The course in Pet Ethology, for students taking the first 60 credits of the Veterinary Baccalaureate, focuses on the learning mechanisms, the major behavioural systems of livestock, companion animals and their relationship with humans.
At the end of this course and the practical work, the students will know how to analyse the learning mechanisms in animals, will (re)know the normal behaviour of animals (observe, describe, quantify, understand), will have the tools to later assess animal welfare and will have acquired the basis for the Applied Ethology course (SVET B301).
Designed in two parts, the course starts with general notions on innate behaviour, learning mechanisms (e.g. conditioning, habituation, social and complex learning, early experience). Domestication and the evolution of human-animal relationships are then discussed, both for production animals and pets. This part ends with a description of the major behavioural systems: exploratory, feeding and dietary, eliminatory, social, reproductive, grooming, sleep-wake and thermoregulatory. The second part of the course describes these same behavioural systems in a specific way: horse, bovine, sheep, pig, dog, cat, rabbit, poultry.
The exam is written but access to it is conditional on the result of a questionnaire (True-False, on computer, immediate correction) composed of 40 statements which evaluate the basic knowledge in veterinary matters, approached during the Ethology course. If the threshold of 32/40 is reached, the student takes the written exam (1h30) later the same day. This consists of a questionnaire with 5 open questions. The first two questions require a detailed answer, the third is less extensive, and the last two questions concern definitions or particularities of the species, so as to cover the whole subject. The answers must be carefully written (spelling, neatness, no pencil writing, captioned graphs), as complete as possible while not going beyond the scope of the question. Having passed the True-False, the minimum mark that the student can obtain in the examination and which will be taken into account in the deliberation is 7/20. If the threshold of 32/40 is not reached, the student cannot take the written examination. The mark obtained by the student and taken into account in the deliberation will be established as follows: between 31 and 24/40 in the basic knowledge = 6/20 in the deliberation, between 23 and 20/40 in the basic knowledge = 5/20 in the deliberation, less than 20/40 in the basic knowledge = 4/20 in the deliberation. Whether in the January, June or September sessions, the mark for the written examination, provided it reaches 10/20, is increased by the mark for the practical work (maximum 2 points). A penalty of 2 points is applied to any student who has not fulfilled his or her practical work obligations (including absence from a session, non-compliance with the instructions relating to the practical work report, failure to submit the report). This penalty is applicable regardless of the theoretical mark. If the student has obtained 2 points and has not passed the written exam, he/she will be exempted from the practical work the following year and these points will be reserved and attributed to him/her, according to the methods described above.
Additional information is available on WebCampus (evolution of certain concepts, examples for other species, additional illustrations, ...). It enriches the course and, if necessary, allows the student to better understand certain passages.