Blood sampling by venepuncture is a routine procedure in animal experiments and veterinary diagnostics. It can cause stress due to restraint and pain associated with a penetration of the skin by a needle. When stressful procedures are repeated, stress can increase through anticipation after negative experiences or decrease due to habituation and/or positive reinforcement. The aim of this study was to describe the reaction to repeated blood sampling on the affective state of the animals. We wanted to observe how repeated blood sampling would effect stress parameters in goats in a experiment with repeated blood sampling that underwent an intensive cooperative vet care training and were handled with focus on gentle handling. Eight dairy goats underwent weekly blood sampling over a four-month period as part of a transfer study. Stress parameters were assessed by serum cortisol concentration, temperature changes in the inner corner of the eye measured by infrared thermography, and an ethogram of voluntary and aversive behavior. Neither the serum cortisol concentration nor the eye temperature changed significantly over time during blood sampling. However, the ethogram showed that the goats approached the blood sampling position significantly faster and more voluntarily. In this study we observed that repetition of blood sampling not necessary lead to increased stress. However, the voluntary behavior of the trained goats increased over time as a result of positive reinforcement training and habituation.

Blood sampling by venipuncture is a routine procedure used in animal experiments and veterinary diagnostics. It can cause stress due to restraint and pain associated with penetration of the skin by a needle. When stressful procedures are repeated, stress can increase through anticipation after negative experiences or decrease due to habituation and/or positive reinforcement. The aim of this study was to describe the reaction to repeated blood sampling on the affective state of the animals. We wanted to observe how repeated blood sampling would affect stress parameters in goats that underwent an intensive cooperative vet care training protocol and were managed with a focus on gentle handling. Eight dairy goats underwent weekly blood sampling over a four-month period as part of a transfer study. Stress parameters were assessed using serum cortisol concentration, temperature changes in the inner corner of the eye measured by infrared thermography, and an ethogram showing voluntary and aversive behavior. Neither the serum cortisol concentration nor the eye temperature changed significantly over time during blood sampling. However, the ethogram showed that the goats approached the blood sampling position significantly faster and more voluntarily. In this study, we did not observe changes within the measured physiological stress parameters due to repeated blood sampling over three months. However, the voluntary behavior of the trained goats increased over time as a result of positive reinforcement training and habituation.

Experimental procedures involving farm animals are often associated with stress due to restraining. Stress can be reduced through use of positive reinforcement training, which then serves as refinement according to the 3Rs principles. Trainer skills, however, may influence the feasibility and success of animal training. The potential influence of trainer skills as well as the education of animal trainers are rarely described in literature but are necessary information for the implementation of positive reinforcement training as a refinement measure. To investigate the effect of educational programmes on animal trainers, we compared the training success of two groups of participants in training goats to elicit a behaviour that would allow simulated venipuncture. One group was educated in a two-day workshop while the other was provided with specific literature for self-instructed learning. Training success was evaluated using an assessment protocol developed for this study. A greater training success in the WORKSHOP GROUP, reflected by objective and subjective measures, was clearly supported statistically. In addition, 73 versus only 13% of the participants of the WORKSHOP GROUP and the self-instructed BOOK GROUP, respectively, stated that they could completely implement the knowledge gained in the course of this study. Our results indicate that more intensively educated trainers can train animals more successfully. In conclusion, if animal training is implemented as refinement, animal caretakers should receive instruction for positive reinforcement training.