences in ability.
Investigating the effects of rearing environments on search dog ability.
Exploring the effects of different types of training method upon the behaviour and welfare of domestic dogs.
Developing methods for measuring working ability.
Determining optimal handler selection.
Developing training resources for military handlers to recognise and quantify dog behavior.
Assessing and examining ways of improving the welfare of kenneled dogs.

Military dog reward via play

Several of the findings of this research have been adopted by working dog agencies in the UK and overseas to derive policy aimed at improving performance and welfare of their dogs. I am currently part of a team researching aspects of racing greyhound welfare, working with the industry in order to improve welfare.