Stand by for #IAABC2018!
Mychelle Blake presenting a session on social media
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 Behavior Business proved to be one of our most popular events, and we’re looking forward to developing and expanding our offerings in this area. A huge thank you to everyone who attended, presented, and volunteered! Here’s a report of one attendee’s experience, which we were really happy to read.
IAABC Conference 2018 will take place in Burlington, MA, next to Boston April 20-22 – a three-day, multi-track gathering of animal behavior professionals of all species. Registration will be up by the end of May with more details.
If you’re not an IAABC member and you’d like to be kept up to date, sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of the page.
Mentorships
Our mentorship program is proving to be a great success, with more than [people] taking the opportunity to learn directly from one of our expert mentors, get personalized help with questions and challenges in their animal behavior practice, and meet other students with the same interests and goals.
We’re expanding the mentorship program for the rest of this year, with extra sessions from Leslie McDevitt, Michael Shikashio, Sarah Filipiak, Justine Harrison, Trish McMillan Loehr and Katenna Jones. Whether you’re just getting started in behavior consulting, you’re working in a shelter environment, or with multiple species, you’ll find a mentorship to enhance your knowledge and skills in 2017.
Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice
After a successful soft launch last year, we’ve rolled out our flagship Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice course with four upcoming dates in 2017.
This course covers every area of knowledge an animal behavior consultant needs as a foundation before they can build their creativity and practical skills into successful behavior work. With exclusive content from 27 renowned experts in their fields, presenting everything from behavioral medicine with Dr. Karen Overall DVM, to respondent conditioning with Kathy Sdao; functional analysis with Dr. Susan Friedman, to interpersonal skills with Dr. Risë VanFleet, we believe that Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice is unrivalled among online courses in rigor and breadth.
“If you work with dogs (or any species) you NEED this course. It has everything and presented in a manner that prepares you to participate at a caliber our dog clients need and our human clients deserve. IAABC has created a new level of professional, a new gold standard and frankly anyone working with animals should be required to take it.” — Molly Sumner
May 22nd will also mark the start of our first ever Principles & Practice session aimed at European students, with a UK-based mentor, Justine Harrison CHBC, and weekly meetings at 8pm GMT.
Learn more about the course and register
Join us!
The IAABC is committed to compassionate, evidence-based approaches to behavior modification in all species of companion animals. Our certified members represent the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in animal behavior consulting, and we are committed to educating consultants, trainers, shelter workers and volunteers, and the public about how they can better understand and help the animals in their lives. The IAABC Foundation Journal is just one of the ways we’re expressing our commitment to sharing and developing knowledge in the field. If you believe in our mission and want to support us, join IAABC as a Supporting member today.
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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.