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, our regional director, I enjoyed delicious meals (hardly ever knowing what it was that I was eating…) always accompanied by great conversations. These people also saved me from trying sauces and dips that would have been way too hot for my German-Chilean taste, and Hugo even gave me a sightseeing tour with the support of his whole family. I will be eternally grateful for this!
We stayed at Coayacán, a quiet neighborhood with bars and restaurants nearby, but at 30 minutes’ travel distance from the university where CICA took place. All the presentations were held in the same auditorium, so the approximately 150 attendees and the speakers were able to listen to all the presentations. It was cool to see that almost every speaker made references to previous talks during their own presentations. That was a great experience for everybody! This way, the speakers became one unified reference for the attendees. So many people, including the fantastic simultaneous translators, the helpful CICA team led by Darwin Angulo, and everyone who spoke both languages, helped keep the communication with the audience flowing.
The interest and enthusiasm of the attendees revealed that there is a real desire to deepen the knowledge of animal behavior in Mexico. As is true in other Latin American countries, we can see that there is still a lack of evidence and science-based training opportunities, but that animal trainers are starting to look for resources and are open to investing in high-quality education. This first joint outing of IAABC Español and CICA is exciting and brings an excellent blend of Latin American in-person conferences and a strong membership organization offering ongoing support and education year-round.
Since there is no official regulation for dog trainers in this country, the Mexican audience pricked their ears when they learned about IAABC-ECA, our new Spanish-language dog trainer accreditation. For three days, Hugo and I greeted vets, dog trainers, shelter staff, K9 officers, and other animal behavior fans at our booth, answering questions about the IAABC and the ECA app, handing out discount coupons and swag as well as helping new members to use our website. This is how we got to know almost all the attendees personally who shared their stories, their dreams, their difficulties, and their desire to grow as professionals with us. Just like previously in León, where the IAABC had sponsored a series of talks at the renowned Veterinary Congress last September, we were very well received, and we made the promise that the IAABC came to Mexico to stay!
After the congress, Darwin invited all the speakers to Valle de Bravo, a rural town by a beautiful lake outside of Mexico City. Three long days of congress and the remains of our jetlag had tired us all. We needed a break and were compensated with walks through the historic center, relaxed dinners and a fantastic excursion on horseback to the famous monarch butterfly reserve.By sharing long rides in the “tour bus” we became even closer as a group and shared some really good talks and laughs about “Gatorboy” Chris Gillette’s jungle expeditions, Catja Pedersen’s unexpected encounter with a snake when swimming in the lake. We were also treated to anecdotes from Larry Kay, the former voice of Kermit the Frog as a writer for the Muppet Show.
It was hard to say goodbye to these wonderful animal trainers who were all incredibly impressed and delighted with the organization of the CICA congress and the camaraderie in our group. Without a doubt, CICA 2020 was a successful event, both for the attendees and the speakers.
CICA 2020 talks
National and international speakers shared knowledge and experiences of new techniques, theories, and science regarding animal behavior and training.
- Darwin Angulo (Mexico): “Dog Training in Mexico”
- Uli Grodeke (Chile): “The IAABC and Its New Accreditation for Dog Trainers”
- Ken McCort (United States): “Wolves and Dogs, Similarities and Differences” and “Several Dogs at Home? How to Make It Work”
- Sally Montrucchio (United States): “Service Dogs” talk and workshop
- Carlos Esquivel (Mexico): “Creating Public Policies on Animal Welfare”
- Catja B. Pedersen (Denmark): “Teaching Without Offering Cues,” “The Importance of Managing People or Objects in SAR,” and “Detection Dogs”
- Larry Kay (United States): “Tricks for Dogs in Adoption” talk and workshop
- Eva Bertilsson (Sweden): “FEAR FREE: From Forcing to Choosing to Cooperate” and “Training Without Errors”
- Chris Gillette (United States): “Loving the Dreaded and Hated Reptile” and “Training Alligators and Crocodiles”
- In the workshop “TAG TEACH with Clicker for Humans?” by Catja B. Pedersen and Eva Bertilsson, the entire audience participated with great interest and was amazed about the power of positive reinforcement.
Uli Grodeke is the Director of IAABC Español Division. She has been a dog trainer and behavior consultant for over 25 years and is the founder of CityDogs in Chile. Uli lives in Santiago de Chile with her husband, their three children, two cats, two target-trained Mediterranean tortoises and her Border Collie Luke, the tortoise-detection dog.
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Mike is an emerging animal behaviorist sitting in Minnesota in the US. He carries an MSc in social science research methods (U. of Kentucky) and brings a passion for understanding how the methods we favor shape the knowledge we privilege. Coming from careers in teaching and non-profit program evaluation, he found companion animal behavior by accident helping anxious feline friends in a unique shelter in Ohio. It is a privilege and a joy to combine these and advance the journal in this exciting time of growth.
Alexandra is a certified dog behavior consultant and holds a PhD in neuroscience. She has spent over a decade in academic research and is author of numerous scientific articles on different aspects of brain development, including olfaction, neurogenesis, and memory formation. Her work as a behavior consultant focuses on creating trusting relationships between humans and their dogs through communication, respect, and science-based knowledge. Alexandra is very dedicated to promoting more science within the dog training world. She supports dog guardians and professionals to build a solid understanding of scientific principles and provides guidance on how to apply these to life with dogs. She runs Canine Mindscape in Alicante, Spain.
I’m an Argentinean-Italian dog trainer and CSAT who spent eight amazing years in Brazil learning and working with dogs. Now based in Europe, I volunteer with the IAABC as a translator and, in my free time, help rehomed dogs settle into their new families. I love bridging languages—and hearts—between people and their dogs.
I’m a translator, editor and journalist, as well as canine educator for children and families, specialized in canine body language. I am part of the IAABC Family since 2019, as Language Director at the IAABC and Translators Team Lead at the IAABC Foundation, at the moment. I volunteer at local shelters and promote bite prevention and animal welfare at schools and events all over my country, Uruguay.
I’m a Chilean veterinarian and certified dog trainer, based in Madrid and working at a veterinary clinic. I’ve been volunteering with the IAABC and the IAABC Foundation for over seven years. In my free time, I help dogs and their guardians strengthen their bond, and I love spending quality time with my own dogs.
Master’s Degree in Natural Sciences, with a strong interest in environmental sustainability and the protection of natural ecosystems. Passionate about writing and science communication, she collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on research projects, such as Equine International, and with non-profit initiatives in the environmental and cultural fields. She is writing for different magazines, including IAABC Foundation. Her major goal is to improve horse’s welfare through behaviour research and empirical practice.
Adrienne Hovey is the copy editor for the IAABC Foundation journal and the owner of 
I believe that knowledge from a wide range of disciplines fosters a more empathetic, curious, and engaging world. I am passionate about social, environmental, and minority rights issues (both human and non-human), and this has invariably led me down the road of multi-species anthropology. Perpetually curious about the world we live in, I hope to contribute towards making the world a kinder place for all of us earthlings to live on!
Beckie Wheldon is based in England, UK, and has been supporting the IAABC Foundation Journal team as a volunteer journal content editor since early 2025. She has a BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare, and has recently completed a MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour. With a passion for both practical and theory, Beckie is proud to be a part of the journal submission journey and support the process of applied animal behaviour information and research getting from our writers to the readers. As her full-time career, Beckie is currently part of the UK veterinary charity, PDSA, as a Learning and Development Business Partner for Veterinary, where she supports the professional development of people in their Veterinary Hospitals. Her last position was with the rescue charity, Dogs Trust, as a Canine Behavioural Welfare Manager, where she worked on embedding evidence-based behavioural welfare best practices throughout policy and practices, with both internal and external professional stakeholders, such as the police and military. With a varied background in kennels, caregiver education, and charity dog training classes, Beckie is also an accredited Animal Training Instructor (APDT UK) and an Associate Clinical Animal Behaviourist (APBC).
Erin Jones, PhD, IAABC-ADT, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CANZ-ATI, CANZ-ABC, is the Journal Director of the IAABC Foundation Journal. She holds a PhD in Human–Animal Studies, an MSc in Anthrozoology, a PG Dip in Animal Welfare, and a BSc (Hons) in Anthropology and Psychology. An international presenter, editor, writer and mentor, Erin’s writing bridges research and practice with a focus on the intersection of philosophy, ethics and dog-centered behaviour practice. She is the author of Constructing Canine Consent and co-editor of Topics in Non/Human Coexistence and numerous academic and trade journal publications.