Issue 9 | August 2018
Through Thick and Thin: Caring For and Training Companion Dogs with Disabilities
The relationship between companion dogs and their humans can be a deep and mutually supportive one.
What Went Wrong With The Humane Hierarchy is Still Wrong With The Proposed Revisions
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...
Interview with Dr. Alexandra Protopopova
“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...
An Evaluation of Parelli’s Training Methods
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...
Cat Training Corner: Preparing for Bloodwork
Periodically, bloodwork may be required as part of your cat's annual exam and in times of illness.
Glucocorticoids, Stress, and Behavior Consulting
As behavior consultants, we often focus on classical conditioning and the four quadrants of operant learning, but there's so much more to consider.
Mental Stress in Service Dogs
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...
Insights from Cat Agility
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.
Career Paths: Jessica Fritschi
One of the most common questions IAABC gets is about how to get started working with pets and their people.
Diet and Behavior in Companion Parrots
When we discuss nutrition, we usually focus on its impact on physical health.
Do Horse Walkers Cause Stress, and Can we Reduce it by Exercising Horses Together?
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...
Facilitating Client Compliance Using the Strategy of Comparisons of Dog to Child Behavior
Enlisting compliance and follow-up contact from veterinary behavior clients for behavior modification, with or without medical treatment, has often been tricky.
Weekend Getaways: A Lifesaving Short-Term Foster Care Program
Shelter dogs can vacation too!
Enrichment and Stress Reduction for Sheltered Dogs and Cats: Targeting the Five Senses
Working in animal sheltering, we are all faced with combating the levels of stress experienced by the animals in our care.
Perspective: 2018 IAABC Boston Conference Business and Cat Tracks
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...
Designing Our Shelter’s Own Behavior Evaluation for Intakes and Transfers
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...
Calling All Crows Part 2: Social Learning and Novel Objects
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...
Screaming!!
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...
Wildlife Rehabilitation and Companion Animal Behavior Consulting: Opposite Yet Complimentary Applications
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...
Bring Home the Catwalk: Stylish and Enriching Designs for the Feline-Friendly Home
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 litter. Some people...
Caring for Dogs with Advanced Dementia
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,...
Spotlight on Research: Dr. Tammie King
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,...
Impressions from the IAABC Conference Boston 2018
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...
RECENT ISSUES
Issue 33 | March 2026
IN THIS ISSUE
Writing for a journal: Practical, professional, and scholarly | Let sleeping dogs lie | Seeing sheep: Using embodied knowledge and size relevant measurement to see personhood | The green plant...
Issue 32 | November 2025
IN THIS ISSUE
Behavioral Insights into Snake Ownership: Selection Criteria and Welfare Implications | Sit, down, stay: Is dog training a form of human dominance? | Judging the Dog, Not the Behaviour: Public...
Issue 31 | July 2025
IN THIS ISSUE
Ms. Fear Meets Mr. Feisty: Building Resilience During a Cat Introduction | The Paradox of Standards: Ethics in an Unregulated Industry | Getting Published, and more ...
Issue 30 | March 2025
IN THIS ISSUE
Correlation Between Aggression at the Veterinary Clinic and Problem Behaviors at Home for Cats in the U.S. | Creating an Indexed Definition of Canine Consent | The Ethics of using...
Issue 29 | February 2024
IN THIS ISSUE
Trauma-informed approaches to community support | Equine obesity | Shelter cats go to college | Why thinking outside the box matters | Training and behavioral euthanasia, and more....
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.