Podcasts about certified applied animal behaviorist

In this episode of the Research Bites podcast, Dr. Spaulding interviews Dr. Lisa Gunter about her work on reducing stress and improving welfare in shelter dogs.  If you work or volunteer in a shelter – or work closely with shelter or rescue dogs - this is the podcast for you! Lisa Gunter is an Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare at Virginia Tech in the School of Animal Sciences, and she directs the Center for Applied Animal Behavior and Education. Before beginning her graduate studies, she worked for nearly a decade in animal shelters and with pet dogs and their owners.The goal of Lisa's teaching, research, and extension is to better the lives of people and their pets. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Coastal Carolina University and the Maddie's Fund Research Fellow at Arizona State University. Lisa is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and earned her Ph.D. and M. A. in the Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology program at Arizona State University. In the canine science collaboratory. Dr. Gunter discusses how weekend foster stays and brief field trips affect shelter dogs. Specifically, she explains how these activities influence stress and length of stay. Another factor that may impact length of stay is breed labeling – Dr. Gunter shared key insights from her research on this topic as well. This exciting research sheds light on how shelters can best serve the animals in their care. Next, Dr. Gunter and Dr. Spaulding share their thoughts on the future of animal sheltering– it's a very different model than what is being used today! Finally, make sure you stay to the end to learn more about the upcoming Canine Science Symposium!00:00 Introduction to Research Bites Membership00:53 Welcome to the Research Bites Podcast01:27 Introducing Dr. Lisa Gunter01:44 Dr. Gunter's Background and Research Focus03:34 The Importance of Shelter Dog Research05:44 Impact of Short-Term Foster Stays08:42 Measuring Stress in Shelter Dogs10:24 Challenges and Methods in Collecting Data10:55 Findings from Sleepover Studies24:48 Field Trips vs. Sleepovers32:13 Understanding Animal Stress in Shelters32:48 Interpreting Cortisol Levels in Shelter Dogs35:47 Field Trips and Their Impact on ShelterFor more information, please check out my website and social media links below! Website: https://sciencemattersllc.com/ Research Bites: https://sciencemattersllc.com/research-bites Facebook ...

This week on the show, Petrendologist Charlotte Reed talks with Susan Burrows from Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy about providing pet relief to law enforcement and other government officials at the DNC Convention and with Dr. Kristyn Vitale, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and expert in cat behavior, about the socialization of kittens and cats.

Your host: Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB with Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, LLCThis podcast was originally released in March 2022 as a shortened version. This is the full version of the original podcast.My guest today is Dr. Monique Udell. Dr. Udell is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and an Associate Professor of Animal & Rangeland Sciences at Oregon State University, where she directs the Human-Animal Interactions Lab and teaches courses on Animal Behavior, Cognition and Learning. Much of her work focuses on the development of human-animal bonds, with wild and domesticated animals, and the impact that these bonds can have on the behavior and success of both species. She also studies the social behavior and cognition of a variety of species including cats, dogs, wolves and sheep. In addition, Dr. Udell is a Co-director of an imitation-based dog training intervention program dedicated to improving the physical activity and quality of life of children with and without developmental disabilities and their family dog. To find out more visit: https://thehumananimalbond.com/ In this episode we talk about a variety of topics including problem-solving, how dogs attend to humans and forming secure attachments.You can get more information on Research Bites and other educational opportunities at www.sciencemattersllc.com

In this episode, Chantal and Angelique talk to Dr Kristina Spaulding about stress and how it relates to and affects dogs. Dr. Kristina Spaulding owns Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior LLC. She has a PhD in biopsychology—the study of the biological basis of behavior—and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. Dr. Spaulding teaches a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior through her website, www.sciencemattersllc.com. She is also the author of The Stress Factor in Dogs: Unlocking Resiliency and Enhancing Well-Being.

In this conversation, veterinarian and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Amy Marder discusses the importance of recognizing that every dog is an individual and that behavior evaluations should be tailored to each dog's unique needs. She emphasizes the need for guidelines and observational methods to understand a dog's behavior and provide appropriate support. The conversation also touches on the stress levels in shelters, the benefits of foster homes, and the importance of considering a dog's behavior in their previous home when making adoption decisions. Shelter Medicine Courses - https://onlinesheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/about/faculty/amy-marder/ Alexandra Protopopova - https://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&user=QzzG6YUAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate Dixie:      

In this episode Stacey and Ness meet with Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, to discuss stress. We cover types of stress and the impacts of stress, as well as building resilience to stress. You can find more information about Dr. Kristina Spaulding on her website at:https://sciencemattersllc.com/Her awesome book, The Stress Factor in Dogs: Unlocking Resiliency and Enhancing Well-Being, can be found here:https://www.dogwise.com/the-stress-factor-in-dogs-unlocking-resiliency-and-enhancing-well-being/ ========================================== This podcast discusses Separation Anxiety in dogs and how to fix it. Two global specialists (all certified as Separation Anxiety Pro Behavior Consultants) discuss all things related to Separation Anxiety. Join Ness Jones from Separation Anxiety In Dogs Decoded in Australia (nessjones.com) and Stacey Bell from Focused Fun in the US (www.focusedfun.net) as they delve into the dos and don'ts of training a dog to feel safe and comfortable when left home alone!

Ever wrestled with the guilt and shame that can come with a dog exhibiting aggression? We've got you covered in our insightful conversation with Dr. Karen London, a renowned dog behavior specialist, who unveils the human element intricately entwined with canine aggression. We discuss strategies for navigating the tricky terrain of difficult conversations resulting from dog aggression and the importance of extending kindness to oneself during the process. Finally, we uncover the often overlooked aspect of dog aggression - the emotional toll it takes on the humans involved. Dr. London shares her wisdom on maintaining emotional balance, applying self-care, and establishing robust support networks when dealing with aggression cases.The Aggression in Dogs ConferenceThe Bitey End of the Dog Bonus EpisodesThe Aggression in Dogs Master Course and Expert Webinar Bundle --- LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFERABOUT KAREN:Karen B. London, PhD is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and an award-winning author of six books about dog training and behavior. She blogs for TheWildest.com, writes the Arizona Daily Sun's animal column, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University.Instagram: @Karen.London.Dog.Behavior"Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer's World View Can Improve Your Life" https://smile.amazon.com/Treat-Everyone-Like-Dog-Trainers/dp/1952960002/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Support the show

Today's Topic:   For many of us, we're keenly aware of how the parenting style of our own parents (whether it was an authoritarian, authoritative, permissive or uninvolved style) influenced -- and continues to influence -- how we behave and view the world as an adult. As such, we've ALWAYS wondered how our individual pet parenting style (whether we're aware of it or not) toward our dogs influences their behavior and how they view the world. In Part I of our discussion on pet parenting styles, we dove into this subject headfirst with pediatric psychologist, parent coach, and the owner of A New Day Pediatric Psychology, PLLC., Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, to see if there are any insights we could glean from her understanding of the different types of child parenting styles, and their effects, but also where they came from. What we came away with from that episode was a sense that many of us view our children very similarly to how we view our dogs, and how the modern parenting literature is eerily mirrors that of modern positive dog training literature.In this episode, we got the opportunity to continue this conversation on pet parenting styles with one of the authors of the research paper, Does Pet Parenting Style Predict the Social and Problem-Solving Behavior of Pet Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?, Dr. Monique Udell, to see what the data says when she investigated the effects of different pet parenting styles on a dog's social and problem-solving behavior using three behavioral tests: The Secure Base Test, a Sociability Test and the Solvable Task.Guest Bio: Dr. Monique Udell is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and an Associate Professor of Animal Sciences at Oregon State University, where she directs the Human-Animal Interaction Lab. Much of her work focuses on the development of human-animal bonds and the impact that these bonds can have on the behavior and success of both species. She also studies the social behavior and cognition of a variety of species including cats, dogs, wolves and sheep, with a special interest in the influence of domestication and lifetime experience on behavioral development, welfare and learning. In addition, Dr. Udell is the Co-director of an animal assisted intervention program dedicated to improving the quality of life of children with and without developmental disabilities and their family dogs and cats. Connect With Dr. Monique Udell: WebsiteEmailDoes Pet Parenting Style predict the social and problem-solving behavior of pet dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?

Dr. Erica Feuerbacher is an Associate Professor of Companion Animal Behavior and Welfare at Virginia Tech and director of the Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab in the School of Animal Science. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Florida in the UF Canine Cognition and Behavior Lab and her Masters in Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas in the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she was an Assistant Professor at Carroll College in Helena, MT, where she led the canine program in which students trained foster dogs during the academic year. She has worked as a shelter behavior consultant, offered group dog training classes and private behavior consultations, and is co-founder of the Institute for Shelter Dogs. She is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Her research at Virginia Tech focuses on understanding dog behavior and learning from a behavior analytic perspective, using applied behavior analysis to solve behavioral issues, and identifying interventions that improve shelter dog welfare. She has earned several awards for her behavior analytic research and her dedication to the theoretical foundations of behavior analysis. She is passionate about humane, effective animal training, and working with owners, trainers, and shelter staff to improve our interactions with animals through behavior analysis. For links visit here >>> https://atamember.com/2023/05/15/dr-erica-feuerbacher/

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Byosiere teaches us about how she studies dog cognition and ongoing research at the Thinking Dog Center at the City University of New York Hunter College. We discuss:Why study dog cognition?Ongoing research on enrichment and contrafreeloadingHow to introduce enrichment to your dogSurprising research about breed labels in animal sheltersDr. Byosiere's bio:Dr. Byosiere is the Director of the Thinking Dog Center and an Assistant Professor at CUNY Hunter College where she focuses on studying the behavior and cognition of companion animals. She is also a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. Dr. Byosiere has worked at various canine cognition and behavior research groups including the Duke Canine Cognition Center, the Clever Dog Lab and the Wolf Science Center. Dr. Byosiere earned her PhD at La Trobe University in Australia at the Anthrozoology Research Group, where her dissertation focused on evaluating whether or not dogs are susceptible to visual illusions. More recently at the Thinking Dog Center, her work has expanded to include applied research topics, including human-animal interactions, dog training methodologies and animal sheltering practices. Dr. Byosiere has published her research in peer-revived scientific journals, presented her findings at conferences, and has been featured on NPRs Science Friday, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, The New York Daily News, Gizmodo, WIRED Currents, and Curiosity Stream. Links:Thinking Dog Center Website Twitter Thinking Dog Center Instagram Thinking Dog CenterFacebook Thinking Dog CenterTheme music composed and performed by Andy SellsContact Behavior Vets tweet us @BehaviorVets follow us on Facebook email us at nyc@behaviorvets.com follow us on Instagram

In this episode, Dr. Feuerbacher joins co-hosts Lauren Novack (ACDBC, KPA-CTP, FPPE) and Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA) to talk about what it's like to build a Master's program in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare and her ultimate goal of improving standards for animal training and welfare. We dive into:What it was like to develop a Master's program at Virginia Tech in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare from the ground up.Challenging her students to question accepted training lores in order to advance our knowledge of applied animal behavior.The need for more rigorous qualifications to become professional dog trainers and the injustice to dog guardians because of the system we have now.Her thoughts on LIMA, CAT, and how she likes to train animals. Dr. Feuerbacher's bio:Dr. Erica Feuerbacher is an Associate Professor in Animal & Poultry Sciences atVirginia Tech and director of the Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab, where she focuses her research on dogs and horses. She also coordinates the online Masters program in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare at Virginia Tech. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Florida in the UF Canine Cognition and Behavior Lab and her Master's in Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas in the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals. She is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Her research and publications focus on understanding domestic animal behavior and learning from a behavior analytic perspective, using applied animal behavior to solve behavioral issues in dogs and horses, and identifying interventions that improve shelter dog welfare. She is passionate about humane, effective animal training, and working with owners, trainers, and shelter staff to improve our interactions with animals.Links:Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab at Virginia Tech FB page www.facebook.com/aabvtVirginia Tech's Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences program with a concentration in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfarehttp://www.ericanfeuerbacher.com/Theme music composed and performed by Andy SellsContact Behavior Vets tweet us @BehaviorVets follow us on Facebook email us at nyc@behaviorvets.com follow us on Instagram

Your host: Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB with Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, LLCIn this episode, I speak with Dr. Sasha Protopopova. She is an Assistant Professor and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Chair holder in Animal Welfare at The University of British Columbia (UBC). If that sounds familiar, that's because my last guest, Dr. von Keyserlingk is at the same University, in the same department. They are doing a lot of great work there! Dr. Protopopova is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and has a PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Florida. Her research interests are in improving animal shelter practices, improving companion animal welfare through the development of behavioral interventions in shelters as well as pet homes, and assessing and improving the well-being of dogs working in assistance roles. In this episode, we discuss increasing the adoptability of shelter dogs, the human side of animal sheltering and rescue, and ethical issues related to domestic animals.This is a shortened version of the podcast. The full version of the podcast is available to Research Bites members. You can get more information on Research Bites and other educational opportunities at www.sciencemattersllc.com

One of the most atrocious activities that I can think of that humans have asked dogs to take part in is --- illegal dog fighting. My special guest for this episode is Dr. Victoria Cussen who is the Senior Director of Applied Behavior Research for the Behavioral Sciences Team at the ASPCA. Victoria has incredible insight into the behavior and welfare of fight bust dogs, and this episode is packed with myth busting and a unique look at the behavior, and often resiliency of dogs where the past humans in their lives have failed them.For additional resources on helping dogs with aggression, visit:https://aggressivedog.comIf you want to take your knowledge and skills for helping dogs with aggression to the next level, check out the Aggression in Dogs Master Course and get a FREE preview here:https://aggressivedog.thinkific.com/courses/aggression-in-dogsDon't miss out on the third annual Aggression in Dogs Conference  9/30-10/2/22:https://aggressivedog.com/conference/About Victoria:Senior Director, Applied Behavior Research, Behavioral Sciences Team, ASPCADr. Victoria Cussen is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and serves as the Senior Director of Applied Behavior Research for the ASPCA's Behavioral Sciences Team (BST). She earned her Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis where she studied individual differences in resiliency to stress in captive animals. She earned her Master's in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where she completed her thesis on environmental enrichment for pet dogs. The utility of model dogs for assessing conspecific aggression in fighting dogs study:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016815912200168XSupport the show

Sometimes using behavior modification is a better option than traditional training methods. We talk about the differences with Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Patricia McConnell. We also talk about whether dogs understand when you apologize.

Stress, hormones, emotions, impulse control, arousal, cognition --- a lot of different words that get thrown around in our conversations about dogs and behavior. In this episode with the incredibly informative Dr. Kristina Spaulding, we unpack many of those terms, and why they are so important to define correctly when discussing aggression in dogs. Kristina does an amazing job of breaking down these concepts in the show, and I hope to see the conversation continue in the dog training community. For additional resources on helping dogs with aggression, visit:https://aggressivedog.comIf you want to take your knowledge and skills for helping dogs with aggression to the next level, check out the Aggression in Dogs Master Course and get a FREE preview here:https://aggressivedog.thinkific.com/courses/aggression-in-dogsDon't miss out on the third annual Aggression in Dogs Conference  9/30-10/2/22:https://aggressivedog.com/conference/Woof Cultr swag!https://woofcultr.com/collections/the-aggression-in-dogs-conferenceAbout Kristina:Dr. Kristina Spaulding has been in the dog training and behavior profession for over 20 years. She has a PhD in biopsychology—the study of the biological basis of behavior—and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. She also has a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is particularly interested in stress, neurobiology, cognition, emotion, and wellbeing and how to apply these concepts to the prevention and early intervention of behavior problems in dogs. In addition to working with behavior clients, Dr. Spaulding teaches a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior through her website, www.smartdogtrainingandbehavior.com. She also regularly presents on canine behavior science at conferences and other events. In 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer's (APDT's) Member of the Year Award. She currently serves on the IAABC Foundation Board and the Fear Free Advisory group.https://smartdogtrainingandbehavior.com/online-services/ https://www.facebook.com/KristinaSpauldingPhD https://www.instagram.com/science_mattersllc/Support the show

Your host: Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB with Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, LLCToday's guest is Dr. Erica Feuerbacher is an Associate Professor in Animal & Poultry Sciences at Virginia Tech and director of the Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab, where she works with dogs and horses. She also coordinates the online Masters's program in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare at Virginia Tech. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Florida in the UF Canine Cognition and Behavior Lab and her Master's in Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas in the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals. She is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Her research and publications focus on understanding domestic animal behavior and learning from a behavior analytic perspective, using applied behavior analysis to solve behavioral issues in dogs and horses, and identifying interventions that improve shelter dog welfare. She is passionate about humane, effective animal training, and working with owners, trainers, and shelter staff to improve our interactions with animals. In this episode, we discuss types of reinforcers and their effectiveness as well as addressing stress and welfare in shelter dogs. This is a shortened version of the podcast. The full version of the podcast is available to Research Bites members. You can get more information on Research Bites and other educational opportunities at www.sciencemattersll.com

Your host: Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB with Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, LLCMy guest today is Dr. Monique Udell is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and an Associate Professor of Animal & Rangeland Sciences at Oregon State University, where she directs the Human-Animal Interactions Lab and teaches courses on Animal Behavior, Cognition and Learning. Much of her work focuses on the development of human-animal bonds, with wild and domesticated animals, and the impact that these bonds can have on the behavior and success of both species. She also studies the social behavior and cognition of a variety of species including cats, dogs, wolves and sheep. In addition, Dr. Udell is a Co-director of an imitation-based dog training intervention program dedicated to improving the physical activity and quality of life of children with and without developmental disabilities and their family dog. To find out more visit: https://thehumananimalbond.com/ In this episode we talk about a variety of topics including problem-solving, how dogs attend to humans and forming secure attachments. This is a shortened version of the podcast. The full version of the podcast is available to Research Bites members. You can get more information on Research Bites and other educational opportunities at www.sciencemattersll.com

Karen B. London, Ph.D., is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She specializes in working with dogs with serious behavioral issues, including aggression. Karen writes the animal column for the Arizona Daily Sun and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University. She joined Elizabeth Silverstein of Telltail Dog Training to discuss her 2011 book, Love Has No Age Limit, her more recently published Treat Everyone Like a Dog, her training journey, and how she manages and advises kids and dogs and their families, especially with older rescue pups. Follow Karen London, PhD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karen.london.dog.behavior/ The Wildest: https://www.thewildest.com/dog-behavior/does-your-dog-have-greeting-disorder The Bark: https://thebark.com/category/author/karen-b-london Follow Telltail Dog Instagram: instagram.com/telltaildog/ Facebook: facebook.com/telltaildog/ Twitter: twitter.com/telltaildog Website: https://telltaildogtraining.com/

This is possibly the most important topic in Dog Training today. Do Methods Matter? YES! We break down why using aversive techniques is damaging to your relationship with your dog and to their very welfare. I'm joined by Dr Karen London, who breaks it down for us! Karen B. London, PhD is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and an award-winning author of six books about canine training and behavior, including her most recent, Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer's World View Can Improve Your Life. She blogs for TheBark.com and TheWildest.com, writes the animal column (The London Zoo) for the Arizona Daily Sun, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University. Dr London has a new book: Treat Everyone Like a Dog Instagram: @Karen.London.Dog.Behavior Facebook: Karen London Some references we mentioned in the episode: Scientific Paper: Does Training Method Matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive-based methods on companion dog welfare AVSAB Position Statement on Humane Dog Training Shock Collars are banned in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, Parts of Australia and Quebec, Canada. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Podcast 256 is Jill Maria. Jill had a near death experience where she encountered a supernatural being.. Jill is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Ph.D. Experimental Psychology U CA Berkeley, former radio talk show host, published poet; long time student of near death experiences and UFO phenomena (since 1970s for both). She had an NDE Or some sort of variation of it at age 5 (within a month or two). She also had an encounter with a UFO on 11/19/12 on the NY State Thruway (NUFORC report filed that day). She read Tarot professionally for about a year at the end of the 1990s and had an unsolicited experience as a psychic medium during that time with someone she was reading at the time.

Today's topic: How similar is the behavior of dogs to the behavior of humans?  This is a question we've always wondered about, so we invited Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Karen B. London, PhD, on the pod to help us answer that very question!  Not only that, but we talk to her about her latest book, Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer's World View Can Improve Your Life, where she applies many of the principles from dog training to the rest of her life, and we discuss how you can apply those very principles to improve the most important human relationships in your life!  Guest Bio: Karen B. London, PhD, is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist.  She received her BS in Biology from UCLA and her PhD in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied the defensive behavior of neotropical social wasps, and a nesting association between two species of wasps.  She began working professionally with dogs in 1997, and has spent years working with clients in one-on-one consultations, teaching group classes, and giving seminars about dog training and canine ethology for trainers, veterinary and shelter staff, and the public.  She writes for the TheBark.com, writes the animal column for the Arizona Daily Sun, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University, where she has enjoyed teaching tropical ecology and conservation field courses in Nicaragua and in Costa Rica.  She also teaches a class for freshmen about the importance of insects to society called "Sex, Bugs, and Rock 'n' Roll."  She is the author of a number of books, which you can find here.

Join Niki as she chats to Dr. Spaulding. It's always great to host Dr. Spaulding and the conversation is always fast moving and fascinating. In this episode we talk about topics ranging from animal self-awareness to current research papers and how to read and interpret them. Dr.Spaulding hosts a monthly webinar called Research Bites, this is the fastest and easiest way to keep up-to-date on research on dog training and behavior! For those of you who are interested in signing up these are the upcoming dates: May 11th, 2021, 7 pm Eastern Do dogs have mental representations of past events? Exploring the question of episodic memory in dogs. June 8th, 2021, 7 pm Eastern What are the most effective approaches to aggression in dogs? A detailed examination of various aggression treatments. July 13th, 2021, 7 pm Eastern How does training method impact emotional state? Examining the effect of methodology on wellbeing in dogs. About Dr. Spualding Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB Co-owner, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Behavior consultant, Class instructor Click here to learn more

DAGNABBIT (Or should we say DOGNABBIT) BOOKSHELVERS!Back with ANOTHER stonkingly canine-tastic mind tickler of an episode for you! Just in time to cure those Monday blues...This week Steve & Nat are joined by the wonderful Karen London to talk all about her fabulous book Treat Everyone Like a Dog. As you can expect there is a whole load of topics and techniques to unpack on our journey to become better at employing the tactics we use with dogs upon our fellow humans.  That being said though we should be the blooming experts right? Lets find out.Karen FactsKaren B. London, Ph.D. is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and CertifiedProfessional Dog Trainer who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of seriousbehavior problems in domestic dogs. She began working with dogs in 1997, and hasspent years working with clients in one-on-one consultations in addition to teachinggroup training classes, and giving seminars about canine ethology for trainers,veterinary and shelter staff, and the public.After graduation, Karen decided to switch to working with dogs. It was a naturaloutcome of her love for dogs in her personal life, and her scientific interest in speciesinteractions and aggressive behavior in her professional life. She has enjoyed thechange to becoming a dog behaviorist and trainer as dogs are easier to work with andless aggressive than the wasps she knows and loves.Karen is an award-winning author of six books on dog training and behavior, five ofthem co-authored with her mentor, Patricia B. McConnell, PhD. She blogs forTheBark.com and also writes the animal column, The London Zoo, for the Arizona DailySun. Her most recent book is Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer’s WorldView Can Improve Your Life.Karen lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with her husband and their two sons. She is an AdjunctProfessor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University,where she teaches tropical field courses in Nicaragua and Costa Rica called “TropicalForest Ecology and Conservation” and a class for freshman about the importance ofinsects to society called “Sex, Bugs, and Rock N' Roll.Link to Buy Treat Everyone Like a Dog https://www.amazon.co.uk/Treat-Everyone-Like-Dog-Trainers/dp/1952960002/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=treat+everyone+like+a+dog&qid=1619377655&sr=8-1Karen's Instagram https://instagram.com/karen.london.dog.behavior?igshid=h7luuocp5bp4Karens Bark Columnhttps://thebark.com/category/author/karen-b-londonKarens  column about accidental recallshttps://thebark.com/content/teaching-dogs-come-when-calledLink to our Patreon page to help support us make the show!https://www.patreon.com/BookshelversLink to Steve & Corrins Goodall Dog Training Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/goodalldogs/Link to Nat's Training & Behaviour Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/Natdogs/Link to Drax's Galactic Adventure Facebook page (Nat's rescued Irish Wolfhound)https://www.facebook.com/Draxthewolfhound/

Today we're talking about Dr. James Ha about puppy temperament and training to mitigate or avoid behavior issues. Mostly, we're talking about the science of how BAD temperament tests are at actually predicting adult behavior. Darn.  Dr. Ha is a pretty amazing guy. He's an animal behavior researcher and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist - which is the highest level of certification one can attain in applied behavior . Dr. Ha literally wrote the book on dog behavior - called Dog Behavior: Modern Science and Our Canine Companions. While much of Dr. Ha's private practice work currently focuses on aggression cases and expert witness work, today we're talking to him about puppies, their temperament, and how to prevent or mitigate behavior concerns.  Generally, you found puppy temperament tests at 7 weeks didn't predict adult behavior. What 8 factors did you look at in the research? Used the fairly standard testRoll the ball test Flip them on their back Stranger test etc. Physiology testsHeart rate variation tests, respiration rate tests, cortisol tests Did your results vary by breed? Clusters of results very actively predicted what breed group the puppy belonged to Breed-specific characteristics more accurately belong to the breed group  Talk to us a bit about your current work with dogs with serious behavior issues. What have you learned lately about dog behavior? A huge percentage of dog behavior regarding aggression have to do with anxiety “Dogs want attention and dogs need rules,” Dr. Ha said. “So many humans think they can just forget about them. I don't care if you do obedience training, or show training, or agility, or flyball. What I really mean is interaction.” Get professional help to deal with behavior problems appropriately  What red flags might you see in a puppy or teenage dog that another owner may miss? The first two years of your dog's life is the most important Any kind of aggression is a red flag Ages 7 - 9 months your dogs are the most vulnerable in developing fears Where can you find Dr. Ha? Website: https://drjimha.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJimHa New Research on Puppy Temperment:https://jamescraigha.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/our-new-research-on-puppy-temperament/ Dog Behavior: Modern Science and Our Canine Companions: https://www.dogwise.com/dog-behavior-modern-science-and-our-canine-companions/

Dr. Mikel Delgado, our guest, studies the health and behavior of neonatal kittens and feline orphans and currently is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. We talk about suckling neonates, feeding behaviors, and taking care of these little kittens. Do you know what Dr. Susan had to do with the start of Dr. Mikel's research? You can find more info here http://catsandsquirrels.com/aboutme/

Dr. Mikel Delgado is specialized in cat behavior and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. This a podcast that was published on the purrpodcast but is so relevant for cat owners too that we decided to simultaneously publish it in the cat cafe too. The 1-2-3 in how to handle neonatal kittens!

Dr Jim Ha, co-host of Dogged Justice, has dedicated his life to the study of animal behavior. In this episode, he gives us a glimpse of his career and education. He also shares how he applied his knowledge and research to benefit the communities he serves including the Courthouse Dogs Foundation.    Episode Highlights 1:00 - Jim’s father inspires him early  3:00 - Education & early career 5:00 - Field PHD Research.  7:30 - Postdoctoral Research  10:30 - Shifting from cognitive to behavioral studies  15:45 - Helping apply animal behavior in homes 18:30 - How Animal Behavior Associates of Washington came to be 23:30 -  What Jim hopes to share on this podcast 24:00 - Resources Jim has created 27:00 - Courthouse Dogs Foundation  31:30 - The special relationship between humans and dogs 36:00 - How science plays a part in understanding the benefits of dogs   Links To References University of Washington Certificate in Applied Animal Behavior Dog Behavior - Modern Science & Our Canine Companions Dr Jim's Credentials Millersville University, BA Biology, 1980 Wake Forest University, MA Biology, 1983 Colorado State University, PhD Zoology, 1989 Research Professor, University of Washington, 1992-present  Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, 2004-present  Owner, Animal Behavior Associates of Washington education and consulting  Owner, DrJimHa.com education and consulting Connect with Jim or learn more about his work on his website at drjimha.com.  To learn more about what they are doing to change the criminal justice system, go to courthousedogs.org.

Howdy Bookshelvers!Steve and Nat are back for another episode. When we started our journey as dog trainers there was one particular book that really spoke to both of us. 'The Other End Of The Leash: Why we do what we do around dogs' is quite simply a masterpiece and we are still pinching ourselves from this one. We had the ABSOLUTE pleasure of talking to Patricia about her career as one of the most influential writers of dog training books in the world. As well as delving into this MUST OWN book. We have the welcome return of 'practical applications' this week as well as hearing all about what we've been up to in lockdown UK.We really hope you are enjoying our shows and if you fancy dropping us a question, review or anything else please get in touch at....barksfrom@gmail.comPatricia McConnell BioPatricia McConnell, PhD, a Zoologist and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, (CAAB) Emeritus has made a lifelong commitment to improving the relationship between people and animals. She is known worldwide as an expert on canine and feline behavior and dog training, and for her engaging and knowledgeable dog training books, DVDs and seminars. Patricia has seen clients for serious behavioral problems since 1988, and taught "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships” for twenty-five years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her radio show, Calling All Pets, was heard in over 110 cities around the country, where Patricia dispensed advice about behavior problems and animal behavior research for over fourteen years.A highly-sought after speaker on dog behavior and training, McConnell has presented seminars all over the United States, and in Canada, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Belgium, Scotland and New Zealand.She is the author of the much-acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash (which is now published in 13 languages), For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend and Tales of Two Species. Her memoir, The Education of Will: A Mutual Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog was released in February of 2017. Click Here to order a copy.Dr. McConnell’s books and booklets on dog training and dog and cat behavior problems continually receive rave reviews from professional trainers, veterinarians and dog and cat lovers from all over the world. Dr. McConnell was also the behavior columnist for The Bark magazine, "the New Yorker of Dog Magazines," and writes for many other publications, including APDT's Chronicle of the Dog and Natural History. She has made numerous television appearances, including spots with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Martha Stewart and Wayne Brady.Patricia has two dogs, one confident cat and a very spoiled flock of sheep on a small farm in Southwestern Wisconsin. Her Border Collie, Maggie, along with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Tootsie, keep her outside and active, and the memories of her beloved Border Collie Willie keep her humble. Trisha suffers from Separation Anxiety each time she leaves her dogs on her numerous speaking engagements around the country.LINKSLink to Purchase 'The Other End Of The Leash' on Amazon.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-End-Leash-Patricia-McConnell/dp/034544678XLink to Patricia's websitehttps://www.patriciamcconnell.com/Link to Patricia's fantastic Blog.https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/Link to the Come, Sit, Stay Podcast Patricia mentioned.https://youtu.be/CPQmlEcY0HYLink to Drax's Galactic Adventure Facebook page (Nats rescued Irish Wolfhound)https://www.facebook.com/Draxthewolfhound/Link to Steve &a

Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist with a Ph.D. in psychology, has quite a list of accomplishments under her belt. She has co-authored the book Total Cat Mojowith Jackson Galaxy, and she currently co-owns a cat behavior consulting business called Feline Minds, which assists both pet owners and shelters. Mikel is also a post doc fellow at the University of California at Davis doing research on cat behavior in multi-cat households and on the health and development of orphaned neonatal kittens. Mikel was, in her own words, “obsessed with cats” even as a child, though she never had particular aspirations toward being a vet, and it never really occurred to her until much later in life that she could have a job working with cats. Soon after the death of a beloved pet cat, Mikel began volunteering at the San Francisco SPCA, an organization with a robust cat behavior program. Mikel was hooked and ended up working for the SFSPCA for eight years before leaving to pursue her education. Today, Mikel and her business partner work on many feline behavior cases, most of which, Mikel tells us, are due to an under-stimulating environment. She explains that keeping cats indoors restricts their experiences, and if you don’t replace those outdoor experiences with something else stimulating, it will lead to behavior problems. Mikel is also conducting some fascinating research on cats—all of it either on pet cats in their homes or on foster kittens in the pre-existing UC Davis neonatal kitten foster program. (In other words, there are no lab cats here!) Tune in to hear the details of Mikel’s research and how it may help future cats and kittens in homes and shelters. For more information,visit Mikel’s website, or you can follow her on Twitter @mikel_maria.

Dr. McConnell is an internationally known zoologist and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. In her career, she has worked with dogs with all kinds of serious behavior problems. She was also the host of the nationally syndicated Radio show "Calling All Pets", and she is a retired assistant professor of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an amazing speaker… in fact, she was one of the first real dog seminars that I ever went to…possibly THE first if my memory is correct. So she is partly responsible for getting me hooked on dog training in the first place. She is the author of many beautifully written and well-researched books, most of which I have in my house, and are among some of my favorite books that I read over and over…particularly "The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs", which again was sort of a gateway dog book for me. And her book "For the Love of a Dog: Understand Emotion in You and Your Best Friend", I have in both hardcover and audiobook format. Her new book, "The Education of Will", which I have read and will read again, is also beautifully written and insightful. It’s a little different in that it’s written as a memoir. She shares stories from her own life and her experience with trauma, fear, and anxiety…something I know a lot of us can relate to. But they are interwoven with stories about the dogs she’s worked with, particularly her own dog, Will, and their journeys with trauma and anxiety. And among those of course, she includes glimpses into what we know about the science of fear and what we can do about it. Fair warning, I did cry a little. So just a heads up. In the book, the theme of resilience comes up. And it’s a topic that really fascinates me. Why do some individuals bounce back after a bad experience and others don’t? What can we do to help our dogs recover quickly after something stressful happens? How can we set ourselves and our dogs up for success? And that is exactly what we talked about during our conversation. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/60

In the season finale of Dogs in Our World, Adam Winston ends his journey by learning from another one of his favorite people. Dr. Jim Ha is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and professor at University of Washington. His early research focused on wild animals, but now all of his work and teaching centers around the animals in our home, such as dogs and cats. In Part 1 of their conversation, Adam learns that we actually know a lot less about dogs than many other animals. Dr. Jim Ha also claims that this continued lack of canine science could eventually lead to a public health hazard. Check out Adam's new services page to see how he can help your dog or organization. Join the audience at dogsinourworld.com. *Music donated by Dave Elkins and Travis Adams Research Links at notecastr.com/dogsinourworld/309/

SUMMARY: Dr. Patricia McConnell is a Zoologist and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist who has made a lifelong commitment to improving the relationship between people and animals. She is known worldwide as an expert on canine and feline behavior and dog training, and for her engaging and knowledgeable dog training books, DVDs and seminars. Patricia has seen clients for serious behavioral problems since 1988, and taught "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships” for twenty-five years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her radio show, Calling All Pets, was heard in over 110 cities around the country, where Patricia dispensed advice about behavior problems and animal behavior research for over fourteen years. She is the author of the much-acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash, For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend and Tales of Two Species. Her latest book is a memoir that came out earlier this year, titled The Education of Will: A Mutual Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog. Links The Other End of the Leash (blog) The Other End of the Leash (book) For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend Tales of Two Species The Education of Will: A Mutual Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog Next Episode:  To be released 11/10/2017, featuring Sarah Stremming, talking about effective behavior change. TRANSCRIPTION: Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online school dedicated to providing high-quality instruction for competitive dog sports using only the most current and progressive training methods. Today we have a special guest -- I'm talking to Dr. Patricia McConnell. Although she probably needs no introduction, I will share a bit from her bio. Dr. Patricia McConnell is a Zoologist and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist who has made a lifelong commitment to improving the relationship between people and animals. She is known worldwide as an expert on canine and feline behavior and dog training, and for her engaging and knowledgeable dog training books, DVDs and seminars. Patricia has seen clients for serious behavioral problems since 1988, and taught "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships” for twenty-five years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her radio show, Calling All Pets, was heard in over 110 cities around the country, where Patricia dispensed advice about behavior problems and animal behavior research for over fourteen years. She is the author of several much-acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash, For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend and Tales of Two Species. Her latest book is a memoir that came out earlier this year, titled The Education of Will: A Mutual Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog. Welcome to the podcast, Patricia! Patricia McConnell: Thanks for having me, Melissa. What fun. Melissa Breau: I'm so excited to be talking to you today. To kind of start us out a little bit, can you just share a little bit about the dogs and the animals you currently share your life with? Patricia McConnell: Oh, absolutely. The most important animal is the two-legged one, my husband, my wonderful, accommodating husband who puts up with my obsession for dogs and sheep and cats and animals and gardening. So that's Jim. And so we have three dogs. We have Willie, a 10-year-old border collie who is one of the stars of The Education of Will, and we have Maggie, a 4-year-old border collie who's my competition sheepdog trial right now and the silliest, funniest, most adorablest dog that ever lived, of course, and Tootsie, who's the other most adorablest dog, she's a little Cavalier who was a puppy mill rescue. And we have two cats, Nellie and Polly, and we have 16 sheep. Melissa Breau: That's awesome. Patricia McConnell: Here we are. And we have Teresa the toad, who's living in the cat bowl often, and I could go on and on. We have a little farm, it's about 12 and a half acres, and so there are lots of critters on there, but the family ones I've already mentioned. I'll stop there. Melissa Breau: Excellent. Well, I know that you've shared kind of in some of the other interviews you've done that you've been in love with dogs and behavior for as long as you can remember. So I wanted to ask a little bit about kind of when you decided that was what you wanted to do with your life, and see if you could just share a little bit about those early days. Patricia McConnell: Oh yes, you know, it's almost like a feminist manifesto, because when I was … I was born in 1948, and when I was 5 — there's a story about me being asked what I wanted to do when I was 5, and I said, “I want to marry a rancher,” because in 1953 in Arizona, women made babies and casseroles. They didn't make, they didn't have careers, they didn't, you know, make shopping centers and business deals or even be veterinarians. And so gradually over time I had all kinds of different careers. I moved a lot with my first husband, and eventually I got to the point where I thought, You know what, I'm going to go back to school and I'm going to study animal behavior. And what I envisioned is that I would teach it. I would teach at some small private college, and I would teach animal behavior because I loved animals and I loved behavior. And I finally realized in my 30s, early 40s, you know, this is a way I could really enmesh myself in my passion and what I love. But then I went to an animal behavior society conference — it's a conference of academics, people who study behavior, mostly wild animals, mostly in the field — and I ran into John Wright, who was an academic, actually a psychologist who was an applied animal behaviorist, and so he took all of his training and behavior and used it to help people solve problems with family dogs. And I was like, Oh, really? I didn't know that was a possibility. So it ended up that my colleague, Dr. Nancy Raffetto, and I opened up Dog's Best Friend as a consulting service. Most people had no idea who we were, what we were doing. Nobody did it then. I mean, nobody did it then. People would call us up, Melissa, and say, “Do you guys groom poodles?” Melissa Breau: Oh goodness. Patricia McConnell: Yes. So this was in the late '80s, and this was a really new field. So it all progressed from there, but it certainly wasn't linear, and anybody who's in a path right now of, like, who do I want to be and what do I want to do, or maybe I'm going in a direction that I don't want to go, is don't lose heart. I mean, I didn't get into this until I was in my 40s. Melissa Breau: And you've quite clearly achieved quite a bit of success, so … Patricia McConnell: It's been very satisfying, you know. I feel so lucky. I feel very grateful and lucky and privileged and honored to be able to find the right niche, you know? Yeah. Melissa Breau: I think the rest of us have been pretty privileged that you've decided to do this too, so … Patricia McConnell: Well, thank you. Melissa Breau: So I wanted to ask, you mentioned that, you know, you've been in the field for quite a while, and I wanted to ask kind of how your philosophy is today and maybe a little bit of kind of how even it's changed over that time. Obviously the world is a very different place for dogs. Patricia McConnell: Oh, man, so true. I mean, I've written quite a few places about the first dog training class I went to when I was, I think, probably 19. The dog trainer was a Marine, and he hung a Basenji — as in, with a choke-chain collar — picked the dog off the ground, so all four feet were off the ground, and hung him there until he started running out of breath and was dying. Actually, it was not all that long, shockingly, not all that long ago somebody, a dog died from that and someone tried to sue, except they didn't … they weren't successful because they were told that that was standard in the industry. That was standard practice, so you can't blame the person for doing it. Yeah, so boy, have things changed. Boy, have things changed. My philosophy now is very much along the lines of “least intrusive minimally aversive,” you know, the LIMA protocol that I think is fantastic. I would say 99.95 percent of what I do with dogs is positive reinforcement, and I do use, I will use a correction. I mean, if Maggie starts to eat something I don't want her to eat, sometimes I'll say “Leave it,” or sometimes I'll go “Ah-ah,” you know, and that's positive punishment because I added something to decrease the frequency of a behavior, right. So, but, I think, you know, besides the really important focus that you see now on positive reinforcement, which I think is just so vital, I think interspersed with that, entwined with that, is a change in our relationship and the way we see our dogs. I mean, it was all about dominance before. It was all about control, and you're in charge, and sometimes it was just simply, like, well, you know, “You have to be in charge,” and other times it was suggested as a way, as something your dog needed, you know, the old “Your dog needs you to be the alpha of the pack.” But it was always about control. And now it seems to me, don't you think, it's more with many of us about relationship. They are our best friends, you know. They're great friends of ours, and that's what I want. You know, my dogs have to do what I ask them to do. Sometimes they have to. They have to lie down if they're chasing a rabbit towards the road or something. But I value them as members of my family and friends. I don't think of them as furry people. I think that's disrespectful to dogs. But they are an integral part of my life and my family and my love. Melissa Breau: That's definitely something that is kind of a core part of the kind of Fenzi philosophy, so I mean, I definitely think that we're seeing more and more of a shift to that, obviously. Not everybody's there yet, but hopefully they will be one day, right? Patricia McConnell: Absolutely, yeah, and I think the kind of work that, you know, Fenzi Dog Sports Academy is doing is vital to that, you know? We just, we all need to be out there as much as we can, just spreading the word, because it's, you know, it's not just more fun, because it works better. I just heard, I was just at APDT not too long ago and somebody was … it was Pat Miller was talking about Bob Bailey saying — who was a professional animal trainer, he trained for movies and commercials — and he said, “I use positive reinforcement because it works better,” he said. “I don't do it for welfare, I don't do it to be nice, I do it because it works better and it's more efficient. I would do, if I had used punishment if it worked better in order to do my job, that's what I'd do, you know, but,” he said, “it just, it works better.” But so it does work better, but it's also so much more fun, you know. It's so much more fun to not have to be a drill sergeant in your own living room. Melissa Breau: I did hear that you were awarded an award at APDT. Is that right? Patricia McConnell: I was so honored. They gave me the Lifetime Achievement Award, yeah. Melissa Breau: That's awesome. Patricia McConnell: Yeah, thank you. I was really honored, yeah. Thank you. Melissa Breau: Obviously, you're really well known for your work in dog behavior, but I know from your first book that early on in your career you did quite a bit of research on cues, especially across languages. And I know that cues are always kind of a big topic and of interest to people, so I wanted to ask you to kind of share your top takeaway or two from that work. Patricia McConnell: Oh, thanks for asking, because, you know, that's how I got into this. I mean, I was … I started as an undergraduate looking for a project, a research project. As an ethologist, somebody who studies animal behavior, I had no thought of working with domestic animals or being an applied animal behaviorist. I was working with a professor who worked with fish, and so what I did is … the question at the time that was really hot in the field at the time was, why do animals take the risk of making noise, you know, what are they doing, are they just sort of expressing an emotional state because they can't help it, are they, is there some function of what they do? People honestly were asking questions about why are animals making noise, because it's risky, right, it attracts attention. So I used working domestic animals, the relationship between handlers and working domestic animals, as a kind of a model for that system. So I recorded the acoustic signals from over 110 handlers who work with racehorses and all different kinds of dogs, different kinds of horses, and they spoke, I think I got 16 different languages, and what I found was I found patterns in how people speed animals up and and how they use sound to slow animals down. And so basically what I learned was short, rapidly repeated notes are used all over the world, no matter what language, what field, to speed animals up, and long, slow, extended ones are used to soothe them, and quick, abrupt ones with an instant onset are used to stop them. So, you know, so it's the difference between [makes sound] or [makes sound] right, those are all used to speed animals up. “Whoa, lie down,” soothe, slow versus “Whoa!” to stop a quarter horse, for example. And so yeah, so what I learned was it's not what you say, it's how you say it, and that's had a profound influence on how I work with animals and how I think of how we communicate. Melissa Breau: So how does that kind of continue to influence what you do today? Patricia McConnell: It does professionally and it does personally. So, you know, with clients I was always paying attention, and I think we all are. All good trainers, when we're working with dog owners, we're paying a lot of attention to how people use sound and how they say things, you know. So, I mean, this probably happened to everybody who's listening is you had a client who would say, “Jasper, come!” and Jasper would stop in his tracks, you know. And that was standard obedience, by the way, is to shout it out like that, and to stand really stiff and really still and look straight at your dog and, like, “Come!” you know. And dogs had to get over, like, OK, I guess I'm supposed to come forward, rather than their natural instinct, which is, I clearly should stop right now because they're telling me not to come here. So I pay a lot of attention to how clients would speak, and, you know, I have to work on it too. I mean, I work with working border collies and who are sometimes 500 yards away from you, so you really have to pay attention to tone, you know, and how you sound. I mean, I've learned … Maggie, for example. Maggie's super sensitive and she can get really worried, and so when I ask her to lie down, I say, “Lie down, lie down,” just really sing-songy, really easy, and she's so responsive that she'll do it right away. So both personally and professionally I just pay a lot of attention to that. Am I perfect personally? No, of course not. But the other thing I learned, Melissa, after I finished my dissertation, after I finished all that research on sound, when I started doing dog training classes is I discovered how, yeah, sound has a huge effect on how dogs behave, but they're primarily watching us, and how unaware most of us are of how our … the movement of our body affects dogs. So that's the other big takeaway that I've learned about cuing is that just whether you're leaning forward a half an inch can make a profound difference in whether your dog is comfortable coming towards you, or breaks its stay, or you turn your head away from a dog who's uncomfortable, or stare at it, make it uncomfortable. So, you know, all my training as an ethologist, and study communication and subtle, subtle, tiny, subtle little signals, I think stands everybody who loves dogs in good stead because it's so important to be aware that less is more. The tiniest little change in inflection, the tiniest little movement, can have a huge effect on your dog's behavior. Melissa Breau: And it goes back to, like, the example you mentioned kind of of somebody standing straight up and strict as they yell “Come.” It's not just the language. It's also the body language there that's just so counter, counter to purpose. Patricia McConnell: Yeah, exactly. Melissa Breau: I wanted to make sure we talked a little bit about the new book, because I know there are a lot of people who are very excited that you wrote it. So how does The Education of Will differ kind of from some of the other books that you've written? Patricia McConnell: Oh, well, thanks for asking about it, first of all. It's hugely different. It's … this is a totally different work than I've ever done before. It's a memoir, so it's very personal. It's a memoir about me and Willie. That's why the subtitle — on the hard cover, anyway —  is A Mutual Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog. I intertwine stories about getting Willie as a puppy who came as if he comes straight from Afghanistan with some canine version of PTSD. He was the most, he was fearful, he was sound reactive, he was pretty much a mess as a young dog. He really was. But he also, you know, he was … when he was good, he was like the best dog ever. He has a face on him that can just melt your bones, and he still does. I mean, there's something about Willie's face. That's why the publisher put his face on the cover of the book, which I still am not crazy about because I don't think it tells people what the book is really about. But his face, he's just got the most gorgeous face, and he's so loving and so friendly and so playful, you know. The best of Willie is, like, just the dog everybody wants, but he came with all this baggage, and his baggage, as it turned out, triggered all kinds of stuff that I thought I had resolved from my past. I had a lot of traumas in my past. I was raped, I was molested, I had somebody fall and die, literally out of the sky and, like, fall by surprise out of the sky and fall at my feet and die. Yeah, and you know when things like that happen, it really changes … structurally, physically, changes your brain. I mean, when individuals get traumatized with that kind of a trauma and they can't, they don't, have enough resilience to bounce back from it, it literally structurally, physically, changes your brain structure. Your amygdala gets more active, your hippocampus shrinks, I mean, all kinds of things happen. And so I had my own version of PTSD and I thought I'd resolved it, but when I got this super, super sound-reactive little puppy who, when a butterfly in China came out of its chrysalis, would leap up barking, and it set off, it triggered, all this old stuff and all these old symptoms with me. And so I basically figured out eventually that I couldn't heal Willie until I really healed myself. So he forced me to go farther down and face some of the things I thought I dealt with but I really hadn't finished. So I didn't start writing it to publish it. I actually started writing just segments of it, of some of the traumas that happened to me, as part of therapy, because it's very therapeutic to write out just about anything. I highly, strongly advise it to any of us. I write in my journal almost every morning and I find it so balancing. But so I started … I wasn't going to publish this, Melissa. I was just therapizing myself and trying to get better. And then, as a part of that process, I read a couple of books that literally changed my life. I mean, you know, that sounds, it's used so often and I know we can overuse it, but they really did. That really is how it felt. And I started thinking if I could write this book where I intertwined Willie's story and my story to show people that both people and dogs can, that the effects of trauma on both people and dogs, because dogs can be traumatized, and I think a lot of people don't acknowledge that. Horses too, any mammal, but to also that we are ultimately so resilient, and that if we have the right support around us, people can heal from just an amazing amount of things and so can dogs. So that's why I ended up finishing it, publishing it, and putting it out in the world. Melissa Breau: How are you and Willie both doing today? Patricia McConnell: Oh, we're good, we're good. He's 10. I can barely believe that he's 10 years old. He's really happy. I think he loves having Maggie there. Maggie is great with him. You know, he's so much better now. I mean, he recovered so much. He's still super reactive, but now it's like happy reactive, you know, it's not panic, scared reactive. But he's also … he's not the best dog around other dogs, and so when Maggie came she'd, like, try and play, and he'd get grumpy and, you know, do a little one of those little tiny little, you know, grumpy tooth displays, you know, like, [makes sound] and she literally would be, like, “Oh Willie, come on, let's play,” and you could just see he'd be, like, “OK.” So yeah, they play, he gets to work sheep, he gets, he and I still cuddle, and he gets a belly rub, he's really good, he's really happy, and it makes me really happy, yeah. Melissa Breau: Good. Patricia McConnell: Thanks for asking. Melissa Breau: Yeah. When you wrote the book, what do you hope people will take away from it? I know you mentioned that you wrote it kind of inspired by these other books that changed your life, but when somebody finishes reading the book, what do you hope they've kind of learned or that they walk away with? Patricia McConnell: Yeah, yeah, thanks for asking. I would say, one, that about that resilience, about the fact that it's amazing if you know how to handle it, you know. You have to have the tools, you have to have help, you have to have a village. That if you have help and you know how to handle it, it's astounding how resilient people can be. And I've since heard stories, and we've all heard stories, about people who have been through just unbelievable nightmares and yet they're doing good, you know, like, how do you live through that? So people are really resilient. I really want to emphasize and get out into the world, past sort of the Dog Fancy world, that dogs can be traumatized, you know. I'm sure I don't have to tell you or listeners is that so much of “aggression” and “disobedience” are is basically behavior that's motivated by fear, you know. And I see … I saw a lot of dogs who I think were traumatized, I mean, even just in the dog park they got attacked from behind by some dog and then they become dog aggressive. And so knowing that, you know, this is not about dominance, this is not in the, this is not a bad dog, you know, that we need to be really thoughtful. Veterinarians need to be really aware of how terrifying it can be to a dog to have certain medical procedures, and I think veterinary medicine is starting to come on board, which is really gratifying. Dr. Marty Becker has a book coming out — it's actually available through Dogwise, it's coming out in April commercially or everywhere else — it's called From Fearful to Fear Free, and a lot of what he's trying to do is to change vet clinics so that they're more conscious, you know, using a lot of the kind of methods that Sophia Yin did such a great job of spreading out into the world. So that's another one of the things that I want people to be aware of — that animals can be traumatized and they need understanding. They don't need dominance. They need understanding. But, you know, the last thing that I would love people to get is that we all have stories, you know. We all have stories, and we all have things that we're ashamed of or afraid of. And I'm a big supporter of Brene Brown and her work about facing those fears, about putting light onto some of that, rather than hiding it in the dark. And, you know, we need to be aware of the person we're sitting next to, or the person who was rude in line at the supermarket or something, you know. We don't know their story. And even when people are successful and productive, you know, you don't know. You don't know. So the more empathy and benevolence and kindness we can have to everybody and anybody, whether person or dog, the better the world will be. Melissa Breau: I think that's such, like, a powerful and important message to kind of get out there and think about and to be aware of, not just in your interactions with dogs but also with people. Patricia McConnell: Thank you. And don't you think — and this is an authentic question I'm asking you — maybe because of social media, I don't know what it is about the world, is it in the water, I don't know, but, you know, it's true in many fields, and sort of parts of social behavior of humans, but there is a certain amount, in the dog world, of snarkiness, of, you know, of snappiness, of a lack of real thoughtful, benevolent consideration of other people, and I think that's too bad. I do think it's partly because of social media, but I just want everybody who loves dogs and is promoting positive training with dogs, if we all — and we all need to be reminded of, believe me, I am no saint, I have to take a breath sometimes too — but we all need to remember that no matter what method somebody uses or how much we disagree with them, we need to be as positive with people as we are with dogs. Melissa Breau: I think especially in kind of the sports world, or the competitive world, you've got a dichotomy there between competition where people want to be better than the others around them and they also do have that relationship with their dog, so I definitely do think that there's a snarkiness, and we all have to be conscious of our own behavior and our own words and kind of fight against that a little bit. Patricia McConnell: Yeah, yeah, you know, I don't do, I don't go to agility, I never competed in it, but I don't go. I watch it sometimes, but I don't do it a lot, but I'm in sheepdog handling and, you know, we all know how competitive some people can be. And I love the people who are competitive in a really good way, you know? They want to get better, and they love to, and yeah, it's way more fun to win. I mean, it's way more fun to do well. No question about it. It's way more fun to do well. But overriding all of these has got to be the health and happiness of our dogs and our relationship with them. Melissa Breau: I could not agree with you more. Patricia McConnell: Oh good. Melissa Breau: So I know we're kind of getting towards the end of the call, but there are three questions that I ask everyone who comes on the podcast and I wanted to make sure we kind of got them in and I got your perspective … so to start out the first one is what is the dog-related accomplishment that you're proudest of? Patricia McConnell: Well, you know, I have to separate it out. Personally, I think I'm proudest of giving my dogs a good life. I feel all wussy when I say that. I could just get all soppy and Oprah-ish. But I, you know, I'm not perfect and, I mean, I can beat myself up over things I haven't done perfectly and I could have done better, but I think, in general, I think I've provided quite a few dogs a really, really good life, and understanding them as individuals rather than just dogs and making them fit into some kind of a slot that I wanted them to fit into, so I'm really proud of that. And I also, I guess professionally, I think I'm proudest of combining my respect for good writing and my passion and love for dogs and my interest in science, combining all those three things. I love to read, I love good writing, I don't think anybody needs to hear how much I'm just stupid in love for dogs, and I think science is really important, and I found a way, sometimes, you know, I get on the right track and I combine all those three things in a way that I feel is good enough, and when that happens I feel really good about that. Melissa Breau: I love that, especially the bit about just knowing that you've provided a good life to your dogs. That's such an awesome thing to be proud of. I really, I like that answer. Patricia McConnell: Thank you, thank you. Melissa Breau: So this one may be a hard question, but what is the best piece of training advice that you've ever heard? Patricia McConnell: Oh man, oh wow, oh wow, let's see. Do I have to pick one? OK, I'll be really fast. Melissa Breau: You can share more than one if you want. I'll let you get away with that. Patricia McConnell: Good. The thing that pops up in my mind the first time I hear that is actually … it's not a piece of advice. It's just a saying and it makes me want to cry. I sound like such a crier. It makes me want to cry. The saying is, “We train by regret.” It just hits home so hard to me because I think every one of us who cares deeply about dogs and is really honest, and insightful, and learned, and grows, you know, admits that there's things we've done that we wish we'd never done and, you know, some of them are just tiny little stupid things. It's like, “Oh, I can't believe I didn't think of that,” or, you know, so I think that's a really important saying. But I think that the most important part about it is to remind all of us to be kinder to ourselves. I think a lot of the people I work with who are progressive dog trainers who just adore their dogs and move heaven and earth for them, we're so hard on ourselves. Don't you think? I mean, we're just, you know, I work with clients who are just … they're just, oh, they're being so hard on themselves because they haven't been perfect. They made this one mistake and it's like, oh man, you know, we are all human here. So I think that strikes home with me a lot. And I guess the other just sort of solid, quick, concise piece of advice is basically “Say less, mean more.” I just made that up, but I've heard people say versions of that, you know, so basically another version is “Just shut up.” I think, I mean, you can hear I like to talk, right, so I can get badly with my dogs, and I think it's confusing and tiring to our dogs. And I think, you know, some of the people who, you know, those people who dogs just don't ever want to leave, you know, they meet them, and the second they meet them they sit down beside them and don't want to leave. There aren't many of them, and I was never one of those people. I sometimes am now, which makes me really happy, but those are often people who are really quiet. So I think being very mindful of the way we use words and sound around our dogs is really, really important because, I think, frankly, our dogs are often just simply exhausted trying to figure out what the heck we're trying to convey to them, you know? So I guess I'd just stick with those two things. Melissa Breau: Excellent. Well, thank you. Kind of the last one here is who is someone else in the dog world that you look up to? Patricia McConnell: If you had asked that first we would still be talking. That's cold to ask me last when we run out of time! OK, I'll talk really fast. Susan Friedman — I'd kiss the hem of her skirt or her pants. I bow down to her. I think she's brilliant, funny, amazing, wonderful. I love Fenzi Dog Sports. I think that incredible work's being done. Suzanne Hetts is doing great work. Her husband, Dan Estep. Julie Hecht at Dog Spies. Karen Pryor, oh my goodness. Trish King. Steve White. Chris Zink, the … everybody in, you know, dog sports knows. Those are the people who just, like, rattle off the top of my head right now, but I could go on and on and on. There are so many amazing people in this field right now. It's just so gratifying. Melissa Breau: That's awesome. Patricia McConnell: Those are just a few of them, yeah. Melissa Breau: We'll have to see if we can get a few of them to come on the show. Patricia McConnell: Oh absolutely, yeah. Melissa Breau: Well thank you so much for coming on the podcast Patricia! I really appreciate it. Patricia McConnell: Oh, it was really fun. Thanks for having me. Melissa Breau: Awesome. And thanks to all of our listeners for tuning in. We'll be back next week with Sarah Stremming. Sarah and I will be talking about life with your dog outside of training… and how what you do then impacts that training. Don't miss it! It if you haven't already, subscribe to our podcast in itunes or the podcast app of your choice to have our next episode automatically downloaded to your phone as soon as it becomes available. CREDITS: Today's show is brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Special thanks to Denise Fenzi for supporting this podcast. Music provided royalty-free by BenSound.com; the track featured here is called “Buddy.” Audio editing provided by Chris Lang.

Welcome to Bark & Wag 15 Minute Vet Talk – I am your host Polly ReQua Today we are talking to Robyn Santor, owner of Spirit Dog Training in Fairfax, VT as we discuss separation anxiety. Recently, my mom rescued a Golden Retriever who has severe separation anxiety. I wanted to bring Robyn on the podcast to discuss why pets gets separation anxiety and what we can do to help our pets. Welcome Robyn One of the most common complaints of pet parents is that their dogs are disruptive or destructive when left alone. Their dogs might urinate, defecate, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape. Although these problems often indicate that a dog needs to be taught polite house manners, they can also be symptoms of distress. When a dog’s problems are accompanied by other distress behaviors, such as drooling and showing anxiety when his pet parents prepare to leave the house, they aren’t evidence that the dog isn’t house trained or doesn’t know which toys are his to chew. Instead, they are indications that the dog has separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is triggered when dogs become upset because of separation from their guardians, the people they’re attached to. Escape attempts by dogs with separation anxiety are often extreme and can result in self-injury and household destruction, especially around exit points like windows and doors.   Some dogs suffering from separation anxiety become agitated when their guardians prepare to leave. Others seem anxious or depressed prior to their guardians’ departure or when their guardians aren’t present. Some try to prevent their guardians from leaving. Usually, right after a guardian leaves a dog with separation anxiety, the dog will begin barking and displaying other distress behaviors within a short time after being left alone—often within minutes. When the guardian returns home, the dog acts as though it’s been years since he’s seen his mom or dad!   When treating a dog with separation anxiety, the goal is to resolve the dog’s underlying anxiety by teaching him to enjoy, or at least tolerate, being left alone. This is accomplished by setting things up so that the dog experiences the situation that provokes his anxiety, namely being alone, without experiencing fear or anxiety.   Common Symptoms of Separation Anxiety   The following is a list of symptoms that may indicate separation anxiety:   Urinating and Defecating Some dogs urinate or defecate when left alone or separated from their guardians. If a dog urinates or defecates in the presence of his guardian, his house soiling probably isn’t caused by separation anxiety.   Barking and Howling A dog who has separation anxiety might bark or howl when left alone or when separated from his guardian. This kind of barking or howling is persistent and doesn’t seem to be triggered by anything except being left alone.   Chewing, Digging and Destruction Some dogs with separation anxiety chew on objects, door frames or window sills, dig at doors and doorways, or destroy household objects when left alone or separated from their guardians. These behaviors can result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped paws and damaged nails. If a dog’s chewing, digging and destruction are caused by separation anxiety, they don’t usually occur in his guardian’s presence.   Escaping A dog with separation anxiety might try to escape from an area where he’s confined when he’s left alone or separated from his guardian. The dog might attempt to dig and chew through doors or windows, which could result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped front paws and damaged nails. If the dog’s escape behavior is caused by separation anxiety, it doesn’t occur when his guardian is present.   Pacing Some dogs walk or trot along a specific path in a fixed pattern when left alone or separated from their guardians. Some pacing dogs move around in circular patterns, while others walk back and forth in straight lines. If a dog’s pacing behavior is caused by separation anxiety, it usually doesn’t occur when his guardian is present.   Coprophagia When left alone or separated from their guardians, some dogs defecate and then consume all or some of their excrement. If a dog eats excrement because of separation anxiety, he probably doesn’t perform that behavior in the presence of his guardian.   Why Do Some Dogs Develop Separation Anxiety?   There is no conclusive evidence showing exactly why dogs develop separation anxiety. However, because far more dogs who have been adopted from shelters have this behavior problem than those kept by a single family since puppyhood, it is believed that loss of an important person or group of people in a dog’s life can lead to separation anxiety. Other less dramatic changes can also trigger the disorder. The following is a list of situations that have been associated with development of separation anxiety.   Change of Guardian or Family Being abandoned, surrendered to a shelter or given to a new guardian or family can trigger the development of separation anxiety.   Change in Schedule An abrupt change in schedule in terms of when or how long a dog is left alone can trigger the development of separation anxiety. For example, if a dog’s guardian works from home and spends all day with his dog but then gets a new job that requires him to leave his dog alone for six or more hours at a time, the dog might develop separation anxiety because of that change.   Change in Residence Moving to a new residence can trigger the development of separation anxiety.   Change in Household Membership The sudden absence of a resident family member, either due to death or moving away, can trigger the development of separation anxiety.   Medical Problems to Rule Out First   Incontinence Caused by Medical Problems Some dogs’ house soiling is caused by incontinence, a medical condition in which a dog “leaks” or voids his bladder. Dogs with incontinence problems often seem unaware that they’ve soiled. Sometimes they void urine while asleep. A number of medical issues—including a urinary tract infection, a weak sphincter caused by old age, hormone-related problems after spay surgery, bladder stones, diabetes, kidney disease, Cushing’s disease, neurological problems and abnormalities of the genitalia—can cause urinary incontinence in dogs. Before attempting behavior modification for separation anxiety, please see your dog’s veterinarian to rule out medical issues.   Medications There are a number of medications that can cause frequent urination and house soiling. If your dog takes any medications, please contact his veterinarian to find out whether or not they might contribute to his house-soiling problems.   Other Behavior Problems to Rule Out   Sometimes it’s difficult to determine whether a dog has separation anxiety or not. Some common behavior problems can cause similar symptoms. Before concluding that your dog has separation anxiety, it’s important to rule out the following behavior problems:   Submissive or Excitement Urination Some dogs may urinate during greetings, play, physical contact or when being reprimanded or punished. Such dogs tend to display submissive postures during interactions, such as holding the tail low, flattening the ears back against the head, crouching or rolling over and exposing the belly.   Incomplete House Training A dog who occasionally urinates in the house might not be completely house trained. His house training might have been inconsistent or it might have involved punishment that made him afraid to eliminate while his owner is watching or nearby.   Urine Marking Some dogs urinate in the house because they’re scent marking. A dog scent marks by urinating small amounts on vertical surfaces. Most male dogs and some female dogs who scent mark raise a leg to urinate.   Juvenile Destruction Many young dogs engage in destructive chewing or digging while their guardians are home as well as when they’re away. Please see our articles, Destructive Chewing, for more information about these problems.   Boredom Dogs need mental stimulation, and some dogs can be disruptive when left alone because they’re bored and looking for something to do. These dogs usually don’t appear anxious.   Excessive Barking or Howling Some dogs bark or howl in response to various triggers in their environments, like unfamiliar sights and sounds. They usually vocalize when their guardians are home as well as when they’re away. For more information about this kind of problem, please see our articles, Barking and Howling.   What to Do If Your Dog Has Separation Anxiety   Treatment for Mild Separation Anxiety If your dog has a mild case of separation anxiety, counterconditioning might reduce or resolve the problem. Counterconditioning is a treatment process that changes an animal’s fearful, anxious or aggressive reaction to a pleasant, relaxed one instead. It’s done by associating the sight or presence of a feared or disliked person, animal, place, object or situation with something really good, something the dog loves. Over time, the dog learns that whatever he fears actually predicts good things for him. For dogs with separation anxiety, counterconditioning focuses on developing an association between being alone and good things, like delicious food. To develop this kind of association, every time you leave the house, you can offer your dog a puzzle toy stuffed with food that will take him at least 20 to 30 minutes to finish. For example, try giving your dog a KONG® stuffed with something really tasty, like low-fat cream cheese, spray cheese or low-fat peanut butter, frozen banana and cottage cheese, or canned dog food and kibble. A KONG can even be frozen so that getting all the food out takes even more of your dog’s time. Be sure to remove these special toys as soon as you return home so that your dog only has access to them and the high-value foods inside when he’s by himself. You can feed your dog all of his daily meals in special toys. For example, you can give your dog a KONG or two stuffed with his breakfast and some tasty treats every morning before going to work. Keep in mind, though, that this approach will only work for mild cases of separation anxiety because highly anxious dogs usually won’t eat when their guardians aren’t home.   Treatment for Moderate to Severe Separation Anxiety Moderate or severe cases of separation anxiety require a more complex desensitization and counterconditioning program. In these cases, it’s crucial to gradually accustom a dog to being alone by starting with many short separations that do not produce anxiety and then gradually increasing the duration of the separations over many weeks of daily sessions.   The following steps briefly describe a desensitization and counterconditioning program. Please keep in mind that this is a short, general explanation.   Desensitization and counterconditioning are complex and can be tricky to carry out. Fear must be avoided or the procedure will backfire and the dog will get more frightened. Because treatment must progress and change according to the pet’s reactions, and because these reactions can be difficult to read and interpret, desensitization and counterconditioning require the guidance of a trained and experienced professional. For help designing and carrying out a desensitization and counterconditioning plan, consult a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB). If you can’t find a behaviorist, you can seek help from a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT), but be sure that the trainer is qualified to help you. Determine whether she or he has education and experience in treating fear with desensitization and counterconditioning, since this kind of expertise isn’t required for CPDT certification. Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate one of these experts in your area.   Step One: Predeparture Cues As mentioned above, some dogs begin to feel anxious while their guardians get ready to leave. For example, a dog might start to pace, pant and whine when he notices his guardian applying makeup, putting on shoes and a coat, and then picking up a bag or car keys. (If your dog doesn’t show signs of anxiety when you’re preparing to leave him alone, you can just skip to step two below.) Guardians of dogs who become upset during predeparture rituals are unable to leave—even for just few seconds—without triggering their dogs’ extreme anxiety. Your dog may see telltale cues that you’re leaving (like your putting on your coat or picking up your keys) and get so anxious about being left alone that he can’t control himself and forgets that you’ll come back.   One treatment approach to this “predeparture anxiety” is to teach your dog that when you pick up your keys or put on your coat, it doesn’t always mean that you’re leaving. You can do this by exposing your dog to these cues in various orders several times a day—without leaving. For example, put on your boots and coat, and then just watch TV instead of leaving. Or pick up your keys, and then sit down at the kitchen table for awhile. This will reduce your dog’s anxiety because these cues won’t always lead to your departure, and so your dog won’t get so anxious when he sees them. Please be aware, though, that your dog has many years of learning the significance of your departure cues, so in order to learn that the cues no longer predict your long absences, your dog must experience the fake cues many, many times a day for many weeks. After your dog doesn’t become anxious when he sees you getting ready to leave, you can move on to the next step below.   Step Two: Graduated Departures/Absences If your dog is less anxious before you leave, you can probably skip the predeparture treatment above and start with very short departures. The main rule is to plan your absences to be shorter than the time it takes for your dog to become upset. To get started, train your dog to perform out-of-sight stays by an inside door in the home, such as the bathroom. You can teach your dog to sit or down and stay while you go to the other side of the bathroom door. (You can also contact a Certified Professional Dog Trainer for assistance. Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate a CPDT in your area.) Gradually increase the length of time you wait on the other side of the door, out of your dog’s sight. You can also work on getting your dog used to predeparture cues as you practice the stay. For example, ask your dog to stay. Then put on your coat, pick up your purse and go into the bathroom while your dog continues to stay.   Progress to doing out-of-sight stay exercises at a bedroom door, and then later at an exit door. If you always leave through the front door, do the exercises at the back door first. By the time you start working with your dog at exit doors, he shouldn’t behave anxiously because he has a history of playing the “stay game.” At this point, you can start to incorporate very short absences into your training. Start with absences that last only last one to two seconds, and then slowly increase the time you’re out of your dog’s sight. When you’ve trained up to separations of five to ten seconds long, build in counterconditioning by giving your dog a stuffed food toy just before you step out the door. The food-stuffed toy also works as a safety cue that tells the dog that this is a “safe” separation. During your sessions, be sure to wait a few minutes between absences. After each short separation, it’s important to make sure that your dog is completely relaxed before you leave again. If you leave again right away, while your dog is still excited about your return from the previous separation, he’ll already feel aroused when he experiences the next absence. This arousal might make him less able to tolerate the next separation, which could make the problem worse rather than better. Remember to behave in a very calm and quiet manner when going out and coming in. This will lower the contrast between times when you’re there and times when you’re gone. You must judge when your dog is able to tolerate an increase in the length of separation. Each dog reacts differently, so there are no standard timelines. Deciding when to increase the time that your dog is alone can be very difficult, and many pet parents make errors. They want treatment to progress quickly, so they expose their dogs to durations that are too long, which provokes anxiety and worsens the problem. To prevent this kind of mistake, watch for signs of stress in your dog. These signs might include dilated pupils, panting, yawning, salivating, trembling, pacing and exuberant greeting. If you detect stress, you should back up and shorten the length of your departures to a point where your dog can relax again. Then start again at that level and progress more slowly. You will need to spend a significant amount of time building up to 40-minute absences because most of your dog’s anxious responses will occur within the first 40 minutes that he’s alone. This means that over weeks of conditioning, you’ll increase the duration of your departures by only a few seconds each session, or every couple of sessions, depending on your dog’s tolerance at each level. Once your dog can tolerate 40 minutes of separation from you, you can increase absences by larger chunks of time (5-minute increments at first, then later 15-minute increments). Once your dog can be alone for 90 minutes without getting upset or anxious, he can probably handle four to eight hours. (Just to be safe, try leaving him alone for four hours at first, and then work up to eight full hours over a few days.) This treatment process can be accomplished within a few weeks if you can conduct several daily sessions on the weekends and twice-daily sessions during the work week, usually before leaving for work and in the evenings. A Necessary Component of Separation Anxiety Treatment During desensitization to any type of fear, it is essential to ensure that your dog never experiences the full-blown version of whatever provokes his anxiety or fear. He must experience only a low-intensity version that doesn’t frighten him. Otherwise, he won’t learn to feel calm and comfortable in situations that upset him. This means that during treatment for separation anxiety, your dog cannot be left alone except during your desensitization sessions. Fortunately there are plenty of alternative arrangements:   If possible, take your dog to work with you. Arrange for a family member, friend or dog sitter to come to your home and stay with your dog when you’re not there. (Most dogs suffering from separation anxiety are fine as long as someone is with them. That someone doesn’t necessarily need to be you.) Take your dog to a sitter’s house or to a doggy daycare. Many dogs suffering from separation anxiety are okay when left in a car. You can try leaving your dog in a car—but only if the weather is moderate. Be warned: dogs can suffer from heatstroke and die if left in cars in warm weather (70 degrees Fahrenheit and up)—even for just a few minutes. DO NOT leave your dog in a car unless you’re sure that the interior of your car won’t heat up. In addition to your graduated absences exercises, all greetings (hellos and goodbyes) should be conducted in a very calm manner. When saying goodbye, just give your dog a pat on the head, say goodbye and leave. Similarly, when arriving home, say hello to your dog and then don’t pay any more attention to him until he’s calm and relaxed. The amount of time it takes for your dog to relax once you’ve returned home will depend on his level of anxiety and individual temperament. To decrease your dog’s excitement level when you come home, it might help to distract him by asking him to perform some simple behaviors that he’s already learned, such as sit, down or shake.   To Crate or Not to Crate? Crate training can be helpful for some dogs if they learn that the crate is their safe place to go when left alone. However, for other dogs, the crate can cause added stress and anxiety. In order to determine whether or not you should try using a crate, monitor your dog’s behavior during crate training and when he’s left in the crate while you’re home. If he shows signs of distress (heavy panting, excessive salivation, frantic escape attempts, persistent howling or barking), crate confinement isn’t the best option for him. Instead of using a crate, you can try confining your dog to one room behind a baby gate.   Provide Plenty of “Jobs” for Your Dog to Do Providing lots of physical and mental stimulation is a vital part of treating many behavior problems, especially those involving anxiety. Exercising your dog’s mind and body can greatly enrich his life, decrease stress and provide appropriate outlets for normal dog behaviors. Additionally, a physically and mentally tired dog doesn’t have much excess energy to expend when he’s left alone. To keep your dog busy and happy, try the following suggestions:   Give your dog at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity (for example, running and swimming) every day. Try to exercise your dog right before you have to leave him by himself. This might help him relax and rest while you’re gone. Play fun, interactive games with your dog, such as fetch and tug-of-war.  Take your dog on daily walks and outings. Take different routes and visit new places as often as possible so that he can experience novel smells and sights. If your dog likes other dogs, let him play off-leash with his canine buddies. Frequently provide food puzzle toys. You can feed your dog his meals in these toys or stuff them with a little peanut butter, cheese or yogurt. Also give your dog a variety of attractive edible and inedible chew things. Puzzle toys and chew items encourage chewing and licking, which have been shown to have a calming effect on dogs. Be sure to provide them whenever you leave your dog alone. Make your dog “hunt” his meals by hiding small piles of his kibble around your house or yard when you leave. Most dogs love this game! Enroll in a reward-based training class to increase your dog’s mental activity and enhance the bond between you and your dog. Contact a Certified Professional Dog Trainer for group or private classes that can give you and your dog lots of great skills to learn and games to play together. After you and your dog have learned a few new skills, you can mentally tire your dog out by practicing them right before you leave your dog home alone. Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate a CPDT in your area. Get involved in dog sports, such as agility, freestyle (dancing with your dog) or flyball. Medications Might Help Always consult with your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist before giving your dog any type of medication for a behavior problem.   The use of medications can be very helpful, especially for severe cases of separation anxiety. Some dogs are so distraught by any separation from their pet parents that treatment can’t be implemented without the help of medication. Anti-anxiety medication can help a dog tolerate some level of isolation without experiencing anxiety. It can also make treatment progress more quickly.   On rare occasions, a dog with mild separation anxiety might benefit from drug therapy alone, without accompanying behavior modification. The dog becomes accustomed to being left alone with the help of the drug and retains this new conditioning after he’s gradually weaned off the medication. However, most dogs need a combination of medication and behavior modification.   If you’d like to explore this option, speak with your veterinarian, a veterinary behaviorist or a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist who can work closely with your vet. Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate one of these professionals in your area.   What NOT to Do Do not scold or punish your dog. Anxious behaviors are not the result of disobedience or spite. They are distress responses! Your dog displays anxious behaviors when left alone because he’s upset and trying to cope with a great deal of stress. If you punish him, he may become even more upset and the problem could get much worse.

Ellen Mahurin, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist will be joining Dog Talk's host Michelle Huntting to discuss what exactly to look for when hiring a skilled, qualified professional dog trainer.Ellen Mahurin earned her master's degree in animal behavior from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She began pet behavior consulting under the name Clever Critters in 2004 in Knoxville, TN. Her business moved to Yorktown, VA in 2010. Ellen keeps up-to-date on scientific research in pet behavior and training. Her training methods effectively treat problem behavior, reduce stress for pets and people alike, foster inter-species communication and support the human-animal bond.

Ellen Mahurin, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist will be joining Dog Talk's host Michelle Huntting to discuss what exactly to look for when hiring a skilled, qualified professional dog trainer.Ellen Mahurin earned her master's degree in animal behavior from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She began pet behavior consulting under the name Clever Critters in 2004 in Knoxville, TN. Her business moved to Yorktown, VA in 2010. Ellen keeps up-to-date on scientific research in pet behavior and training. Her training methods effectively treat problem behavior, reduce stress for pets and people alike, foster inter-species communication and support the human-animal bond.