Issue 29 | February 2024
Issue 29 Table of Contents
Issue 29 of The IAABC Foundation Journal, with articles from across the world of animal training and behavior consulting.
The Final Gift: Ensuring a Peaceful Behavioural Euthanasia
As a shelter behaviour consultant, I’ve become intimately familiar with the difficult task of euthanizing animals that are unsafe to live with humans or that suffer from poor quality of...
Expanding Your Reach: A Guide to Hiring Your First Employee
Finally, you feel like all the investments you’ve made in pursuing certifications, completing courses, attending conferences, reading books, and helping your early clients succeed with their animals is paying off!...
The Ethics of Using Dominance-Based Training Within the Equine Leisure Industry: Part 2
The second of a multi-part series examining the ethics of dominance-based training techniques like “Natural Horsemanship.” This part investigates the role of language and appeals to emotion that can cause...
Building Client Networks and Maximising Your Resources
Community matters. Since the pandemic, the need for belonging, purpose, and community has never been more evident, and we now know that being a part of a community can have...
Career Paths and Life Lessons: Know Your Resources And Be Proactive
I recently was a guest lecturer for the Shelter Veterinary Medicine Class at Purdue University and presented on a topic near and dear to my heart: how career paths can...
Thinking Outside The Box When Training
For the most part, the tide has turned regarding animal training philosophy. It’s understood now that empowering animals rather than disempowering them not only garners better results but creates happier...
Pesky Pudgy Ponies: Equine Obesity and the Behavior Consultant
Obesity poses a significant threat to equine welfare, affecting approximately 40% of horses in the U.S. and U.K. Fortunately, it is one of the most preventable health issues in the...
Creating a College-Based Shelter Cats Training Program
Using a college course to improve the welfare of shelter cats through a specialized foster program. Saint Francis University had previously developed a course during which students fostered a shelter...
A Multidisciplinary and Trauma-Informed Approach to Community-Based Support Programs
In 2023, Toronto Humane Society launched a pop-up pet support program designed specifically to provide wellness, behavior and social services to underserved communities. While community wellness is not new to...
Positive Reinforcement Horse Training from a Dog Trainer’s Perspective
Using positive reinforcement to train horses isn’t new, but it doesn’t have the same following as it does in dog training. My mare Shea is now 20 years old and...
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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.