Considering recent research attempting to investigate the relative impacts of shock collars and food-based training on dog behavior and welfare, being a well-informed consumer of science is essential in order to evaluate studies for their merits and limitations. Conducting research is a challenging endeavor, and even more so when asking applied questions. When designing research studies, scientists must have a clear understanding of the question being asked, appropriate dependent measures to answer that question, a design that is free from bias or are biased against their hypothesis, and experimental conditions that are equivalent in as many ways as possible except for the critical variable of interest. Moreover, their sample of participants should be representative of the population, and their methodology consistently applied. Once data collection is complete, scientists need to use statistical analyses that are appropriate for their data and research question, ensure interpretations are consistent with the analytical results, and be transparent in their reporting. In this webinar, we will discuss the essential features of carrying out such a research study, and how a study investigating the question of training methods would need to be designed in order to fulfill these aims and obtain applicable results. Following this webinar, attendees will have a better understanding about the challenges of conducting applied research and be a more informed consumer of science, including being able to discuss the strengths and limitations of a given study more knowledgeably.

Sponsor:Pet Professional Guild
Speaker(s):Dr. Lisa Gunter & Dr. Erica Feuerbacher

Contact: Rebekah King
 Email: events@petprofessionalguild.com
 Web: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/the-shocking-truth-examining-research-