by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Shelter
Summary: Shelters, especially larger ones, are made up of different departments that seldom interact with each other. Shelter behavior and veterinary medical teams may have competing priorities due to limitations on their time and resources. However, if shelter...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Working Animals
Summary: Training for detection dogs involves creating a chain of behaviors with a reward at the end. When backchaining behaviors, there is always a risk of inadvertently reinforcing unwanted behaviors, which can make for a less reliable detection dog. This article...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Dog
Summary: Framing debates about how we should relate to companion animals as “rights vs welfare” is misleading and potentially harmful. Far from being the sole territory of abolitionists, many working behavior consultants today are using concepts that come...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Dog
Summary: For most of human history, and indeed in much of the world today, dogs are not subjected to anywhere near as much restriction of movement as they are in the global North. This article argues that looking at how free-roaming dogs lie now, as well as how...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Horse
Summary: How Topaze the horse taught an equine instructor three rules for happy, productive engagements between horses and children: Safety first, take care in matching each child to the right pony, and make sure to keep both of them focused in a happy, positive way. ...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Dog
Summary: What’s the one thing we couldn’t do during lockdown? Socialize. What’s the single most important thing a new puppy needs to do? Socialize! COVID-19 brought some unique challenges for people bringing home new puppies, many of whom were...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Cat
Environmental enrichment, shortened here to enrichment, provides captive animals with stimuli needed to participate in species-typical behavior and increases the amount of time an animal spends in goal-directed behavior.1 It is often used in zoos to decrease...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Working Animals
Summary: Within weeks of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 first being detected, preliminary studies on detection rates by working dogs were available. This review article examines two of the most promising early studies and discusses their methodology, potential...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Shelter
When the idea of pairing shelter dogs and youth is discussed, dog training professionals generally have one of two reactions: That’s fantastic! – or – That’s risky! For decades, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) has brought amazing...
by Joshua | Feb 19, 2021 | Shelter
Summary: A deeply personal case history of a litter of puppies from a stressed, abandoned Catahoula. Signs of significant, unusual aggression were present from very soon after birth in all the puppies, despite their mother being social and affiliative. After several...
by Joshua | Nov 14, 2020 | Parrot
Although birds are a relatively common pet around the world, compared to dog and cat lovers I think it’s fair to say that “crazy bird people” are few and far between. Of course, what they lack in numbers they more than make up for in passion – something families and...
by Joshua | Nov 14, 2020 | Dog
Summary: There’s no clear evidence that dogs need a “cortisol vacation” of 24-72 hours. The existing scientific literature does point to high cortisol levels impacting learning and stress, but the way that stress is processed by a dog’s body is...
by Joshua | Nov 14, 2020 | Dog
Summary: Working with clients’ children as well as their dogs introduces an additional level of challenge. Involving children in a dog’s behavior intervention can be beneficial for both, but comes with risks. Understanding more about the developmental...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Cat
Summary: How can a shelter help its most frightened cats? The Fraidy Cat behavior program at Friends For Life was designed for severely undersocialized cats who cannot live outside safely. It is an intensive program that requires a high level of resources, but data...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Horse
Summary: 1200lbs of frightened horse is a lot to handle, so how can equine veterinarians minimize that fear in their patients? Restraint techniques that depend on pain are still common practice. Understanding how to use behavior modification to establish a less...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Zoos & Exotics
As a puppy trainer, zookeeper, and zoo animal trainer working in an industry where we do a lot of presentations, the question I get asked the most is how can one keep up good presentation skills and get the message across whilst presenting with animals, in front of an...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Shelter
Summary: Shelter personnel and consultants are always looking for new tools that to introduce dogs into a new home, help resolve inter-dog aggressive behavior within a household, or form shelter playgroups. This article describes how a single evidence-based protocol...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Shelter
Summary: Shelters are a part of the communities they serve, and should be aware of the needs and challenges people and animals in those communities face. Socially Conscious Sheltering (SCS) is a framework for helping shelters change the way they operate and make...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Working Animals
Summary: Geometry is important to successful dog training. When doing any kind of training that involves distance from a trigger or target, paying attention to the angle you’re asking the dog to approach from can help you reach your goals more quickly. This...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Dog
In April of this year, my sister died during the COVID-19 pandemic. The four of us sisters had a pact, and typically we coffee klatsched by conference call on weekend mornings from different parts of the country. We would belly laugh at the zaniest things –...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Shelter
How often do we use observation as a tool? We tend to monitor, assess, and weigh whether what we observe is what we would like to see. We question ourselves and judge the responses we observe to assess whether we are getting closer to our goal or nearing the outcome...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Dog
Our County of Monterey, California went into shelter in place on March 17, 2020, and we had no choice but to cancel all classes and refund clients any money for remaining classes. Our once-robust training and behavior program was at a crossroads. I have worked for my...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Business of Behavior
A FEW DEFINITIONS Entire books have been written about these legal terms, but for the purposes of this article, let’s agree on the following: Negligence: The failure to use the care that a reasonably careful person would use. Gross negligence: A voluntary act or...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Shelter
Summary: What better way to teach college students about canine learning and behavior than inviting sheltered dogs into the classroom? This article introduces a program at Saint Francis University that matches dogs from a local shelter with psychology undergraduates...
by Joshua | Nov 7, 2020 | Dog
Summary: Critical self-reflection is an important part of being an ethical and effective animal behavior consultant. Animal rights is one framework for thinking about the practice of animal training and behavior modification, and noticing how what we do expresses what...
by Joshua | Jul 27, 2020 | Cat
Winner of the 2020 Rebecca Park Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice Scholarship In times of social isolation, Laughter can be the shortest distance between two people. Under the current pandemic crisis, I am reminded that the best resilience is built...
by Joshua | Jul 27, 2020 | General
I am sure you did not become an animal behavior consultant to spend hours writing behavior plans and other reports. However, for most of us, it is part of what we do and, I think, a necessary part of our work. It helps us stay focused and track progress. What if I...
by Joshua | Jul 27, 2020 | Parrot
Chickens are the most widely found bird in the world, and there are only a few countries where they do not live. With an estimated six to eight chickens per person, they are also the most populous bird.1 Nevertheless, perhaps because chickens are typically perceived...
by Joshua | Jul 27, 2020 | Cat
I did more virtual cat behavior consultations in March, April, and May of 2020 than I had done in my previous four years of consulting. I feel that I’ve really improved regarding being efficient at getting and giving information! In this article, I will share some...
by Joshua | Jul 27, 2020 | Working Animals
I have no doubt you are aware that the gundog community is heavily dominated by white men, whereas the general dog sports community is mainly dominated by white women, at least when talking about those who actually compete. I am a mixed-race woman. My father is Black...
by Joshua | Jul 22, 2020 | Shelter
In the first installment of this article series on socially conscious sheltering (SCS) for the IAABC Foundation Journal, we explored the basics of this relatively recent concept. In this article, we will explore how to operationalize the core concepts that we...
by Joshua | Jul 22, 2020 | Parrot
Poultry purchasing during the pandemic has brought attention to the need for animal behaviour consultants to have a basic level of understanding of chicken behaviour. Many new chicken owners would benefit from reputable behavioural expertise and resources during this...
by Joshua | Jul 22, 2020 | Working Animals
My insights into the hunting dog’s world begin with my own experiences of Cypriot hunting dogs, and an engagement with data that exists in my home and workplace in Cyprus. It makes its presence known to me continually and is not to be ignored. Indeed, the...
by Joshua | Jul 22, 2020 | Dog
However well you navigate the endless rabbit hole of social media, you’ll no doubt notice that pet photography in all its forms has blossomed there. Pet selfies, pet portraits, funny moments, model pup poses, and all the loving candid moments in between — our pets...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | Dog
I am new to the dog training world. I, like many of us in this industry, have always had a passion for dogs and how they learn. As a certified dog trainer, however, I am new. This is not my first career, which definitely affects my perspective on this issue. My first...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | General
Are you thinking of opening your own business as a behavior consultant? Maybe you already have, or you are working as an independent contractor? Being your own boss has a lot of advantages, but there is heavy responsibility as well. As many have learned from the...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | Cat
Cats often suffer from the perception that they are the easier option, the “set it and forget it” pet that requires less attention and is less impacted by our absence. In reality, they are complex individuals who are capable of forming deep social attachments and are...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | Dog
It’s 10 p.m. on a Sunday night. I’m out on our block in Brooklyn with my dog, Eddie, for a final pee before bed. The fireworks started a few moments after we got to the sidewalk. They’re farther away than they were the night before but the booms are big and coming at...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | Dog, General, contents, contents
A typical debate about negative reinforcement is something like a train wreck — you don’t want to stare but you can’t look away. Some trainers argue negative reinforcement has a place in animal training; others say it does not. With some recent interest in the animal...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | Dog
In 1993, all dogs with a pit bull-like appearance were banned overnight in the Netherlands by a law called the “pitbullwet.” In 2009, the law was repealed, and since then the Dutch government has been faced with a dilemma: How to maintain the public’s feeling of...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | Horse
In the beginning Most equestrians have heard of clicker training, and many now practise it, but compared to traditional horsemanship it is still the new kid on the block. In the 1940s Keller and Marion Breland (and later with Bob Bailey) trained many different animals...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | Dog
Canine housemate aggression is a serious behavior problem in many dog households. Accurate reporting of the incidence of housemate aggression is challenging. Few owners report fights between housemates to the veterinarian. Presentation for bite wound care is often the...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2020 | General, Dog, Cat
Separation anxiety (SA) is the term commonly used to describe the collection of behaviors exhibited by a dog who is significantly distressed when left alone. It is one of the most well-studied behavioral disorders in dogs, and yet there is still no consensus of...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2020 | Cat
Veterinarians must do the impossible to preserve the physical and emotional health of their patients. Advising owners on how to transport their pets in a vehicle is essential, since it is common for dogs and cats to travel for clinical consultation by car, where if...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2020 | Dog
Case information: Name: Remy Age: Approximately 7 years old Breed: Texas heeler (Australian cattle dog/border collie/Australian shepherd mix) Sex: Female, spayed History Presenting complaint: Human-directed aggression while being toweled off. Acquired from and age at...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2020 | General
As trainers, one of the key skills we have to learn is reinforcement delivery. It looks like the easiest part of training but, in fact, it’s one of the parts that can cause the most frustration for teacher and learner! Errors in delivery can reinforce the wrong...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2020 | General
Readers were introduced to Boo, a male grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horriblis), in the Winter 2018 and Winter 2019 issues of the IAABC Foundation Journal. Born in 2002, Boo weighs around 550-600 pounds in the spring, and up to 750-850 pounds in the winter before...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2020 | Parrot
I applied to the Natural Encounters Inc. (NEI) professional animal training course in April. I spent the rest of the year eagerly anticipating the course. I figured January was a great time to head to Florida, especially since I’m from cold Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2020 | General
With great enthusiasm, I traveled to Mexico City to participate in CICA 2020. I arrived two days earlier to meet my IAABC Mexico colleagues and to finally get to know some members of our volunteer team in person. Along with Sandy Guevara, Paola Morali, and Hugo Bravo,...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2020 | Shelter
The concept of socially conscious sheltering (SCS) as an approach to sheltering was developed in Colorado by shelter leaders Apryl Steele, DVM, Jan McHugh-Smith, Lisa Pederson, and Judy Calhoun. Three of these shelter leaders co-authored an article, “Crisis in Animal...
by Joshua | Apr 21, 2020 | Shelter
This is a reflection on a distemper outbreak/quarantine from a behavior perspective, as opposed to an operations, medical, or management review. Our shelter Maricopa County Animal Care and Control is located in Phoenix, Arizona. We have two shelter locations known as...
by Joshua | Apr 21, 2020 | Parrot
Many of our clients have been told not to pet their parrots. Don’t touch your bird here, don’t touch your bird there…but of course they (and we!) still want to, and can’t always resist. This leaves the question: What can we do, and what should we tell our behavior...
by Joshua | Apr 21, 2020 | General
What is pain? Pain, simply defined, is an aversive sensory experience. In general, it can be broadly categorized as either nociceptive or neuropathic. Nociceptive pain is caused by a noxious stimulus, associated with actual, or in response to potential, tissue damage,...
by Joshua | Apr 21, 2020 | Dog
Early puppy socialization classes can have the most beneficial effect on the future success of a dog’s life. Good classes teach owners how to better understand their puppy, while introducing the puppy during their most critical learning period to all the things they...
by Joshua | Apr 21, 2020 | Working Animals
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official position on the topic of the organization he is working for. There is a huge variety in service dog tasks, and there are some core skills every service dog should...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2020 | Horse
I have been working with dogs and their humans for over 20 years. In the last two to three years I have been practicing the use of training with applied behaviour analysis using positive reinforcement with species other than dogs. Applying the science of learning to...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2020 | Dog
Having a desire for balance between life and work is something that most people can easily relate to. Being in academics can be challenging in and of itself. Add in work and your own dogs, and it can feel pretty daunting at times. This is my story as a PhD candidate,...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2020 | Cat
Have you done cat reintroductions for clients, where everything was going fine until they removed the gate? Perhaps a cat chased the other one once the gate was removed. Or a cat just turned and hid when there was no gate. Or one cat played in a manner that was too...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2020 | contents, contents
There’s a conundrum when it comes to the training and behavior management of animals in zoos: Training may be considered important for the management of animals but is often viewed as a luxury. It’s not uncommon to hear keepers make statements such as, “I’ll train if...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2020 | Shelter
As a professional working in animal behavior and training, I have always enjoyed the partnership of human and non-human animal, and what a better way to embrace that than to start teaching young people to respect and love animals. That was my inspiration to create a...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2020 | Small Animals
Although hedgehogs have been domesticated for a significant period of time (dating back to B.C. times), they remain for the most part the solitary, relatively unsocial creatures that they are in the wild.1 Despite their rise in popularity, especially in recent years,...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2020 | Dog
In a world where human beings claim to be the superior thinking creature, some of us are convinced that dogs, our lifetime partners, possess cognitive capabilities far more sophisticated than we ever imagined, abilities that we, for thousands of years underestimated....
by Joshua | Mar 13, 2020 | General
“It took a coronavirus outbreak to remind us that we touch our faces way too many times. And cutting down on that will help stop the spread of the virus, health officials say. In 2015, a Sydney university observed medical students on video and recorded how many times...
by Joshua | Feb 18, 2020 | Working Animals
Dogs are experts at human body language, but communication is a two-way street. Since you’re reading this article, you have probably gone to great lengths to understand their nonverbal communication, but how well you understand your own body language? Dogs learn to...
by Joshua | Feb 12, 2020 | Working Animals, Dog
Environmental enrichment (EE) is a technique designed to enhance the quality of life of captive and domestic animals, by providing environmental stimuli to promote psychological and physiological well-being (Kogan et al., 2012; Tarou and Bashaw, 2007). In dogs, EE can...
by Joshua | Feb 12, 2020 | Shelter, Cat
“I’m so happy to see my favorite cat!” the older gentleman said as Rainy and I entered his room at the senior retirement community. He held out his shaking hand to pet Rainy and said that he had been feeling down and in need of company. After he had stroked Rainy a...
by Joshua | Feb 11, 2020 | Cat
Cats scratch for many reasons such as nail care, exercise, tension relief, and communication that includes both physical and chemical messages (DePorter, 2019). Scratching behavior is so innate that even cats who have undergone partial digital amputation, also known...
by Joshua | Feb 11, 2020 | General, Dog, Cat
Everyone has different strengths in how they communicate with clients, and one way to approach a situation won’t work for everyone. In our “How to Talk About…” series, IAABC members talk about the strategies they use to approach tricky situations in their behavior...
by Joshua | Feb 10, 2020 | General, Horse
CHBCs Catherine Bell, Suzanne Rogers, and Debbie Busby recently published an equine welfare paper in the journal Animals. Titled “Improving the Recognition of Equine Affective States,” it represents a few years’ worth of work, completed independently of our...
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by Joshua | Feb 8, 2020 | Dog
Canine training and behavior problems don’t always come with a single, easy answer. These are frequently complex issues that can be impacted by a number of things. Genetics, health, diet, exercise, and the environment, for example, can positively and negatively...
by Joshua | Feb 8, 2020 | Shelter
Pigs are highly intelligent creatures. As a professional animal trainer, I will say pigs are more intelligent than dogs in many respects. They are also very emotionally sensitive; I’d compare them to an 18-month-old infant. They lack impulse control, don’t stay...
by Joshua | Feb 8, 2020 | Horse
Lyviera is a Selle Francais mare who was initially bought by a riding club’s owner to be his personal competition horse. While she excelled in show jumping and was very strong in cross country, she was difficult in dressage, specifically very stiff on one side and...
by Joshua | Jan 31, 2020 | Shelter, Cat
Murray was probably the scariest cat I had met in my five years of working one-on-one with shelter cats. The handsome 5-year-old neutered male Nebelung (a breed I’d never heard of before!) was surrendered by a married couple who was going to have a baby. Although they...
by Joshua | Jan 31, 2020 | Dog
My animal training and behavior clients are often surprised to hear that I’ll be working with them from my home in Puerto Rico. At first this might seem like a complicated proposition. However, the more I’ve worked remotely the easier, smoother, and more comfortable...
by Joshua | Jan 31, 2020 | contents, Shelter, contents
The animal sheltering world is an emotional one for all stakeholders: the animals who live with the stress of an imperfect and unpredictable environment; a shelter organization that is constantly addressing challenges with funding, staffing, and rehoming animals;...
by Joshua | Jan 31, 2020 | Shelter
Many of us working in the animal field do the work we do because we love animals. But we often don’t realize how much we really rely on interacting with people of all kinds, including children. I have a unique perspective when it comes to working with youth and dogs....
by Joshua | Jan 31, 2020 | Dog
“Give one and a half tablets twice daily for 2 weeks” I’ve lost count of the number of times I have said this to my clients across my consult room table and simply moved on to see my next patient, thinking no more of it. Well, the boot was recently on the other foot,...
by Joshua | Jan 31, 2020 | Dog
It was December of 1999. A few of us were sitting around complaining about how hard it was to get our students to let go of food – luring. Someone came up with the idea that we might introduce skateboard training, since it would be very hard to train that...
by Joshua | Jan 30, 2020 | Working Animals
Service dogs are working more and more with students. Those present in schools, colleges, camps, and other similar environments often struggle to understand the laws defining service dogs, what to expect from trained service dogs, and how to embrace them....
by Joshua | Jan 30, 2020 | Working Animals
I close my book, place it on the bedside table, and turn off the light, the signal for Sam, my yellow Lab, to jump up on the bed for one last goodnight snuggle. My room is dark: I no longer have to sleep with the light on and under the covers. I no longer see...
by Joshua | Jan 30, 2020 | Working Animals
Puppies are born blind and deaf, and stay this way until approximately 14 days of age, so their lives depend on finding the mother’s nipple through smell. This early stimulation of olfactory organs allows them to reach adulthood with the ability to smell the...
by Joshua | Nov 4, 2019 | Shelter
It is the responsibility of the Behavior and Training Department at our animal shelter, the Humane Society of Pinellas (HSP), to create, communicate, and implement behavior modification and training plans for the animals in our shelter’s care. Staff and volunteers are...
by Joshua | Nov 4, 2019 | Shelter
“Is this a no-kill shelter?” That’s one of the most common questions I was asked when I worked at the Denver Dumb Friends League, a huge shelter that provides services to over 20,000 homeless animals per year. The answer depends on how you define no-kill: Our live...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2019 | General
As animal behavior professionals, we should all be committed to keeping up with the scientific basis for our practices, and we want to know when new discoveries about how animals think, perceive, and learn are made so we can critically appraise them and decide how to...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2019 | Working Animals
Michele Pouliot is widely credited with introducing positive reinforcement-based training to the guide dog world and promoting the expansion of Clicker Training internationally within the guide dog field. Before she started working with guide dogs in 1974, Michele was...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2019 | Cat
Multi-cat homes where all the cats live indoors are growing more and more common in today’s feline world, as shelters, breeders, and behavior consultants recognize the benefits of bringing more than one cat home. In fact, most people who have cats have two or...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2019 | Dog
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease commonly seen in pet dogs. It has been found that 80% of dogs over the age of 8, and 20% of dogs over the age of 1 have osteoarthritis to some degree, with complications of arthritis being one of the leading causes of euthanasia in...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2019 | Cat
Recent research (Chalkowski et. al 2019) into whether outdoor access was a risk factor in the spread of 19 different pathogens, some of which transmit to humans and wildlife as well as to other cats, revealed that cats with outdoor access were 2.77 times more likely...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2019 | Parrot
A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending a weeklong workshop at Natural Encounters, Inc. in Florida. I signed up for it on the advice of and endorsement by several other trainers and was thrilled at the prospect of spending several days in Florida with...
by Joshua | Oct 30, 2019 | Dog
Dog trainers and behavior consultants tend to spend a lot of time helping our learners – the clients, not their dogs – develop new skills to help manage their canines. Yet early in my career I had observed that the majority of our professional development tends to be...
by Joshua | Oct 24, 2019 | Dog
Winner of the 2019 Rebecca Park Scholarship It is my slogan to help people understand animals mindfully and sympathise with their needs and feelings based on scientific knowledge. Our companion animals have their own needs and feelings. All animals are unique and...
by Joshua | Oct 22, 2019 | Shelter
Building a relationship with your local rescue can not only be a way of improving the welfare and rehomeability of many dogs but can also help with expanding your client base and business. Time is a hugely important and often stretched resource and therefore the idea...
by Joshua | Oct 22, 2019 | contents, Working Animals, contents
Anna and I were standing at the back of a queue of woolly bottoms. Anna is my German shepherd dog, and the woolly bottoms belong to my 200 Poll Dorset sheep. We all work together on a small farm in Dorset, U.K., where we study traditional herding techniques,...
by Joshua | Oct 22, 2019 | General
In this regular column, we ask animal behavior consultants how they approach some of the most common challenges in working with clients. This issue, we’re covering two subjects. Lisa Ackerman discusses her approach to working with a family where one or more members...
by Joshua | Oct 22, 2019 | General, Reptile
Environmental enrichment and focus on animal welfare are now common practice for many pets. Some companies have started producing toys specifically designed for foraging. It’s even becoming standard in zoological facilities to provide such opportunities for many of...
by Joshua | Oct 22, 2019 | Horse
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard (or seen on social media) someone say “I’ve had all the physical checks so it must be behavioural” when referring to a behavioural problem. What exactly are “all the physical checks”? A...
by Joshua | Oct 22, 2019 | Dog
The concept of mat work or place training is nothing new in dog training. However, it remains one of my favorite behaviors to teach because it is very useful for pet owners and extremely versatile in behavior modification work. This involves teaching a dog to go to a...
by Joshua | Aug 1, 2019 | contents, contents
The continuing legalization of cannabis has led to a growing number of CBD oil products available for sale in the pet market, where sales have quadrupled since 2017. Dog owners are increasingly using these products for their dogs, and may be seeking advice on their...
by Joshua | Jul 31, 2019 | Dog
Their name intrigued me. Funda Nenja translates to “Learning with a dog” in isiZulu. Their mission inspired me: “Our aim is to improve the quality of life for both township children and their dogs. The concept of ‘learning with a dog’ incorporates animal welfare and...
by Joshua | Jul 30, 2019 | Dog
City life is not easy for all dogs. For the outgoing canine “extrovert” it’s a walk in the park — new friends and adventures around every corner. For the more reserved or fearful dogs, however, it can be a nightmare. One of the unique challenges for dogs in...
by Joshua | Jul 30, 2019 | Dog
The human-dog interspecies relationship is unique: dogs and humans have evolved alongside one another, sharing the same environmental niche for thousands of years. Dogs have the ability to interpret our slightest gestures, read our facial expressions, and respond to...
by Joshua | Jul 25, 2019 | Working Animals
Navigating one’s daily tasks isn’t always easy — especially while living with a disability. Fortunately, there are service dogs that can be trained to do all sorts of tasks for their humans, and make significant improvements to their handlers’ lives. They might open...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2019 | Shelter
The San Joaquin kit fox is a small endangered species of fox that lives in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Its scat is small — these foxes are only about 5 pounds. The almond-sized scat pellets are usually the same color as the desert ground. Biologists...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2019 | Parrot
A parrot is an iconic part of a pet store; many people have strong memories of visiting pet stores as children and being amazed by a big red macaw, or delighted by flocks of colorful lovebirds. Even now, many companion birds are bought after a visit to a store that...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2019 | Exotics
I heard a soft, high-pitched whine with an ascending tone from our 5-year-old female African warthog. I looked at Sophia, to see her stopped, stiff and still. It was early evening, and she was out for a walk with me and another trainer as part of her enrichment...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2019 | Cat
As trainers and behavior consultants, we’re often tasked with telling clients things that they might not want to hear. We’re experts in knowing what needs to be said — in identifying behavior challenges and creating ways to address them — but sometimes we can all...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2019 | Horse
I have ridden horses for over 40 years, successfully competing at 3-star eventing and grand prix dressage. I have been an Australian representative rider and an EFA Level 3 coach. My many years of coaching, from amateurs through to elite-level riders, has taught me a...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2019 | Horse
Haven’t we all been there? The reminder card for the dog’s vaccinations drops on the mat, and we prudently place it under a magnet on the fridge door. Our intention is good; we will ring the vet and make that appointment just as soon as we have a moment. Three weeks...
by Joshua | Jul 1, 2019 | Cat, General
The world of animal behavior consulting is always changing—we’re seeing new clients in unique situations, working with individual animals, learning about innovative techniques and cutting-edge research, and trying to navigate business, marketing, and social media....
by Joshua | Jul 1, 2019 | Husbandry, Dog
Bilateral cataracts are a condition that many dogs face as they age. While most do not see a reduction in their quality of life, this was not the case for Jeter, a 9-year-old terrier mix. After observing that he had low contrast sensitivity causing him to walk into...
by Joshua | Apr 30, 2019 | contents, Horse, contents
Magnum—a paint Clydesdale/Stockhorse cross gelding—came to live with us at the end of 2004. We had recently moved to a large property, and my plan was to get two horses to go on quiet trail rides through the forest. I’d had a lifelong love of horses, but my...
by Joshua | Apr 30, 2019 | Business of Behavior
“You can’t train a lion with force, so why would you do it with a dog?” I see this claim weekly on the Facebook pages of my dog training friends. It’s usually accompanied by a lovely photo or video of a lion, tiger, orca, or elephant calmly engaging in...
by Joshua | Apr 30, 2019 | Shelter, Small Animals
Congratulations! You’ve just adopted one of the most popular pets on the planet. (Ellis, McCormick, Tinawro, 2017). To allow for focusing on the behavior aspects of life with a rabbit, let’s assume that you’ve set up a proper environment for your bunny, have the...
by Joshua | Apr 29, 2019 | Dog
Puppies are not tiny dogs. While they are subject to all the same rules of learning theory, they are neurologically wired differently than adult dogs, and also have different physical abilities (Fox, 1964; Gross et al., 2010; Mychasiuk et al., 2012). My use of the,...
by Joshua | Apr 28, 2019 | Dog
As a licensed veterinary technician by trade, training cooperative veterinary care is a practice that is near and dear to my heart. I have worked in environments where animals have been restrained against their will, and admittedly have even participated in this...
by Joshua | Apr 26, 2019 | Shelter, Cat
Her big green eyes sucked me in the moment I saw them. They had the potential to be so beautiful, but right now they were filled to the brim with fear. And they wouldn’t change much for a good 10 weeks. Craisin came to our Colorado limited-admission,...
by Joshua | Apr 25, 2019 | Dog, Business of Behavior
Running a group dog training class is an inherently different challenge than working individually with owners and their dogs. The behaviors you teach may of course be very different, but there are also the management questions. What sequence of behaviors will you...
by Joshua | Apr 24, 2019 | Business of Behavior, General
When Marian Kruse entered the University of Minnesota in 1938, her ambition was to major in Latin and minor in Greek. Marian later wrote of “harboring the strange notion of becoming a Latin teacher in Alaska.” Before matriculating and heading to Alaska, however, even...
by Joshua | Apr 22, 2019 | Reptile
The following is an overview of two methods I have used to train snakes to voluntarily shift from their normal enclosure/living space into a temporary holding area or transport container. These methods have worked successfully for carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) and...
by Joshua | Apr 22, 2019 | Parrot
I have an Aru Eclectus hen named Cah’ya (pronounced “cha-HI-uh”) who invented her own game. In this game, she stands on my arm and slowly leans far over to one side. I am then supposed to lean to the opposite side. She waits for me to do so. Then she slowly leans over...
by Joshua | Apr 22, 2019 | Working Animals
In the past four years as executive trainer for the Good Dog Foundation, I have been witness to moments that have left me gratified, awed, deeply moved, and absolutely certain of the substantive healing capacity of therapy dogs in animal-assisted interactions. I have...
by Joshua | Apr 22, 2019 | Dog
I would like to introduce myself so that you can better understand the basis of this article. I became a professional dog trainer by 1961, at the age of 15. Prior to that I had studied dog training as best as one could in those days. I learned by training my own and...
by Joshua | Apr 21, 2019 | Cat, General, Research
Twice a year, IAABC holds a contest for a Rebecca Park Scholarship, which grants the winner a free place on the IAABC Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice online course. The following essay was the winning entry for Spring’s scholarship, and was...
by Joshua | Feb 15, 2019 | contents, contents
Dominance is a concept we frequently encounter in discussions of companion animal behavior. Many pet owners believe that the most important thing they can do to ensure their animal behaves appropriately is to establish themselves as “dominant,” “the alpha mare,” or...
by Joshua | Feb 14, 2019 | Small Animals, Shelter
Part II: The Foster Home Foster parents are the backbone of any rescue operation. In addition, they are the best opportunity for animals to learn how to be part of a family. Fosters often fill a variety of roles, from simply being a holding space to nursing a sick...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2019 | Horse
How best to meet the behavioural and emotional needs of horses is the crux of a typical behavioural consultation. The job of the behaviour consultant is to tread the path of assessing and meeting the needs of the horse, whilst simultaneously managing the desires and...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2019 | Shelter
Euthanasia in shelters is a frequently discussed topic among staff, volunteers, and increasingly on social media by people with little experience of the realities of the situation being discussed. Looking at these often highly emotional discussions, it would seem that...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2019 | Shelter
Background Readers were introduced to Boo, a male grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), in the Winter 2018 issue of the IAABC Foundation Journal. Born in 2002, Boo weighs around 550-600 pounds in the spring, and up to 750-850 pounds in the winter before hibernation. We came...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2019 | Dog
We are teacher and trainers. We are also learners. Our animal clients have lessons for us, it seems, each time we meet. When is it time to observe? When is it time to step back, adjust our plan? When do we push forward? We are familiar with these lessons, we trainers...
by Joshua | Feb 12, 2019 | Shelter
How the Shelter Playgroup Alliance (SPA) Started Toward the end of 2017, I was putting the final touches on a canine enrichment program for the open-admission, high-volume shelter at which I am a behavior and training consultant. I started to develop an inter-dog...
by Joshua | Feb 12, 2019 | Dog
On January 1, a research article titled “Highly Heritable and Functionally Relevant Breed Differences in Dog Behavior” became publicly available as a preprint. The authors were Evan MacLean (University of Arizona), Noah Snyder-Mackler (University of Washington),...
by Joshua | Feb 12, 2019 | Working Animals, Dog
A central tenet of service dog training is fostering non-reactivity to various stimuli to ensure a resilient and reliable service dog for the client. Service dogs should remain relatively unfazed by dogs passing by, people talking to them, and other types of...
by Joshua | Feb 12, 2019 | Shelter, Cat
Case 1: Oomie I finally had a moment to get some work done on my laptop, so I pulled a chair up to the desk and started typing away. Oomie joined me. The sleek black cat jumped on my lap and settled in comfortably, purring. After a minute or two, Oomie stretched his...
by Joshua | Feb 8, 2019 | Dog
Recently one of my scent class students, I’ll call her June, got me thinking a lot about pressure. This article on the application of spatial pressure, whether intentional or inadvertent, and how it affects dog behavior in the context of scent detection tasks is the...
by Joshua | Feb 7, 2019 | Parrot
Living with an intelligent exotic animal like a parrot can be an absolute joy. It can also be quite challenging trying to meet the complex needs of these marvelous sentient beings. The most effective and humane, and least intrusive, way to interact with your bird is...
by Joshua | Feb 7, 2019 | Horse
As highlighted in the previous article Environmental Enrichment for the Horse: the Need to Forage, environmental enrichment can be defined as the additions and/or alterations made to a domesticated animal’s environment with the goal of improving welfare.1 There are...
by Joshua | Feb 7, 2019 | Dog
Searching Google Scholar for “littermate syndrome” + “canines” yields no relevant results. If the scientific community is silent on the issue of “littermate syndrome,” why do behavior consultants keep preaching about it? I started to think more critically about...
by Joshua | Feb 7, 2019 | Cat
If you ask clients why they do not allow their cat outdoor access, you will hear a few common things: The client is fearful that harm will come to the cat, the client lacks knowledge on how to safely provide outdoor access, or the client simply doesn’t feel the...
by Joshua | Feb 7, 2019 | Horse, Dog, Cat
Cooperative care involves training an animal to not only tolerate handling and husbandry procedures, but to be an active, willing participant in these experiences. In this column, we highlight some useful behaviors to teach clients to facilitate cooperative care, and...
by Joshua | Feb 4, 2019 | Working Animals, Dog
Moses leaps into action, darting across the field and vaulting onto a platform located 25 yards away. Happily holding there, he waits for the next cue, then runs to the next target. A total stranger is directing him while I stand out of the picture. I spent two...
by Joshua | Dec 7, 2018 | Working Animals, General
On September 11th, 2018, IAABC, APDT, and CCPDT announced an agreement called the Joint Standards of Practice. This document, adopted by all three organizations, lays out the principles we believe should govern competent, ethical animal trainers and behavior...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2018 | contents, contents
Twenty-odd years ago when I first started practicing veterinary medicine, if a client asked when they should spay or neuter their dog, my response was “6 or 7 months of age,” and then we would move on to the next question. Today, when a client asks when they should...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Horse
The performance of your horse is dependent upon both their physical capabilities and their temperament. Performance is optimised when the right match is found between the horse and rider. With 1.3 million regular riders in the U.K., understanding a horse’s temperament...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Dog
For the past decade, I have been training dogs in Chicago’s busy South Loop and the surrounding neighborhoods. Year after year, it seems like the city is growing—new construction, a larger population, and more dogs—all of which makes life increasingly tough for dogs...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Shelter
One of the world’s most popular pets, rabbits are known for their adorable ears, noses, and cotton tails, but little is commonly understood about their behavior. Indeed, a U.K. study revealed that 50% of rabbit owners misunderstood their rabbit’s basic needs,...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | General
I’ve been working with companion pigs for years, and I find them endlessly fascinating. Pigs are still increasing in popularity as household pets after the “mini pig” craze started up about 30 years ago, in part because they make captivating video stars that people...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Parrot
In a little city in Canada, owners are meeting once a month for a dog training class. Except there are no dogs in this class, only parrots! Birds in class learn foundation behaviours like “Step Up,” “Target” and “Station.” They’re introduced to marker training and...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Dog
Control over a dog’s diet and feeding routine is at the discretion and choice of the owner. There are many contributing factors and influences that will determine what, how, where, and when food is given to their pet. These include busy work schedules, other members...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Dog
There are certain truths we all hold as self-evident. One is that basic training is essential for all dogs. A dog whose behavior is “civilized” is able to be a fully participating member of the family. Further, if a dog develops a behavior problem, the foundation of...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Dog
The Missing Animal Response Network is an international network of lost-pet recovery specialists (volunteers and professionals) who are interested in learning as much as we can about the behavioral patterns of lost pets. The foundation for our missing animal response...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Horse
The most commonly used definition of environmental enrichment is by Shepherdson (1998): “an animal husbandry principle that seeks to enhance the quality of captive animal care by identifying and providing the environmental stimuli necessary for optimal psychological...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Cat
When one thinks of “enrichment” for cats, typically food-based activities such as treat balls come to mind, along with cat toys. A few cats are unmotivated by the treat ball, and a lot of adult cats couldn’t be bothered to give chase to that tired old mouse toy. Most...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Dog, Cat
Background Si is an approximately 6-year-old domestic short haired tabby cat. He was found as a stray when he was about a year old. At the time, our home consisted of two dogs and two other cats. Si instantly snuggled with the cats but would only observe the dogs from...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | General, Reptile
I began training dogs as a teenager almost 40 years ago, and my interest in other species has been expanding as I continue to learn and grow as a professional. I have also worked with cats, goats, pigs, horses, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, chickens, ferrets, and...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Shelter, Cat
How do senior cats end up in shelters? For over a decade, I have volunteered in the cat areas at Dallas Animal Services (DAS), a municipal shelter which has the fifth highest intake volume of animals in the United States. I routinely see senior cats on their rescue...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | General
Cooperative care involves training an animal to not only tolerate handling and husbandry procedures, but to be an active, willing participant in these experiences. Cooperative care is quite common in zoos, where large or potentially dangerous animals cannot otherwise...
by Joshua | Oct 25, 2018 | Parrot
In my childhood household, you weren’t an actual human until you could play the card game Rummy. Our family comprised two parents and four kids, and my poor youngest brother only became fully and properly recognized when he was finally able to hold some cards, count,...
by Joshua | Jul 31, 2018 | Dog
The relationship between companion dogs and their humans can be a deep and mutually supportive one. Our dogs give us so much: joy with their company, laughter at their antics, comfort by their presence. Yet sometimes we do not have the specialized knowledge and skills...
by Joshua | Jul 31, 2018 | contents, contents, Editorial
Although the title of this editorial is a wink at Tim Steele’s recent blog for the Academy for Dog Trainers, I applaud his discussion of the Humane Hierarchy. I admire anyone who believes there is an opportunity for improvement and takes meaningful action. Similarly,...
by Joshua | Jul 29, 2018 | Archives
“I was actually planning to be a veterinarian.” And so were declared the earliest professional aspirations of Alexandra (Sasha) Protopopova, PhD, a scientist whose work is finding a varied and eager audience in the animal welfare world these days. With a doctorate in...
by Joshua | Jul 22, 2018 | Horse
Horsemanship is the skill of managing and working with horses that is developed through experience and knowledge (Goodwin et al., 2009). Natural Horsemanship (NH) trainers are those who work closely with horses and use understanding of equine natural behaviour and...
by Joshua | Jul 22, 2018 | Cat
Periodically, bloodwork may be required as part of your cat’s annual exam and in times of illness. Blood draws require the cat to be exposed to various novel stimuli that may result in anxiety. Getting kitty accustomed to the technique, sights, sounds, and...
by Joshua | Jul 22, 2018 | Dog
As behavior consultants, we often focus on classical conditioning and the four quadrants of operant learning, but there’s so much more to consider. We don’t necessarily think about what’s happening internally—especially beyond an animal’s immediate...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2018 | Working Animals
Working dogs give their hearts and souls to meeting their disabled handlers’ needs. The relationship between dogs and their handlers is deeply personal, interdependent, and intimate. This article addresses reducing mental stress for service dogs and improving the...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2018 | Cat
Over the past twelve years, I’ve trained five cats in agility (three of whom are still part of our family), and from them I’ve gained insights into cat behavior. Some insights were not unfamiliar to me due to attending dog training classes. For example, each animal...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2018 | General, Cat
One of the most common questions IAABC gets is about how to get started working with pets and their people. The truth is, there’s no set career path, and no single qualification that prepares you for this uniquely challenging, endlessly fascinating work. In this...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2018 | Parrot
When we discuss nutrition, we usually focus on its impact on physical health. However, brain health is just as important. Science has proven that an animal’s diet must include all essential nutrients or both physical and brain health may suffer. If a balanced,...
by Joshua | Jul 21, 2018 | Horse
The isolation of equines has been proven to negatively affect their welfare (Mal et al., 1991 and Hartmann et al., 2011), with horses stabled with no contact showing significantly more stress than those in group living situations (Yarnell et al., 2015). Even with...
by Joshua | Jul 16, 2018 | Dog
Enlisting compliance and follow-up contact from veterinary behavior clients for behavior modification, with or without medical treatment, has often been tricky. Researchers (Lindsay, Posage, and Engel, 2002; Posage et. al, 2002) found that good compliance was likely...
by Joshua | Jul 4, 2018 | Shelter
Shelter dogs can vacation too! Participants in our animal shelter’s Weekend Getaway program are provided with a much-needed break from the kennel, fresh scenery, and new friends to meet — both furry and non-furry. Weekend Getaways have increased foster volunteer...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Shelter
Working in animal sheltering, we are all faced with combating the levels of stress experienced by the animals in our care. Animals are subjected to a wide array of psychological stressors, including loss of control of their environment, unpredictability of daily...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Conference
Here are a few of my thoughts on what I learned and what I intend to implement from the business track on Friday and the cat track on Saturday at the 2018 IAABC Conference in Boston. Since learning theory applies to all species, I greatly enjoyed information from the...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Shelter
I work for the Society for the Improvement of Conditions of Stray Animals or SICSA, a private nonprofit shelter and adoption center located in Kettering, Ohio. Our animal population is composed of dogs and cats from owner surrenders and transfers. We transfer dogs in...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Parrot
In my last column, I talked about how I trained the crows that visited my garden to come to me on cue, using food to reward them for visiting. Now that I had “my” crows reliably visiting the garden and could attract them whenever I wanted, it seemed like a good time...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Parrot
If you have ever shared your home with a feathered friend, you more than likely understand why I added two exclamation points at the end of that word. For us as humans, screaming is one of the most annoying, painful, and downright unacceptable natural behaviors of...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Parrot
Working with wild, captive, or domestic animals of any kind, the more skills you can develop in the varying areas of their care the more comprehensive your knowledge will be when it comes to assessing individuals and overcoming challenges in your field. For example,...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Cat
Whenever I tell people that I cat-sit in a house that has been decked out with features specifically for the four cats who live there, they shudder. The idea of cat furniture instantly summons the image of a home where it snows cat hair and smells like kitty...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Dog
Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans; it is a “progressive age-related neurodegenerative condition that affects cognitive function”. The disease, both in dogs and in humans, affects many parts of the way an individual thinks,...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Dog, General
Dr. Tammie King works at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition in the U.K., the fundamental science centre for Mars Petcare that is engaged in a variety of behavior-related projects, in addition to conducting research on pet health and nutrition. Tammie has published...
by Joshua | Jul 2, 2018 | Conference
Last April, as part of the team of the new IAABC Español Division, we traveled from Chile to our first annual conference of the IAABC. We are Uli Grodeke, trainer and behavior consultant, Wen Bautista, dog lover, and Carmen Arroyo, veterinarian and dog trainer....
by Joshua | Apr 29, 2018 | contents, contents
Research into the ethological needs and cognitive abilities of companion animals like dogs has increased exponentially in recent years, leading to a greater understanding of what they need to have good welfare and how we can meet those needs. There is still a great...
by Joshua | Apr 28, 2018 | General, Other Topics
Pigs are highly intelligent, easy to train, and so much fun! More people than ever are buying miniature pigs. and more cities are allowing them to live in homes as pets. Just as we deal with the apartment-dweller who purchases a Belgian Malinois puppy after seeing the...
by Joshua | Apr 24, 2018 | Dog
I founded the “Dog Training 101 Community Forum” on Facebook late in 2010. At the time, I was exhausted from working in rescue—having volunteered doing adoptions, transport, and even starting a low-cost spay and neuter clinic. With 10 “Godpuppies”, I knew I couldn’t...
by Joshua | Apr 20, 2018 | Shelter
So many people working at nonprofits are caught in the cycle of focusing on the urgent task in front of them and just trying to get through the day. They know a well-trained and motivated team of volunteers could really help them accomplish more without breaking the...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Shelter, Cat
In July 2017, the Pet Retention Program at Contra Costa Animal Services (CCAS) got a request for the return of a young tabby cat adopted from the shelter a few months prior. When Stefani Buzzard, the pet retention coordinator at the time, responded with a request for...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Parrot
For generations, the American crow (Corvus brachyrhyncos) is a bird with well-established intelligence, especially in problem-solving skills, but it is viewed by many as an agricultural pest causing the destruction of crops, noise pollution—especially at roost...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Other Topics, General
When you meet a client and their animal for the first time, your evaluation can be made more comprehensive by recognition of outward and behavioral signs of disease. Physical problems affect both the animal and the interaction between the animal and their family, so a...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | From the Archives
Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine is a multimillion-dollar industry that encompasses everything from reiki to nutritional supplements, and offers treatments for a full range of medical and behavioral complaints. From the five-dollar “calming treats” we...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Dog
Just like their human caretakers, pet dogs are reaping the benefits of medical advancements and are living longer than ever before (Katina et al., 2016; McGreevy & Bennett, 2010). While a longer lifespan is viewed as a positive by most owners, a dog’s golden years...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Horse
Recently I came across a list of continuing professional development courses I made back in 2011. It wasn’t a bad list—equine nutrition, physiology, improved knowledge of various equestrian disciplines, and so on. However, it was all about horses—nothing on improving...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Dog
As a behavior consultant, there will likely come a time when it becomes obvious to you that a client is no longer the right fit to be working with you. This may be because of scheduling conflicts, cooperation of the owner, an irreconcilable difference in goals, or...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Business of Behavior
When did you decide to pursue behavior as a profession? There were really two times this came up for me. In the early days of my training career (in the 1970 and ’80s, so really prehistoric!), I worked with a lot of mentors and was fascinated by the way they worked...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2018 | Working Animals
In recent years, canine search and rescue (SAR) has become popular. In the not-too-distant past, most people did not know what it was. For example, when people saw members of my unit with the K9 SAR logo on their uniforms, they would comment that it was nice that we...
by Joshua | Apr 17, 2018 | Parrot
As a certified parrot behavior consultant and certified professional bird trainer setting up a practice, one of my first impressions was that people seem to be more reluctant to spend money on a bird than on a dog. Experience a serious issue with a dog and most people...
by Joshua | Apr 17, 2018 | Cat
When a client contacts you for help with their cat’s challenging behavior, you have an opportunity to give them tools that they may not even realize they need. In the course of identifying the problems their cat is having and coming up with a solution, a behavior...
by Joshua | Apr 14, 2018 | Shelter, Cat
It’s springtime, which means kitten season is upon us. Shelters around the country will soon be inundated with box after box of kittens that need to be bottle fed or “tamed.” These kittens will come from under a person’s porch, a live trap set for skunks, and inside...
by Joshua | Feb 15, 2018 | contents, contents
1. Stanford University School of Medicine; 2. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard For a purebred dog and, on occasion, even a first-generation hybrid, breed-inference services often just confirm what the dog owner already knows. Sometimes a pedigree is available,...
by Joshua | Feb 14, 2018 | Working Animals
Animal-assisted interventions can have specific therapeutic goals of improving physical or cognitive functioning, or they can provide general “opportunities for motivational, educational, recreational, and/or therapeutic benefits to enhance quality of life” (Morrison,...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Dog
Separation anxiety (SA) and separation-related behavior (SRB) are significant welfare concerns for companion dogs (Cannas et al., 2014; Lund & Jorgensen, 1999). SA has been shown to be associated with negative affective states (Scaglia et al., 2013), raise...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | General
Boo is a male grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), born in 2002. He weighs 550 to 600 pounds in the spring, and up to 750 to 850 pounds in the winter before hibernation. We came to take care of Boo after he and his brother Cari were orphaned at approximately 5 months of age,...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Horse
Introduction Stallions can be used in different disciplines and they may stand at stud either as retirement or alongside their “career” (Burger et al., 2012). Traditionally they are managed with little regard to their natural behaviour (McDonnell, 2016b); they may be...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Shelter
Often times in sprawling country areas, such as the one I’m writing from now, the overall majority of dogs (and cats) brought into shelters and rescues are what I typically describe as “rural.” Not exactly social and not exactly feral, the...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Dog
“All done!” I cried. Amid applause and cheering, the retired police sergeant hopped up from his position prostrate on the folding table. We had accomplished our crowd-sourced training goal—using a clicker, I had shaped him to lie face down on this rickety table for...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Cat
Go-to-box training is a very useful tool. It enables you to not only relocate a cat, but more importantly to refocus him. It is an excellent tool for teaching impulse control. I find that target training is the best first step to teaching this. Below is a case study...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Dog
As any animal behavior consultant can attest, one of the greatest challenges we face is dissuading owners from anthropomorphizing their pet’s behavior. In many respects, anthropomorphism is the proverbial gorilla in the room: It’s taboo, highly controversial, and most...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Shelter
Helping professionals of all kinds are exposed to a variety of stressors related to both their workplace systems and the ongoing exposure to direct and indirect trauma. This complex combination of stressors requires helping professionals to explore the steps they can...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | General
So, this is huge. When the APDT Chile announced its intention to become part of the IAABC and to host a congress on aggressive dog handling techniques with Trish McMillan Loehr and Michael Shikashio in Santiago de Chile, I pricked my ears: the IAABC’s presence here in...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Cat, Business of Behavior, General
Animal behavior consultants come from all walks of life. One of the most common questions IAABC gets is about how to get started working with pets and their people. The truth is, there’s no set career path, and no single qualification that prepares you for this...
by Joshua | Feb 13, 2018 | Working Animals
I had occasion today to think about how we working livestock guardian dog (LGD) owners view dominance in our dogs. Before we get into any further conversations about training, I think we should take a closer look at what dominance is and, perhaps more importantly,...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Horse
Earlier this summer I purchased a new horse. Before bringing him to our farm, I gave a lot of thought to how I would introduce him to the five equines already living on our farm. I allow my horses as much social contact as possible given that horses are social...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Shelter
Animal shelters and rescues often struggle with resources. The ability to adapt to change is just as important as community and staff support. In April of 2007, the Jacksonville Humane Society suffered a great loss after a massive fire, which you can learn more about...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Working Animals
Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion. Arthur Koestler Although many items appear on my list of enjoyable activities, reading mysteries remains a lifelong favorite. This ongoing exploration of the who, what, where, when, how, and why of hundreds of plots...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Cat
Having cats work for their food, just as they would if they were living outdoors is, in my opinion, one of the most overlooked forms of environmental enrichment for indoor cats. The amount of time adult cats spend hunting varies based on sex, age, activity level, and...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Interviews, Business of Behavior
Animal behavior consultants come from all walks of life. One of the most common questions IAABC gets is about how to get started working with pets and their people. The truth is, there’s no set career path, and no single qualification that prepares you for this...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Parrot
On the Internet, you may come across all manner of fun, interesting, and sometimes zany things that parrots can do. It can be funny to watch, or just interesting to learn. Kudos for continuing to research and discovering new ways to improve your birds’ lives! We...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Cat
This column highlights some of the great training you and your cat can do together. We’ll start with how to train a foundational behavior, and build up to showing off some of the fun and useful tricks that build on that groundwork. This issue we’re looking at...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Dog
“If you love dogs and haven’t yet heard about the canine ‘cognitive revolution,’ you’ve been living in a bubble.” This is how I began my article, “The Cognitive Revolution and Everyday Dog Training: The Case of ‘Look at That’,” which explores how recent research on...
by Joshua | Oct 31, 2017 | Reptile, Interviews
We talk to Danielle Beck, ABTC registered clinical animal behaviourist, and the United Kingdom’s only reptile behavior consultant working with pet lizards, about the unique challenges of working with these fascinating and often misunderstood animals. How did you get...
by Joshua | Oct 30, 2017 | Business of Behavior
Facebook ads have become very popular in the animal training industry. Many animal professionals are on Facebook quite frequently, so it is natural to jump into Facebook ads without hesitation. However, without a clear plan outlined, it can quickly drain your...
by Joshua | Oct 29, 2017 | contents, Dog, Cover, Case Study, contents, Applied Behavior Consulting
Background My intake form is pretty basic. I use it primarily for triage. Is the dog being an unruly adolescent in an adult-only home, or do we have a just-turned-adult snapping at toddlers? This intake rose to the top, not because there was imminent danger, but...
by Joshua | Jul 31, 2017 | contents, contents, Cat
History Medical history On March 1, 2017, I picked up Sal, a long-haired orange tabby from the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL). Sal was brought to the ARL with injuries consistent with being hit by a car. Sal’s right front leg was broken and his left back hip had...
by Joshua | Jul 25, 2017 | Shelter
Playgroups are undoubtedly a beneficial practice in shelters and rescue groups, and over the past few years they have increased in popularity. As with most tools, though, playgroups can be implemented with varying degrees of skill, or misapplied altogether. While my...
by Joshua | Jul 25, 2017 | Sciences
This issue, we talked to Lauren Robinson, recent PhD graduate from the University of Edinburgh. Lauren’s work focuses on how we measure personality and welfare, and how these two areas interact. She has worked with many different species, from puppies to penguins, but...
by Joshua | Jul 23, 2017 | Other Topics
Concerns about litigation can potentially limit dialogue about issues such as fear aggression. For example, if my dog is uneasy near strangers, I may be counseled not to talk openly about the dog’s bite risk or put a “Do Not Pet” sign on the...
by Joshua | Jul 23, 2017 | News
Events and conferences IAABC Conference 2018 Our next conference is going to be bigger and better than ever, with a full three days of presentations, discussions and social events for all our Divisions. Join us on the 20th to the 22nd of April in Burlington,...
by Joshua | Jul 23, 2017 | Small Animals
We humans are always looking for evidence that our animal friends really do love us. That’s probably why videos like this one, which was described as a ferret mom insistently “showing” her human her new babies by leading him by the hand, are so consistently popular....
by Joshua | Jul 23, 2017 | Business of Behavior
As professionals in the field of applied animal behavior, we are well-placed to understand the antecedents that cause an animal to act in a certain way. In cases where an animal has been implicated in causing injury, nuisance, or destruction of property that has...
by Joshua | Jul 20, 2017 | Parrot
Before I was a Certified Parrot Behavior Consultant, I started promoting companion bird education while volunteering at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) at Nevins Farm in Methuen, Mass.. When I began volunteering back in 2010,...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Cat
This new column will highlight some of the great training you and your cat can do together. We’ll start with how to train a foundational behavior, and build up to showing off some of the fun and useful tricks that build on that groundwork. Our first installment will...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Working Animals
The unique dog-human relationship has led to the dog’s integral place within our society. As well as being our companions, dogs’ adaptation to our lifestyle has resulted in their exceptional ability to work in a wide variety of roles, such as military dogs, police...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Parrot
This is a continuation of the counter-conditioning diary I started last issue. I am working with my Eclectus parrot, Kokoda, who I would like to teach to happily accept wearing a harness. In the last issue, we had made a start on the process of gradually introducing...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Dog, Case Study
The way a behavior consultant approaches a case is dependent on their education and background. As an applied behavior analyst, I approach my work as a behavior consultant with a bias toward that science. I want to understand the antecedent-behavior-consequence...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Shelter
Appropriate housing is essential for animal wellbeing in shelters. Without clean, comfortable, spacious housing, no amount of enrichment will be sufficient to maintain low stress levels. An animal may receive enriching interaction with staff, trainers, or volunteers...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Sciences
This is the fourth installment of our Stats Trek series, where we talk about all things data! In the current series, we systematically dissect a paper from the scientific literature and discuss some of the things that we should consider when reading primary literature...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Horse
“But restraint is the only one sort of control, and absence of restraint isn’t freedom. It’s not control that’s lacking when one feels ‘free’, but the objectionable control of force.” B.F. Skinner, Walden Two Traditional training and...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Business of Behavior
In previous Journal articles I have shared what I’ve learned about writing for an internet audience and things to consider when choosing how to publish to get the most out of the medium. There a few more things to touch on before wrapping up this series. Promoting...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Horse
Over the last couple of years, we have increasingly seen the behavioural side to hoof care featured in videos that have gone viral on social media. One recent example showed “the duct tape method” of getting a fractious horse to stand still for the farrier. Numerous...
by Joshua | Jul 19, 2017 | Parrot
Introduction: A rocky start in 2010 Shortly before I became a student of applied behavior analysis, a new parrot came to live with Steve and me. Ozzie, an adult female green Quaker parrot (hatch date April 11, 2004) was relinquished to the Quaker Parakeet Society...
by Joshua | Jul 18, 2017 | Dog
Animal Control Officers (ACOs), first responders in dangerous dog situations, have a difficult role in maintaining safety in the community. The Colorado statute1defines a “dangerous dog” as one that has Inflicted bodily or serious bodily injury upon or has...
by Joshua | Apr 30, 2017 | contents, Dog, contents
If you love dogs and haven’t yet heard about the canine “cognitive revolution,” you’ve been living in a bubble. Sara Shettleworth broadly defines cognition as “an array of mechanisms by which animals acquire, process, store, and act on input (information) from the...
by Joshua | Apr 30, 2017 | Parrot
Kokoda is a 16-month-old female Eclectus Parrot. She was purchased from an Eclectus Specialist breeder in New South Wales and sent to me in Western Australia at around 14 weeks of age, after she was fully weaned and fledged. Kokoda is very cheeky, a total clown who...
by Joshua | Apr 29, 2017 | Other Topics
A veterinary behaviorist friend of mine once asked me, “Why do people pay me for my advice and then either ignore it or tell me I’m wrong?” I don’t think she really expected an answer. She was just expressing her frustration with clients who resisted...
by Joshua | Apr 29, 2017 | Other Topics, News
Stand by for #IAABC2018! More than 200 people attended our 2017 conference in Los Angeles last month, and we were overwhelmed by the energy and friendship that developed between people from so many different backgrounds. The first-ever session of Building your...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2017 | Working Animals
The broad field of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) has grown in popularity and publicity in the past decade. One hears more and more reports in the media about the value of animals involved in visitation programs to hospitals and schools, reading-to-animal...
by Joshua | Apr 27, 2017 | Dog
The idea that, through certain socialization protocols, we can train a dog as a youngster to inhibit its bite as an adult is the foundation for many aspects of living with dogs: When we choose to take puppies from their mother, how we socialize them the first 16...
by Joshua | Apr 26, 2017 | Shelter
Since 1990 I have been volunteering in or working with a variety of shelters and rescue groups, until 2013 when I accepted a full-time position at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. While there, one of my fellow behavior consultants, Allie Bender, and I...
by Joshua | Apr 25, 2017 | Business of Behavior
Part Two of The Business of Animal Behavior in the 21st Century Marketplace Series In our first article in this series, we tackled some of our collective industry assumptions about financial obstacles. We talked about the important reasons why we need to start to...
by Joshua | Apr 25, 2017 | Shelter
The winter months are cold and damp in Kansas. During this time, a lot of our dogs do not get out for enough exercise. At the Lawrence Humane Society, we do not have indoor space for exercising our dogs. We are situated on 4 acres, and most of our property is divided...
by Joshua | Apr 25, 2017 | Sciences
Every behavior consultant knows not to rely on a client’s description of a pet’s behavior—you have to see that behavior yourself. Trained eyes see differently. This is just as true for analyzing research studies. It is important to understand the underlying principles...
by Joshua | Apr 25, 2017 | Sciences
This video pops up every so often on social media as new groups find it and, um, chime in: /wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dogs-With-A-Perfect-Pitch.mp4 The claim is, this is a demonstration that dogs have “perfect pitch.” If that were true, the dogs would have to be...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Shelter
As I walked through the intake room of a large county animal shelter in Dayton, Ohio, evaluating dogs to enroll in the Behavior Modification and Enrichment Program (BMP), I stopped in front of a kennel and looked down at a young pit bull–type puppy, with a turned-up...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Cat
Although cats are stereotypically thought to be aloof and unsocial, domestic cats display great flexibility in their social behavior. Cats have the ability to live solitarily, to live in extremely gregarious colonies, and to live socially in homes with humans and...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Dog
As we all know, clients almost always want to know why their dogs are having problems. Many hasten to blame themselves (often citing certain TV shows and their failure to be good pack leaders). Many have focused on a single event from which they are sure the problem...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Shelter
Over the past 15 to 20 years, behavior evaluations have become the standard of care in shelters for identifying dangerous and potentially aggressive dogs that may not do well in a home as a pet. Today 28 percent of shelters use a formal evaluation and about 60 percent...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Horse
One of the benefits of training with positive reinforcement is eagerness in training. Getting an experienced animal to come to you or stay with you is not usually a problem. Yet the pendulum swings both ways. We must train our animals what they should do instead of...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Parrot
One of the benefits of training with positive reinforcement is eagerness in training. Getting an experienced animal to come to you or stay with you is not usually a problem. Yet the pendulum swings both ways. We must train our animals what they should do instead of...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Horse
Understanding body language is one of the core skills anyone living with animals needs in order to make the best decisions about their care. If you can see that what you’re doing is making your animal uncomfortable, that’s important information to help make...
by Joshua | Apr 18, 2017 | Parrot
This issue, we caught up with Joanna Berger, who recently graduated with Distinction from the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Medicine. As part of her Master’s project, Joanna traveled to Virginia to work with a parrot sanctuary called...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Cat, Sciences
In the 1940s E. R. Guthrie and G. P. Horton designed an experiment to test feline problem-solving ability using a test box and cats that met the scientific standard. In the experiment, they placed individual cats inside a test box, outside of which they placed a food...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Sciences, Interviews, Small Animals, Rabbits, Shelter
According to the House Rabbit Society, rabbits are the third most commonly surrendered pets in the United States. Rabbits have also been steadily gaining in popularity as indoor pets in many parts of the world, with an estimated one million pet rabbits in the United...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Cat
I have never understood the difficulty that some people have training cats. I find them intelligent, interested and engaged when I work with them, so I assume it should be the same for other trainers. However, I frequently hear that people are having trouble and...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Dog, Sciences
Lives of Streeties is an ongoing study that I am conducting on the street dogs of Bangalore, India. Streeties is a term of endearment that Bangaloreans use to refer to the dogs that roam free on the streets of the city. I spent most of 2015 flying back and forth from...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Dog
I sat on the grassy hillside near a field, running the leash through my hands, trying to catch my breath in the fresh air. Feeling alone, frustrated, and lost, I had attempted unsuccessfully to run away from the hurt until my legs gave out and my heart pounded in my...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Business of Behavior
For eight years, I worked remotely from a home office for organizations that were in different time zones. Perhaps that is why virtual consultations came so naturally to me. However, if you are not used to spending 30 to 40 hours a week online, the concept may be...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Sciences
This is the third installment of our Stats Trek series, where we talk about all things data! In the current series, we systematically dissect a paper from the scientific literature and discuss some of the things that we should consider when reading primary literature...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Shelter, Small Animals, Ferrets
When I first started volunteering with a ferret shelter, I had owned ferrets for over 13 years, but I still knew very little about them. I understood my own ferrets, but the species and its behaviours were something of a mystery. What I didn’t know at the time was...
by Joshua | Feb 3, 2017 | Husbandry, Horse
In this video, Certified Horse Behavior Consultant Lindsy Murray promotes the concept of group living for equines. This is Lindsy’s herd of horses that have lived together for over 20 years. The majority of the horses and ponies were taken on as rescues in need of...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Sciences
One of the precious few things the Internet could agree on in 2016 was that capybara are awesome. The giant South American rodents supplanted 2015’s darling, the three-toed sloth, as Esoteric Animal of the Year, as videos of them chilling with ducks, eating various...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Working Animals
My name is Lucy Llewellyn, and my dog and I are “Paws4Play.” I am a qualified social worker, qualified play therapist, and Certified Animal Assisted Play Therapist. I work mostly with children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma. I help these children work...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Other Topics
A number of IAABC members attended the recent Human Behaviour Change for Animal Welfare conference, held in early October in Dorking, U.K. The conference was the brainchild of—and almost single-handedly organised by—Certified Horse Behavior Consultant Suzanne Rogers....
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Applied Behavior Consulting, Dog
Human-dog interactions have many of the same components of human-human interactions: They amount to a relationship based on trust with mutual physical, psychological, and social benefits. The history-taking part of a consultation isn’t just about finding out what the...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Parrot
Parrots (Psittacines) are the most popular companion birds. However, most species are not domesticated, and they retain the behavioural traits seen in the species in the wild. Many conditions in which they are kept as pets are counter to the conditions to which they...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Dog
Over the many years of dog ownership, I have developed an extensive system of tracking behaviours in an effort to monitor progress (or the lack thereof) in the various interventions I try with my dogs. My background as a social worker encouraged this, as I’ve used...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Other Topics, Ethics
Conflicting interests in dog playgroups Dear Ethics Committee, At a recent dog trainer conference, I saw a video of canine socialization within a shelter context that I found troubling. A number of dogs were potentially traumatized for the sake of helping one problem...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Cat, Interviews
Patience Fisher discusses Dr. Ellis’ research and new book with her, uncovering additional details and insights on how to train a cat. Sarah Ellis’ life of research, consulting, and educating people about cats has been focused on undoing the decades-long acceptance of...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Husbandry, Dog
Oh, how I dread the sight of an obese dog. I feel bad for the dog and have the usual quick scroll of all the medical complications run through my head, but I also wince in anticipation of the upcoming discussion with the client about their dog’s weight. The range of...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Business of Behavior
You love your job. You wake up every day with a passion for working with animals and their people, for making the world a slightly better place one case at a time. You shed light on challenging situations between humans and their critter companions and place valuable...
by Joshua | Feb 2, 2017 | Business of Behavior
So you have taken the time to sit down and carefully write out your thoughts on dogs, training, behaviour, management, or some combination thereof. Now what? Publishing your writing on the Internet seems like a simple problem to solve. There are just so many options....
by Joshua | Feb 1, 2017 | Shelter, Dog, contents, contents
I have worked in the animal industry for over 18 years. I currently work at the Arizona Humane Society, where my original title was canine welfare specialist. My role is to provide mental and physical stimulation to the dogs in our care. We get a lot of medically...
by Joshua | Feb 1, 2017 | Horse
My 18-year-old thoroughbred is a warrior in most respects. He barely flicks an ear at a motorcycle speeding past as we cross the road; he nods politely and winks at a large coyote standing at the trail’s edge (in truth, the wink may just be a tic in his bum right...
by Joshua | Jan 31, 2017 | Dog, Cat, Case Study
Case information Cat’s name: Smudge Breed: Siamese/ Domestic Shorthair mix Sex: Neutered male Age: 7 years Other animals in home: 13-year-old spayed female Pomeranian dog named Bee History Smudge was found by his owner in a box full of kittens of mixed ages, which had...
by Joshua | Oct 4, 2016 | Parrot
According to the 2015-2016 American Pet Products Association survey, 6.1 million American households own an estimated 14.3 million birds, making birds the fourth most common pet following dogs, cats, and fish. Despite the popularity of birds as pets, there have been...
by Joshua | Oct 3, 2016 | Parrots, Shelter, Rabbits, Small Animals
Animal shelter staff members often find themselves caring for (and rehoming) many animals besides cats and dogs. Though many of us have come to realize the importance of enrichment for the small and exotic animals in our care, it is often left on the back burner...
by Joshua | Oct 2, 2016 | October 2016, Shelter, Dog
Chiquita was living with two other under-socialized dogs in the previous home. Their owner was starting cancer treatment, and could no longer care for all three dogs. We ended up getting Chiquita and Ramon both surrendered to us. All dogs were fearful when we met...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Shelter, Dog, Case Study, October 2016
Case Information Dog’s name: Raisin Sex: Spayed female Age: 1 year Breed: Terrier mix Other people involved: Cindy Lowrey, Megan Hewes, Sylvia Brink, Collin Stevens, and various volunteers. Location Animal shelters in Jacksonville, Florida. To help the community and...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | contents, contents, Other Topics
The concept of compassion fatigue (CF) has received increased attention in the animal care and welfare professions in recent years. This is a positive trend. Today, thanks to courses such as IAABC’s Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice, which contains...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Dog, Case Study, Applied Behavior Consulting
Case information Client’s name: Linda Dog’s name: Joe Breed: Dutch Shepherd Age: 3 years Additional animals in household: Two dogs The first part of this case study, covering Joe’s initial presentation, background, and history was presented in the June 2016 issue of...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Applied Behavior Consulting, Dog
A dog barking and charging at the front door is by no means a new or unexplained phenomenon. Many of them do it with encouragement from their owners as “protectors,” and some breeds were specifically bred to be guard dogs. However, as a behavior consultant living in a...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Cat, Sciences
Over 10 years after the release of the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (CBARQ), cat owners finally have a feline version of this behavioral assessment tool available online. The Feline Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (FeBARQ)...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Horse
The New Forest pony is a native breed of the British Isles. Many of them are domestic horses that are ridden and worked, but free to roam and graze across a large area of “common” land, which has a varied terrain with a diverse range of plants and trees. Horses have...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Shelter, Sciences, Interviews
“I was actually planning to be a veterinarian.” And so were declared the earliest professional aspirations of Alexandra (Sasha) Protopopova, PhD, a scientist whose work is finding a varied and eager audience in the animal welfare world these days. With a doctorate in...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Interviews, Sciences, Other Topics
Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine is a multimillion-dollar industry that encompasses everything from reiki to nutritional supplements, and offers treatments for a full range of medical and behavioral complaints. From the five-dollar “calming treats” we...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Cat, Sciences, October 2016
If you were to ask me to spend the day searching a remote, wilderness area like the Cascade Mountains for a missing person, but you gave me no details about why they were out there, I would have a very difficult time knowing just what tools to use and where I should...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Business of Behavior
The Internet has offered us a wonderful means of communicating with each other. Whether you want to write for pet dog owners or other dog trainers, or even produce more scholarly articles to explore the frontiers of science as it relates to dogs and behaviour, the...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Husbandry, Horse, October 2016, Dog
It has been a very busy and exciting time since the inaugural journal issue. Video submissions have been pouring into my email from talented trainers and veterinary professionals from around the world. Inspiring stories enhance each video, documenting the journey of...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Sciences, Other Topics
There are approximately 3 billion bases—represented by the letters G, C, T, or A—in a dog genome. A majority of these are the same across all dogs—these are the bits of DNA that make your dog a dog. But what makes your dog an individual? What makes your dog different...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Case Study, Shelter, Dog
Each year, millions of pets are surrendered to humane societies, county pounds, and private rescue groups. While a survey of the research shows broad variation nationally, it is fairly well accepted that somewhere between three and four million dogs per year are...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Dog
As far as I can tell, training a dog to sit originated in regulations formed for competition obedience around the 1920s. Before then, dogs were primarily used for sporting and herding, or were shown in conformation trials, and a sit was not often trained. Unlike our...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Small Animals, Rabbits, Other Topics
The domestic rabbit is a popular choice among keepers of small and exotic companion animals. Their appeal to the pet-owning public includes the potential to be spayed or neutered and litterbox trained, and that they stay a relatively small size yet possess big...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Working Animals, Dog
This is the second part of Barbara Handelman’s series on the ethical issues around service dogs, which started in Issue 1 A persistent myth exists that service dogs have been granted rights to access places where pets are not allowed. No government agency grants such...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Other Topics, News
IAABC works to promote evidence-based best practice in behavior consulting for all species of companion animals, in homes or shelters. We provide certification and education for consultants all over the world, with the goal of helping clients prevent, manage and...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Interviews, Other Topics
It’s simpler to ask Tara Gifford what type of animal she hasn’t trained—from dogs and horses to sharks and tigers, Tara has worked with them all. Currently, she owns a behavior consulting business, Ohio Animal Training LLC, which focuses on zoo animals and horses. She...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Sciences, Other Topics
A Facebook group shared this video claiming the deer “intuitively” knew to keep still so that the man could rescue it. /wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Pawsimony-Deer.mp4 Given that the vast majority of interactions between deer and humans involve hunting, somehow it...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Dog
It was a second training session with an adorable Labradoodle puppy and his family. He lay patiently at their side while we began talking through solving the issues that come with bringing a young, energetic companion into their home, one with sharp teeth and an...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Husbandry, Dog, Cat
You have—or your client has—a dog who is completely non-reactive to the household cats; in fact, she may even appear to love them. She might engage in mutual grooming and cuddling, and not mind the occasional cat-slap when she tries to sniff a butt. Does this mean...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Case Study, Dog
Dog’s Name: Benji Breed: Collie mix Sex: Neutered male Age: 3 years Other animals in the home: None Background A three-year-old neutered collie mix dog had recently aggressed to a level three bite onto two other dogs while in a home boarding facility. The family also...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Working Animals
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou One of the very first things I learned when I started visiting hospitals with a therapy dog was that...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Horse
Understanding body language is one of the core skills anyone living with animals needs in order to make the best decisions about their care. If you can see that what you’re doing is making your animal uncomfortable, that’s important information to help make...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Horse
Clicker training is slowly gaining ground in the equine world. Please join me in a series of videos that discuss and demonstrate foundational lessons for both horse and human. In this edition, we will explore an essential skill for trainers as they begin their...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Parrot
I adopted a male cockatoo from an animal shelter in February 2007. His name was Charlie, and he had obviously been neglected physically, emotionally, and socially. At that time, his diet consisted solely of Cheerios. He was plucking his feathers and fearful of people....
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Dog
Canine problem behavior can stem from issues related to anxiety, impulse control, and boredom. Applied animal behaviorists often prescribe mental stimulation exercises for dogs to treat some of these problems. A unique way to provide this level of treatment is...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | Horse
Clicker training is one of the recent success stories of equestrianism. It makes use of a bridging signal to indicate the moment of the desired behaviour, followed by positive reinforcement. We are told that training with positive reinforcement is more ethical than...
by Joshua | Oct 1, 2016 | October 2016, Sciences, Other Topics
Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” – Mark...
by Joshua | Sep 30, 2016 | Horse
When the June 2016 issue of the IAABC Foundation Journal ran an article on eliminating the use of aversives in equestrian training, I felt inspired to offer a summary of my study on the current use of these methods in equestrian training. The notion that positive...
by Joshua | Sep 30, 2016 | October 2016, Dog
As the applied animal behavior profession continues to grow and innovate, how can human-centered design methodologies be applied to increase the implementation of successful canine treatment plans? In the following article, I will show how the tenets of design...
by Joshua | Sep 29, 2016 | Dog
As behavior consultants, we know that it’s important that our clients get on board with the plans we make, and follow through with what we’re trying to teach them. Usually, we can’t teach their dog everything we’d like him to learn ourselves, so our job is to make...
by Joshua | Jul 1, 2016 | Other Topics
Welcome to the IAABC Foundation Journal! (Formerly known as The IAABC Journal) In developing this website, we hope to create a resource for sharing best practices and insights into managing and preventing behavior problems across all of IAABC’s divisions: Dog,...
by Joshua | Jun 19, 2016 | Sciences
In this article series, Jessica Fry explores the role of data in behavior consulting, starting with how to build the motivation to collect and analyze data in our clients and ourselves. How do you assess client compliance? How do you detect when a client is raising...
by Joshua | Jun 18, 2016 | Sciences
Technology is making it ever easier to share footage of animals; something this journal is taking full advantage of. However, the rise of viral video has also lead to an explosion of anthropomorphism, as people try to explain the behavior they’re seeing. Each issue,...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Applied Behavior Consulting, Dog, Case Study
Case Information Client name: Linda Dog’s name: Joe Breed: Dutch Shepherd Age: 3 years Additional animals in household: 2 dogs Background The client is a friend of mine, and the attack happened to me during a training session. There were no prior incidents of...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Cat
If you work with cats in the United States or Canada, you will face a few conundrums related to phalangectomy procedures (onychectomy/declawing).1 The topic is considered controversial by many people, including some of your clients and their vets. This means that you...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Business of Behavior, Husbandry
I have heard a lot of horror stories from both clients and other pet professionals about problems taking pets to the vet. The reactions range from pets shaking and struggling, to clawing and biting to the extent that they have to be harshly restrained or even sedated....
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Dog
Every Monday morning, when I enter the correctional facility, walk through the metal detector, scanner, and guardroom, put on a body alarm and walk across the yard where hundreds of felons comingle, I ask myself “What am I doing here, and why do I continue to serve...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Sciences
Recently, there has been some hubbub over whether or not you should hug your dog. The Psychology Today blog post that reignited the debate, by Dr. Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia, titled “The Data Say ‘Don’t Hug the Dog!’” claimed to answer this...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Shelter, Dog
(Originally published in Sheltering Magazine, 2003) Rosie was a loving, beautiful dog with doting owners, but in the end, her predatory instinct made her too dangerous for human society. Her attack on another dog was the last straw for her owners, who vowed never to...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Husbandry, Dog, Cat
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. I’ll add that video is worth a million. As professional trainers, we offer our services in a time where modern technology can be our best friend. A baseline video here, a quick video of us working with our...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Applied Behavior Consulting, Cat, Case Study
When my cat Lassie was young, she had springs for legs. I’ve never seen a cat jump as quickly or with as much agility as she would, especially when it came to accessing canned cat food as we opened it on the counter. We took video of her doing this once because it...
by Joshua | Jun 17, 2016 | Working Animals, Dog
Most Americans are familiar with the presence of service animals.[1] From the standard-bearer guide dog for the blind to the much photographed but rare service mini-horse, their stories are more and more visible. Sometimes we tell those stories in order to laud an...
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | Other Topics, News
A Message from the President Greetings and welcome to the IAABC’s Journal. The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants is a worldwide organization whose members share an interest in the study and application of animal training and behavior consulting....
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | Horse, June 2016
I remember it so well. I was reading my first book on dog behaviour and was impressed—the trainer was pictured happily walking a collection of dogs off lead, the book was endorsed by an eminent natural horsemanship trainer I then* rated highly, and it contained...
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | contents, Horse, contents
My 18-year-old thoroughbred is a warrior in most respects. He barely flicks an ear at a motorcycle speeding past as we cross the road; he nods politely and winks at a large coyote standing at the trail’s edge (in truth, the wink may just be a tic in his bum right...
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | Case Study, Applied Behavior Consulting, Cat
Case Information: Cat’s Name: Blade Breed: Domestic Shorthair Sex: Neutered Male Age: 7 months Background: This kitten was presented at my practice for pouncing, biting, and scratching at both owners in the household. He was adopted through another veterinary clinic...
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | Cat
The joys of keeping our cats indoors with plenty of environmental enrichment, good food, health care and an enormous amount of love and respect are all well-documented: besides having a happier and healthier companion, those fur-kids are living longer. Much longer....
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | Applied Behavior Consulting, Parrot
Dreyfuss, my pionus, is a bird who—if I’d let her—would spend much of her day sitting next to me or on me, frequently with her head down for rubs. So why was it that this sweet girl would lunge at my arm and even bite it, whenever I’d put my arm in front of her...
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | Applied Behavior Consulting, Cat
When I took Brie to the emergency vet, his respiration rate was over 80 breaths per minute. His two-day stay in the oxygen kennel receiving IV fluids and additional medications brought his respiration rate back into the normal range. The veterinary specialist...
by Joshua | Jun 16, 2016 | Sciences
Pavlov was scooped, but nobody noticed. Most people have heard of Ivan Pavlov and his dogs, and many are aware of the specifics of his discovery. He accidentally conditioned dogs to salivate at the sound of a buzzer, and then realized what he had done and some of the...
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