COOKIES POLICY

RAD WELFARE POLICY

RAD takes dog welfare extremely seriously and it is at the heart of everything that RAD does. It is vital that all members, staff, volunteers, and trustees read and understand the policy points below so that dog welfare is never compromised. 

Basic needs

RAD believe it is the duty of the owner to make sure that the needs of the dog are met. RAD follows Linda Michael’s Hierarchy of Dog Needs. RAD believe that all dogs should be free from harm and should live in partnership with their owner.  All dogs should have fresh water available, be fed the appropriate nutrition within the owner’s means, and have indoor shelter. RAD do not adhere to dominance theory and the training theories associated with this.

Positive reinforcement

RAD are a force free charity and train using positive reinforcement. RAD promotes marker and clicker training using food or toys as reinforcers. RAD do not use any aversive tools, including slip leads, choke chains, prong collars and e collars. RAD educate members on using a harness and collar to walk their dog. RAD train completely positively, not only transcending to the tools it uses, but also the way the trainer interacts with the dog. RAD do not believe in shouting at dogs, hitting dogs or giving lead corrections to dogs. RAD have an aversive policy and it can be found on the RAD website. 

Daily walks

All dogs should be walked daily. Sniffing and socialisation with dogs and people is important to dog’s welfare. All dogs should be walked in relation to the daily exercise requirements of the breed. A daily guidance is roughly 45 minutes. Puppies will have shorter exercise requirements. If any member is unsure of these requirements, then RAD advise them to consult a member of staff. 

Heat policy

RAD Assistance Dogs have developed a heat policy that makes sure that all dogs are safe when the temperatures are higher during the summer months and are not at risk of developing heat stroke. The policy can be found on the website. 

Clothing

RAD have created a dog clothing policy. RAD believe that no dog should be clothed all the time, and this can have a detrimental affect on the welfare of the dog. Clothing a dog consistently can cause the dog to have skin complaints and develop spots and blackheads. 

Body Language

RAD train all members, staff and volunteers to read dog body language. RAD make sure that all members are capable of advocating for their dogs needs and wellbeing in public access situations and can remove their dog if they appear stressed or worried. RAD inform members on how to tell when a dog is getting anxious so that they can remove them from a situation before the anxiety rises further.

Annual vet check

RAD require all members to get certification annually that their dog is fit physically to be an assistance dog. This is especially important as dogs age. RAD may ask dogs to retire early dependent on their health and behaviour status. If a dog has dramatically changed its behaviour, then RAD may ask members to get a veterinary opinion before looking at behaviour training to make sure that there is not a physical underlying cause. 

Body Condition Scoring (BCS) and Weight Management

Obesity in dogs is a growing concern and it is estimated that roughly 50% of all dogs in the country are overweight. If a dog is overweight, they are prone to many more diseases and health complaints. New research suggests that lipid cells secrete into the body making dogs more likely to develop heart disease and cancer. Also, many breeds are prone to hip dysplasia, eg Labradors, and being overweight increases the risk of developing hip dysplasia by 70%. RAD believe that Body Conditioning Scoring is an accurate tool to assess weight and whether a dog is overweight or not. RAD train all members on how to perform Body Condition Scoring on their dogs and undertake BCS on all dogs when they see them face to face. Please see a video on how to do this on the member area of the website.

Time away from young children

If an assistance dog is living in the same household as children, RAD expect for provision to be made so that the dog has time away from the young person. All dogs, especially working assistance dogs, need time to recharge and get adequate sleep. It can be hard to do this while children are present, hence needing time away daily. 

Time as a pet dog

RAD believe it is important that working dogs have time away from assistance work to switch off and behave as an ordinary pet dog. This gives them time to rest and reset and to make sure their biological need of sufficient sleep is adhered to. RAD teach members to give a ‘working cue’ to their dog so that they know when they are working and when they are not. RAD promote the use of brain and enrichment games and allowing dogs to undertake the nature behaviours of the breed, eg, retrieving, scent games etc…