Attitudes towards cattle handling among Western Canadian cow-calf handlers: The role of handling training and perspectives on beef cattle welfare

Western Canadian cow-calf handlers (n = 118) were surveyed to determine: (1) attitudes towards beef cattle and handling; (2) influence of handling training on handling attitudes; (3) cattle welfare assessment strategies and improvement prioritization areas, and (4) involvement in and perspectives about handling training. Respondents agreed with statements related to positive attitudes, including the importance of proper handling practices, knowledge, and patience for effective cattle handling. They also agreed with statements favouring cattle cognitive abilities and the importance of good handling facilities, while disagreed with statements indicating little knowledge is required to handle cattle and the use of prods, hitting cattle, and yelling. Key welfare assessment indicators that participants reported using were general health and body condition scores, and they prioritized improving nutrition, herd health programs, and pain management. Economic returns and a sense of responsibility were major motivations for improving cattle welfare. Most respondents had attended cattle handling training, including in-person with hands-on demonstrations (33.7 %), in-person without hands-on demonstrations (10.9 %), hybrid formats combining online modules with hands-on demonstrations (19.6 %), and fully online training (35.9 %). Safety and desire to learn were major motivations for participating in handling training. Respondents acknowledged the benefits of handling training on improving handling skills and strongly agreed that handling training should focus on teaching patience strategies. Although training influenced attitudes, impacts of training modalities were inconsistent. The effectiveness of various training approaches may vary depending on the individual or context, indicating a need for further research to determine which methods yield the most positive outcomes for both handlers and cattle.