APBC Online Veterinary Conference 2021 Delegate pack

Growing Pains: Addressing Adolescence in Companion Animals – 126 pages

Price- £18.50

Conference Details:

A fascinating day of talks from the comfort of your own home. If you cannot attend on the day you have access to the recordings for 30 days.
World renowned speakers and Q&A opportunity with each speaker.

Presenter – Amber Batson
Amber Batson is a vet and behaviourist working both in clinical practice as well as providing behaviour and welfare education internationally.  Amber graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1999 and started further behaviour and welfare training and qualifications within the first year of clinical practice.  She has spent several years providing behaviour education to a variety of different animal professionals and to animal owners.  Her aim is to use up to date scientific information in an easy to practically apply manner. 

Talking About

Session 1.  When pets become aliens: reaching puberty

Session 2. Terrible teens – what other factors affect teenage behaviour. 

Session 1 – A presentation looking at the changes in the brain during adolescence and how they may or may not be affected by puberty. What happens if we remove the sex hormones?  What effects may neutering adolescents have on behaviour and health? Amber will take a good look at the pros and cons and what other options we might consider. She will also discuss options to facilitate best physical and emotional recovery from neutering including some examples of managing the adolescent on confined rest.

Session 2 – A presentation looking at how relationships with the owner may change during this period, how stress experiences may vary during adolescence compared to other life stages, and whether other non-gonadal physiological changes may occur that impact on behavioural actions. Are there any health issues other than pain that may rear their heads in this time that can impact on behaviour? Are there any medications that may be particularly troublesome for the teenager?

Presenter – Gwen Covey-Crump
BVetMed, CertVA, Dip.ECVAA, MRCVS, CertVetAc(IVAS) 

RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia 

EBVS^®European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia 

After qualifying in 2001 from the Royal Veterinary College, London, Gwen spent 3 years in small animal general practice and has since worked in referral practice at University of Cambridge and Bristol Vet Schools. Having completed a residency she became European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia in 2011.  

Whilst maintaining clinical anaesthesia practice, Gwen now focuses her energies on chronic pain. Working alongside a team of physiotherapists and collaborating with specialist colleagues in surgery, neurology, oncology and medicine to provide a multi-disciplinary chronic pain referral service at Langford Vets. She provides specialist advisory and educational services, to Canine Arthritis Management, an organisation set up to increase awareness of chronic pain in dogs amongst pet owners and veterinary professionals. Gwen was President of the Comparative Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine from 2017-19 and continues to serve on council. She also serves on committee for the Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists.  

Areas of interest include human factors in the veterinary clinical workplace, established and emerging therapies for chronic pain and the relationship between pain and behaviour in non-verbal species. To relax Gwen has a dog to amuse and exercise, plus a room stuffed with half-finished sewing and upholstery projects.  

Talking About
Not ‘just getting old’ and ‘slowing down’, pain where you least expect it. Much focus has been on recognition of chronic pain in the older dog or cat and rightly so. With osteoarthritis so prevelent in the pet population this suffering of the older generation is slowly gaining awareness. However, even less attention has been paid to identification of pain in younger pets, behaviour change that is put down to naughty puppies and crazy cats. We will explore some of the causes of pain in younger animals, myths, misconceptions and practical treatment options, as well as how to prevent chronic pain developing in the first place.

Presenter – Caroline Clark
Caroline Clark is an A.B.T.C. Registered Clinical Animal Behaviour Counsellor and full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC). Caroline is also a Registered Veterinary Nurse with over 30 years’ experience working in veterinary practice.  

After some time working as a lecturer and external verifier for the RCVS veterinary nursing programme, Caroline completed a post graduate diploma in companion animal behaviour. Once qualified she set up Pet Education and Training, a behaviour referral clinic, based in Yorkshire. Here she sees and helps a range of companion animals including: cats, dogs, parrots & rabbits.

Caroline is passionate about helping veterinary practices become behaviourally aware and has written and developed a range of hosted and on line CPD accredited behaviour courses and webinars. She also helps practices set up in-house, nurse-led behaviour clinics.

Caroline has contributed articles on behaviour to various veterinary publications and has recently been commissioned to write a book on canine fear and anxiety which is due for publication in 2022.

Caroline still finds time to keep in touch with veterinary practice, working as a part-time clinical coach in a busy veterinary hospital in East Yorkshire.

Talking About
Behavioural Awareness for the Veterinary Team. The presentation will highlight the patient experience in all areas of the practice. It will provide advice on how to mitigate stress by managing the veterinary environment, making changes to the individual’s working practice, improving handling skills and having an awareness of their own body-language. It will also include how to help pets that have developed negative associations with the practice and will cover the type of advice to give to clients. I will, wherever possible, emphasise the link with COVID and the fall-out from that, which may be an issue for some animals – in particular the adolescent. 

You will receive your login details 72 hours before the event. Recordings will be available to view for up to 30 days after the event using the same login details.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of live broadcast or recording are not refundable.

Original Air date 18th March 2021

Presenter Bio:

Diane has worked at Blue Cross for 6 years in the Pet Bereavement Support Service, having a back ground of training, counselling, people and development, as well as a number of years in the Pet retail environment.

Having worked with human loss and having a love for animals, this is a vocation for Diane, it has always been her aim to make people realise the importance of animal loss, be it death, theft or separation, due to a number of reasons.

With over 14,000 calls and emails annually to the support service, Diane realised that educating professionals in the area of loss, was missing and the team now train and present to a large number of organisations, including vets, other charities and organisations. From this the Blue Cross Pet loss grief cycle was born, the service Is recognised as one of the leading providers of support and training in this area.

Diane is also involved in working with a number of Universities in the area of research and training, as she really wants the topic of loss to be seen as part of curriculums and as normal as any other topic.

Presentation Detail: The Presentation will look at the development of the Blue Cross Support Service in the last few years, how it has worked with the topic of Loss. The type of losses and grief that animal owners, workers and organisations have, including the effects of the most current losses during the pandemic. The Blue Cross Pet grief cycle and guilt being a large part of it as well as looking at the cycle and working with it. Working with clients, often the question of, “what can I say?”, or “what should I not say?”, is what people want to know and “Is it that simple?” Diane will also discuss after death body care and memorialisation and how it has evolved. Plus, the future on how will it look for Pet Bereavement, according to Diane.

This Webinar is sponsored by the Blue Cross
We’re a charity that has been helping sick, injured, abandoned and homeless pets since 1897. Pets help us in so many ways and they depend entirely on us. That’s why at Blue Cross we believe in helping pets because pets help us.
We help thousands of pets in need every month, providing veterinary care, expert behaviour help and find them loving happy homes, as well as advice and education for current or future pet owners and pet bereavement support. We develop lifelong relationships with pets and owners, providing quality care that is accessible and non-judgemental. With your support we can give back to more pets in need.
Pets change lives. We change theirs.
Pet Bereavement Support Service
We launched the Pet Bereavement Support Service over 27 years ago, in 1994, to help grieving pet owners. Since then we have helped thousands of pet owners of all ages and from all walks of life through our dedicated helpline and email service. Volunteers, who have all experienced the loss of a pet and have completed an in-depth bespoke training course on how to help you, respond to calls and emails every day. They offer a listening ear, guidance on coping and give time, patience and encouragement to pet owners as they work through their loss. The Pet Bereavement Support Service also offers practical information on pet loss for friends, family members and others who have contact with pet owners. We don’t just deal with loss through death but also through enforced separation or theft too. Please don’t hesitate to call us on 0800 096 6606 if you’d like to talk. Please note that due to the nature of the helpline and to keep your call confidential, we are unable to call you and cannot see your phone number if you call us or you can Email us at pbssmail@bluecross.org.uk and we’ll respond within 48 hours. https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-bereavement-and-pet-loss
PBSS Training –through our vast experience we have developed award-winning, RCVS endorsed training for vet teams and pet professionals helping people to feel empowered and confident in this crucial area when working with distress owners and clients. We have a range of training e-learning and virtual training options that range from 2 hours short course, virtual workshop days to our full in-depth accredited certificate in Pet Bereavement and Loss.  For more information or to book on any of our courses visit https://www.bluecross.org.uk/cpd-courses-for-pet-professionals
Finally, we are hugely proud of our volunteers as without them we just couldn’t achieve the amazing support and work we do everyday. It takes something special to be a PBSS Volunteer and we are always delighted to welcome new volunteers who find the call or email support work so rewarding. If you are interested in our home-based PBSS volunteering roles or would like more information click here https://www.bluecross.org.uk/volunteer-our-pet-bereavement-support-service

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 16th November 2021

Presenter Bio:

Emma is a Research Manager at Dogs Trust, where she manages a number of rehoming projects including the post adoption project – a longitudinal study of adopted dog behaviour and welfare over time. Emma also contributes to the development of new tools and resources to help streamline rehoming and post adoption support processes, including optimising data collection methods to aid better analysis. 

Emma’s research interests include understanding owner perception of behaviour and welfare and the links between development of behavioural problems and relinquishment.

Presentation Information: Through the rehoming centre doors and beyond – how post adoption behaviour support can help improve the rehoming journey and adopted dog welfare

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 8th June 2021

Presenter Bio: Gemma combines her time between research and outreach on behalf of the The Horse Trust and seeing clinical equine behaviour cases where she is based at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. After working in ambulatory practice Gemma moved to the Dick Vet where she completed a rotating residency programme in the equine hospital, becoming an advanced practitioner in equine medicine, alongside an MScR investigating horse veterinarian interactions. Subsequently she completed her CCAB and is currently writing up her PhD thesis ‘Investigating the stress responses of horses undergoing veterinary care’. As the Veterinary Liaison Officer for the International Society for Equitation Science, Gemma is passionate about improving interactions between horses and people, specifically regarding the application of learning theory. In her spare time, she has competed up to advanced level endurance on a homebred horse as well as enjoying competing in affiliated dressage and eventing.

Presentation Detail: This presentation will present the results of Gemma’s PhD thesis “Investigating the Stress Response of Horses undergoing Veterinary Care’. It will cover what aspects of veterinary care horses find stressful before going on to discuss evidence based management and handling of horses during veterinary care to minimise stress.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally Aired: 11th May 2021

Presenter Bio:

Equine behaviour issue? Want to help horses? Jenni helps caring owners struggling with their equine’s problem behaviour to get a deeper understanding, remove stress, restore partnerships, and change behaviour. She also works with people training to become equine clinical animal behaviourists, runs courses in equine behaviour and training, and is co-director of the Gower Pony Experience C.I.C. A new organisation dedicated to the best practices in conservation grazing with ponies – many of them re-purposed, unwanted semi-feral hill ponies.Jenni is an Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist (horses and dogs) and a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC). She been practising as an animal behaviourist since establishing her South Wales business in 2005.  Jenni gained er Postgraduate diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling from the University of Southampton in 2006 and achieved the MSc in 2011 after conducting an in-depth study on the impact of training method on horse welfare and the horse-human relationship. Being a thoroughly horsey lady, Jenni also has an Equine Science degree (BSc Hons) from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where she was first introduced to hill pony life, through her dissertation field study on Welsh hill pony behaviour.

Presentation Details:

Have you ever wondered about the lives of feral ponies? On a hill in Wales pony population management decreased, and the ponies formed more natural groups. There was a golden window of opportunity to follow these ponies; to watch, learn and record through film. Wales might feel wild, but it doesn’t have any true wild lands where ponies can become truly wild, and so the feral pony bubble burst. 

This presentation brings to you never before seen footage of the feral ponies in their native landscape, acting out their wild lives. It also brings to you the story of Felix and Co. Free-living ponies who got to retain some of their freedom in new lives as conservation grazing ponies, includIng some insights into clinical behavioural work with unhandled ponies, both fearful and/or formerly feral. 

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date 8th December 2021

Presenter Bio:

Valerie is an Irish Veterinarian who graduated from the Veterinary College of Ireland in 2003. Valerie has worked in Wales, Belgium and India. She currently lives and works in The Netherlands where she has been for the past 11 years. Valerie has worked in farm animal, companion animal and equine practice. She has a Masters in Laboratory Animal Science (Ghent University, Belgium) and a Certificate in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, UK). Valerie is a Diplomate of the ECAWBM (subspeciality Behavioural Medicine) and also of the subspeciality Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law. Valerie is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Veterinary Behavior and the Fear Free LLC Advisory Board. 

After her time in India, Valerie spent almost 4 years at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University in the Netherlands where she worked as a behaviour veterinarian, behaviour/welfare researcher and lecturer. 

Valerie then set up Animalytics, her own Veterinary Behavioural Medicine and Animal Welfare Consultancy (www.animalytics.nl). During her seven years with Animalytics, she also consulted at the Dutch Specialist Veterinary Referral Clinic de Wagenrenk (www.wagenrenk.com). In 2019 Valerie became Head of Behaviour and Welfare for IVC Evidensia The Netherlands. Valerie sees companion animal behavioural medicine cases at Evidensia Animal Hospital Nieuwegein. Other species (horses, research animals, zoo animals and farm animals) are seen for behavioural medicine or welfare consultations on location. Valerie currently teaches behavioural medicine and animal welfare science in the IVC Evidensia Academy and is also very well known in the international lecturing circuit. 

Presentation Detail: Along with part 1 this lecture is designed to give the equine veterinary practitioner a basic understanding of how the brain can be influenced by psychopharmacological and other interventions to facilitate desirable behaviour change in horses. Although only a veterinarian can diagnose and treat medical conditions in animals, it will be of interest to equine behaviour practitioners as well. As although non-veterinarians may not diagnose and prescribe medical conditions in animals, it is important than equine behaviour practitioners have an understanding of these matters.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

APBC Members get a discount with the WEBINAR code

ABTC members gain a discount using the normal webinar discount code

Our Conference was on Sunday 25th September 2022 – The emotional side of training and you can purchase the 176 page delegate pack for just £35.

We explored The Emotional Side of Training and Behaviour in Animals from the smallest furry to the largest of zoo animals.

Laura McAuliffe -Both Ends of the Lead – Human and Canine Emotional Aspects of Dog Reactivity

Dog reactivity is stressful for both ends of the lead.  The importance of understanding the caregivers’ emotional experience of living with a reactive dog is as important as understanding the emotional motivation of the dog’s reactivity. Laura’s presentation will discuss the emotional aspects underlying dog reactivity for both humans and canines; how to try and prevent issues from happening in the first place; how to start rehabilitating the dog; how to manage human expectations; how to best support both dogs and caregivers throughout the process and finding ways for both dog and human to lead a fulfilled life together.

Sue Ketland – Understand the importance of emotions in rescue and rehoming

Sue’s presentation will focus on the emotional journey of the rescue dog, highlighting the importance of emotional detective work when assessing behavioural issues in rescue dogs along with the challenges of the rescue environment when it comes to implementing training plans and behaviour modification. She will also discuss the importance of the human side of rescue, especially the education of new owners when it comes to maintaining ‘resting contentment’ for both pets and their people.

Jim Mackie – “Feeling Good! – identifying and influencing behaviour and emotions during zoo animal training”

Animal training in Zoos has progressed enormously in recent years. Originally used primarily to train marine mammals and birds for public demonstration, it is now an integral component of most zoos animal management programmes. Animal training is now a major contributor to improved animal welfare in zoos all over the world.

However, considerations of the emotional state of the animal during training procedures is a relatively novel area. Ultimately we can never really know how our animals “feel” because we cannot ask them. but it is useful to connect observable behaviours with emotional states in order to help us evaluate, adjust and enhance the learning experience for the animals in our care. Using examples from a wide variety of captive exotic species, this presentation illustrates the progress zoos have made in providing an evidence-based approach to animal training and how considering the emotional state of the animal can improve training success.

Amber Batson – Prey versus Predators – the emotional differences in the behaviour and training of prey and predator species.

Are we sure that prey and predator species feel emotions in the same way?  How can we recognise the underlying emotion behind a behaviour when considering a prey species such as the horse in comparison to a predator like species such as the dog?

What roles do emotions play in motivating the prey-predator relationship and how does that affect the responses we might see as humans training prey versus predator species?

This webinar will attempt to consider the practicalities of observing, identifying and responding to emotions in the different animals we so frequently train and live alongside, whilst aiming to improve our training skill set and the overall welfare of the animals in our care.

Laura McAuliffe

Laura McAuliffe BSc (hons), PhD is an ABTC registered clinical animal behaviourist based in Surrey, U.K where she runs Dog Communication and specialises in anxiety and reactivity issues. Laura set up Dog Communication with Penel Malby 17 years ago. She sees clients at her own private venue and her real love in life is working with owners of reactive dogs, reducing stress in all their lives (human and canine), helping them to find joy in the new normal of life with a reactive dog and helping them overcome their anxiety issues. Laura has lived with, and loved, 3 reactive dogs over the past 20 years and fosters puppies for rescue. She currently has an eclectic mix of dogs and has a Northern Inuit, a Dalmatian and a Yorkshire terrier puppy who she handreared for rescue. She is a full member of the APBC and has a degree in behaviour, a PhD in stress responses and she recently updated her ethology knowledge with a postgraduate course at Newcastle University.

Sue Ketland

Sue has worked at Wood Green Animal Charity for more than three decades –15 years at all levels within the Dog Section, and now in a specialist role setting welfare standards within the charity and supporting members of the public with their rescue dogs. She is also one of the charity’s main spokespeople. Sue achieved her Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE) diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour & Training (DipCABT) back in 2000. She has lectured on Canine Behaviour & Training in Japan and the Netherlands, as well as for numerous UK charities. In 2004, Sue was responsible for bringing the SynAlia Training System (SATS) to the UK, and was one of the first people in the world to be officially certified.

Jim Mackie

Jim’s has worked at The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) since 1999, becoming the first Animal Training and Behaviour Officer in 2013. He has since overseen a shift in animal management whereby evidence-based training techniques have largely replaced traditional methods such as restraint during medical care and routine animal husbandry. Jim helped found the BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria) Animal Training and Behaviour Working Group which he co-chairs, is Vice Chair of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) Training Group, and is an EAZA Academy instructor specialising in the use of trained behaviour to maximise welfare potential in Zoos and aquaria. In 2021, through representation on the Animal Behaviour and Training Council, Jim helped to create and began teaching the BIAZA Animal Training Accreditation Scheme for zookeepers and aquarists. Jim regularly lectures, presents and provides workshops about Zoo animal training and behaviour both at home and abroad.

Amber Batson

Amber graduated from the Royal Vet College, London in 1999 and went straight in to first opinion vet practice.  She soon realised that many elements of her consultations included behaviour, whether as a symptom of potential disease (my dog’s sleeping more than they used to, my horse wont let me do the girth up), or a direct request for help in a behaviour problem (my dog wont stop eating the cushions or my horse is biting me) or because understanding animal behaviour facilitated a better relationship between human and their pet.

Amber undertook a number of behaviour qualifications and whilst continuing to work in clinical practice, in 2007 she set up Understand Animals, UK, a business providing behaviour and welfare education for both animal caregivers and professionals.

Today she still works in vet practice seeing medical and behaviour cases,  but also teaches behaviour worldwide and works as a legal expert witness in welfare cases.

Original Air date: 9th March 2021

Presenter Bio: Linda Case is a science writer, dog trainer, and canine nutritionist. Her academic training is as a canine/feline nutritionist and trainer. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science at Cornell University and her M.S. in Canine/Feline Nutrition at the University of Illinois, and was a lecturer of companion animal science at the University of Illinois for 15 years. She also taught companion animal behavior and training at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Linda operates and teaches at The Science Dog Courses (https://courses.thesciencedog.com/) and is the author of eight books, including most recently, “Dog Smart”, “Dog Food Logic”, and “Beware the Straw Man”. She also writes the popular blog “The Science Dog” (http://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/). Linda and her husband Mike currently share their lives with three amazing dogs; Cooper, Alice and Stanley, plus Pete (the formerly feral cat). In addition to training dogs and writing, Linda enjoys hiking, swimming, bird watching, yoga and gardening – all of which she happily shares with her dogs. 

Presentation Detail: The question of how best to feed dogs stimulates great debate and evokes strong emotions among dog professionals and owners, alike. One of the most contentiously defended viewpoints in recent years is that dogs should not be fed diets that contain digestible carbohydrate (starch). Two primary arguments used to defend this position are: (1) Dogs are carnivores and have no dietary requirement for carbohydrate; and (2) Dogs are unable to efficiently digest starch. According to these views, including starch-providing ingredients in dog foods is unhealthy and provides no nutritional value.

However, like many persistent beliefs, there is both a bit of truth and a fair amount of falsehood to these claims. In this webinar, we will look at the nutritional science and the evidence regarding dogs and carbohydrates.  What do we know about the nutrient needs of dogs regarding digestible carbohydrate and how does this knowledge inform us about how to best feed our dogs? This exploration leads us to a discussion of the dog’s evolutionary history and domestication, changes in how we have fed dogs over time, the types of ingredients that are commonly found in dog foods, and examinations of dogs’ actual food choices and preferences. Following a review of the science and the evidence, the webinar will include time for questions and discussions regarding the inclusion (or exclusion) of carbohydrates in the diets of our dogs. We hope that you will join us! 

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original air date 2nd March 2021

Presenter Bio:

Amber graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1999 and started additional behaviour qualifications the following year as she recognised how many of her consultations involved elements of behaviour.  Today Amber works in both clinical veterinary practice, offers vet behaviour consults, teaches behaviour and welfare internationally and works as an expert witness.

Her goal is to provide scientifically up to date information in a practical, understandable way to both animal professionals and owners / caregivers to help improve the quality of the relationship between people and pets / livestock.

Presentation Detail: This webinar will look at what typically has happened to the body and brain of the equine with recent or historical, physical or psychological trauma.  We will then look at practical ways of ensuring that the brain is ready for new learning regards stimuli that have emotional significance as the result of these previous negative experiences.  An emphasis will be on combining environmental factors with handling/ training experiences before reintroducing known emotion inducing stimuli and how and why this can be so effective.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally Aired: 12th May 2021

Presenter Bio:

Sara is a registered veterinary surgeon who spent nine years in small animal practice before switching to pet behaviour and training where she has worked for the last 18 years. In addition to her degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, she is an honour graduate of Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers, and has a City & Guilds qualification in teaching adult learners. She is a full member of the APBC, and an ABTC registered veterinary behaviourist and clinical animal behaviourist. She is a committed reward-based trainer with a keen interest in both the welfare of the pet and the comfort of the client. 

Presentation Detail:

Good communication is key to success with clients. Inevitably, this involves a written document such as a report or handout. They are tedious and time-consuming to prepare and may go unread by the very person they are supposed to help! Sara will present some innovative ways to rejuvenate these tired resources to make them fit for purpose and less painful to construct! During the follow-up period, you may get the ‘it’s not working’ message from the client. The answer to this lies in persuading the client to do what you have already recommended, not looking for new or obscure treatment approaches. Sara will cover how to identify and deal with this problem and keep the client motivated. Sara will mostly be talking about dogs, but the information will be equally relevant to other species and those running classes. 

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally aired MONDAY 18TH JANUARY 2021.

Price: APBC members FREE (please visit the members are of the website for the free access) ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

Presented By Lori DeLeo

Crossing the Anxiety Barrier: Navigating the mental health issues of the pet owner:

Many people who have mental health issues such as anxiety are able to develop the skills to manage their symptoms through the utilization of professional and community support. But, what about those who do not recognize their symptoms? Now add a pandemic, lockdowns, and social isolation too. These circumstances complicate such challenges; and, as a result, interacting with anxious pet owners requires a better understanding of the symptoms of this mental health issue as well as a skill set that helps to make them more navigable.
This webinar will help you gain a better understanding of what is happening with your client and provide you with a variety of different approaches that can smooth the process of effective communication with the anxious pet owner.

Lori J. DeLeo, MAT, LMFT, is a licensed therapist who specializes in grief and trauma. She has worked extensively with first responders and helping professionals. Ms. DeLeo holds Masters degrees in Multicultural Education/Teaching and Marriage and Family Therapy. Additionally, she is certified in both Gestalt therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally aired on 12th January 2021

Presented By Dr Naomi Harvey

Dr Harvey is a zoologist with a specialty in applied animal behaviour and veterinary health and welfare. Since November 2019 Naomi has been working at the Dogs Trust as a Research Manager in Canine Behaviour and she holds an honorary position as an Associate Professor of Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Nottingham. With a BSc in Zoology from Cardiff University and PhD in applied canine behaviour from the University of Nottingham, Naomi has a particular speciality in designing and validating methods for securing robust and valid measures of animal behaviour from their owners and carers. Her research interests lie in improving the evidence base for issues affecting companion animal welfare within the fields of veterinary medicine and clinical animal behaviour, to better inform how we manage and treat the animals in our care. Her PhD focussed on how behaviour develops in juvenile guide dogs, and as such, Naomi has a particular interest in the adolescent phase of development and what it could mean for our pets.

Naomi will be talking to us and answering questions about her fascinating research into Adolescent Dogs.

Whilst knowledge of dog behaviour during adolescence arguably exists in the public and professional domain, the period of adolescence in dogs and other companion animals is vastly understudied within the scientific community. Adolescence is a relatively long period of development during which a juvenile becomes and adult and is marked by intense neurological and hormonal changes. Within the domestic dog, adolescence is typically considered to begin with the onset of pubertal development at around 6 months of age (puberty is thought to begin between 6-9 months in males and 6-16 months of age in females) and continues until behavioural/social maturity is reached at around 2 years of age.

This period of development, particularly around puberty, is likely to be a particularly vulnerable time for dog-owner relationships, and for shaping the long-term behaviour of the developing animal. In this session, I will provide an overview of the neurological and behavioural changes that mammals undergo during adolescence, along with highlighting the potential implications. Although the particular focus of this session will be on dogs, many of the theory and evidence behind it should be applicable across mammalian species, and much of the background I will provide will be in general terms.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally Broadcast on 28th January 2021

Presented by Natalie Light BSc (Hons) PGDip PGCert CCAB FHEA

Natalie Light, is an Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) accredited Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist, an Animal Behaviour & Training Council (ABTC) Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Animal Training Instructor and a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. Natalie has been working professionally in the companion animal sector since 2006 and has graduated from Southampton University with a Zoology BSc (2:1) and Newcastle University in Applied Animal Behaviour & Welfare PGDip (Distinction). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a lecturer on the Animal Welfare and Society BA Hons at University of Winchester. 

Meet Drax, an Irish Wolfhound who was rescued at 10 months of age in August 2019. As part of a series of settling in and living with a traumatised rescue dog, Nat joins us again for the 3^rd instalment of how Drax is coping with life in a home environment. Topics such as managing play and interactions with other dogs, building and maintain confidence with humans, and introducing equipment and handling will be covered. Nat will also discuss the importance of identifying and treating trauma and how you can break goals and progress down into baby steps to avoid re-traumatisation.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.
Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally Aired on 4th February 2021

Presenter Bio: Franklin D. McMillan, DVM, served as the director of well-being studies at Best Friends Animal Society from 2007 to 2020. In that role, his research involved the quality of life, mental health, and emotional well-being of animals who had endured hardship, adversity, and psychological trauma. Before coming to Best Friends, he was in private practice for 23 years as well as clinical professor of medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. McMillan is board-certified in the veterinary specialties of small animal internal medicine and animal welfare. He lectures worldwide and is the author of the textbook Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals (now in its 2^nd edition) and a book for the general public titled Unlocking the Animal Mind.

Presentation Detail:This presentation will cover our most current knowledge of posttraumatic stress in dogs. Topics include the causes of psychological trauma, the mental changes, how the condition differs from “normal” fear, how the disorder in animals compares with that in humans, and our approaches to treatment. In addition, as time permits, other mental-emotional disorders caused by psychological trauma will be presented.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date 3RD AUGUST 2021

Presenter BIO: Hannah Capon MA Vet MB MRCVS, winner of the 2020 Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Impact Award, the 2019 Ceva Vet of the Year and finalist in the 2019 Petplan Vet of the Year, is a first opinion veterinary surgeon in the UK. Recognised for her tireless work on Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) an online education and support service for owners of arthritic dogs and professionals that care for them. 

CAM began as a simple Facebook page in 2015 where Hannah would promote earlier identification and thorough multimodal management plans. Now it boasts a flourishing service run by a team of veterinary professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to help owners. CAM has become an unstoppable force. A respected website full of downloads, like the unique Home Safe tool (#itsmyhometoo), a large social media presence through Facebook, Instagram, twitter and YouTube. An online shop stocking awareness merchandise, owner education and other canine essentials. An education provider for first opinion practices, as well as dog groups, paraprofessionals and owners. An inspirational campaign group to raise awareness of the serious nature of this disease (#yourdogmoreyears)

Presentation Information: “Game Changers in Canine Arthritis Management” is a fresh look at how we can, and should, manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. In this webinar Canine Arthritis Management will highlight 5 areas that we can invest in to improve the short and long term consequences of the disease. In a complicated world sometimes keeping it simple is key.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date 27th October 2021

Presenter Bio: Noema is a researcher at the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice. She graduated from the same home university and obtained her DVM and PhD degrees there.  She conducted her research, focused on intercat play and ways to distinguish it from intercat aggression, in collaboration with the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom. She is a member of the International Cat Care´s Feline Wellbeing expert panel. She educates and engaging the public in cat behaviour science not only via slovak podcasts about cats she is hosting – Mačkast – but also through this podcast´s facebook website.

Presentation Information: This webinar will focus on the spectrum of behaviours of intercat interactions while focusing on practical application of this information to distinguish between aggressive (and potentially harmful) and playful encounters of cats.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Airdate: 22nd February 2021

Presenter Bio: Malena DeMartini-Price is renowned in the dog training world for her expertise in dog separation anxiety issues. She is the author of the book Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs and has contributed articles on separation anxiety to multiple publications such as the Association of Professional Dog Trainers’ (APDT) Chronicle of the Dog, Pet Professional Guild’s (PPG) Barks From the Guild, and various national magazines such as The Bark. She lectures on SA at professional dog training workshops and conferences around the world, including everything from large professional conferences to small venues. She also has been interviewed widely on this topic and multiple videos and podcasts have been produced. Malena is an honors graduate of the esteemed  Academy for Dog Trainers, where she studied under Jean Donaldson, and is a member of the APDT, the Pet Professionals Guild, and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

Presentation detail: The time to help your pups is now to help them cope when you are not spending so much time at home after the lockdown.Public webinars and live events will be recorded and a link sent to all registrants.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 22nd April 2021

Presenter Bio:

Rachel Spencer is a freelance journalist and writes about the pet industry for national newspapers and magazines focusing on human interest stories, health, trends, and technology. 

She works with pet business owners helping them raise their profile in the media. Clients have appeared in the Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, BBC Breakfast, Mail Online, Daily and Sunday Express, and a host of pet titles like Edition Dog, Your Dog, Your Cat, Pet Gazette and Pet Business World.

Each week she shares tips on how small businesses can secure coverage on the Publicity for Pet Businesses podcast.

Rachel provides one to one consultancy packages and runs a membership programme helping pet businesses stand out from the competition. 

Talk Description:

With the pet population rising, as a behaviourist it’s never been more important to make pet parents aware of the support you can offer them.

Publicising the ways in which you help animals is something you can do on your own platforms and in the media.

In this workshop Rachel will cover the two types of publicity you can use as a pet behaviourist.

The first is the publicity you create on your own platforms to build trust and attract clients. 

The second is being published on other people’s platforms so you stand out from the competition and position yourself as an expert.

Rachel Spencer is a journalist, pet blogger and hosts the Publicity for Pet Businesses podcast and works with pet professionals, charities and rescues raise awareness of the fantastic work they do. 

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 10th June 2021

Presenter Bio:

Sara is a registered veterinary surgeon who spent nine years in small animal practice before switching to pet behaviour and training where she has worked for the last 18 years. In addition to her degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, she is an honour graduate of Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers, and has a City & Guilds qualification in teaching adult learners. She is a full member of the APBC, and an ABTC registered veterinary behaviourist and clinical animal behaviourist. She is a committed reward-based trainer with a keen interest in both the welfare of the pet and the comfort of the client. 

Presentation Detail:

In part one, Sara covered the age-old problem of writing reports and handouts for clients and achieving a successful outcome with proficient follow-up. But now, in this new pandemic-afflicted world, some have discovered that technologies hitherto scorned or only paid lip-service are not just a temporary solution. Between video conferencing, smartphones, numerous apps, google sheets, and online storage, do we need to write a report or handout ever again? Even people like Sara – technologically ambivalent – have found this new world to be full of unexpected gems and set to be a permanent feature of her work from now on. Once again, it’s all about good communication but through different and more effective media. If you are yet to be enthused by the possibilities of working online, then join Sara and see that this online world could be your oyster and that of your client. Sara will mostly be talking about dogs, but the information will be equally relevant to other species and those running classes. You don’t need to have attended the first webinar to enjoy this one, as each is self-contained.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date 13 th January 2022

Presenter Bios:

Jules Morgan – Jules has lived with dogs all her life and has been fortunate enough to work as a trainer for over three decades. 

During her early training career, Jules taught puppy, adolescent, and behaviour training classes for pet dogs alongside teaching gundog training classes for those looking to work their dogs on shoots. 

Within a few years of starting out, Jules started to feel uncomfortable with some of the methods she had originally learnt, particularly as she was unable to explain them on a theoretical level and some seemed unfair on the dogs. So began her journey to learn about more science backed, positive reinforcement training methods. 

As dog training education was not the same as it is today, much of her learning was independent and very much based on trial and error. As such, Jules’ journey to find new gundog training methods took some time and was not always supported by the people she was training with. Nevertheless, in 2006, Jules became accredited with the APDT.

Jules today still feels very strongly that dogs and owners should be supported and encouraged by their trainer with empathy and understanding as well as being properly qualified. 

Understanding that there is always more to learn about dogs, Jules considers two working cocker spaniels, Buckle and Raffle, and Labrador, Otter, three of her greatest teachers. She continues to keep up her studies and remains up to date with research into behaviour, psychology, neuroscience and physiology which further expands her understanding of dogs and what motivates them. 

Most recently, Jules had lectured to dog trainers, behaviourists and veterinary professionals on remedial training protocols for specific behaviour problems. She believes that her training history and experience as a ‘crossover’ trainer enables her to be extremely sympathetic to, and understanding of, the hurdles involved in that process, as well as having first-hand experience of what an incredibly rewarding experience it is to train this way. 

Jules’ main passion is for working and training gundogs. Over the years she has gained a wealth of experience in all aspects of lowland shooting from large estates, through to small farm shoots, and rough shooting including beating, picking up, shooting, and shoot management. 

Today, Jules specialise in gundog training for pet dogs, working dogs and those looking to participate in competition from her base in Surrey. Courses available through Teach Your Gundog include The Gundog Club graded training scheme, as well as bespoke workshops and courses covering specific topics at all levels. She also hosts her ever-popular series of Gundog Games workshops held around the country which enables people to find out about the world of gundog training using only ethical, choice based methods and to start to build their foundation skills. Jules also hosts more advanced Gundog Games camps twice a year in Cumbria. 

Currently, Jules is the secretary, and co-founder, of the Vale & West Gundog Club which offers a safe stepping-stone into competition through its annual working tests and working gundog certificate (KCWGC) assessment days. She has also organised, judged and competed at many working tests, assisted at field trials, and helped at numerous Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate assessments both on dummies and game. 

Qualifications and accreditations: 
•Member of The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) •Accredited Animal Training Instructor with the Animal Behaviour & Training Council (ABTC) 
•Accredited Trainer and Assessor for The Gundog Club 
•BASC Safe Shot Certificate 
•LANTRA Shooting Assistant/Loaders Certificate 
•Qualified First Aider (Emergency First Aid at Work/Rural Skills Certificate)

Helen Phillips – Helen has been shooting and working dogs in the field for over thirty years. Having owned a variety of breeds from crosses, to Spaniels and HPRs, Helen has an extensive understanding of living with and working with hunting dogs.

Currently, Helen owns Vizslas, Jack and Dibble, and English Springer Spaniel, Wren. All the dogs work in a variety of roles on the shoot from beating, picking up to partner on the peg. Helen has also achieved the Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate on Dummies and on Game, has competed in working tests and participates in grouse counting.

Over the last decade through her training business, Clicker Gundog, Helen has developed a range of workshops and seminars to help teach the essential skills to both the handler and the dog. Her focus is on promoting the use of positive reinforcement training techniques and strategies within gundog training and field sports in general. She is also the author of the popular ‘Clicker Gundog’ training book.

Helen has a strong ethical stance in respect of this and endeavours to promote this within the shooting field. One of the UK’s most qualified gundog trainers, Helen has a Distinction in Canine Training and Behaviour from Warwickshire College and, as a City and Guilds level 5 qualified teacher, taught the same Canine Training and Behaviour course at two levels for nearly a decade. She also obtained the Clicker Trainers Competency Assessment Programme levels 1, 2 and 3 with Distinction.

Helen is a member of the Special Council for the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), is a registered ABTC Animal Training Instructor, and is an Instructor and Assessor for The Gundog Club, an organisation that declared its force free policy in 2018 and runs courses each year for all levels.

Presentation Details: The aim of this webinar is to provide some background information on the natural behaviours and instincts of gundog breeds and how they can manifest and become problematic in pet homes.  We will look at how we can provide activities suitable to these breeds to enable expression of these natural behaviours. We will also share some of our training exercises and games that can be incorporated into pet training classes and behaviour modification programmes.  There will be video footage included in this presentation.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 8th February 2022 1.5 hrs

FREE FOR APBC MEMBERS- PLEASE USE THE 100% DISCOUNT CODE THAT YOU WILL FIND UNDER WEBINAR CODES IN THE MEMBERS AREA.

ABTC £25

PUBLIC- £35

Presenter Bio:

Dr Morag K Heirs, PhD, MSc, MA(hons)(SocSci), PGCAP, ABTC-CAB, ABTC-ATI

Morag is a practicing Clinical Animal Behaviourist, proud member of the APBC and an enthusiastic academic with particular interests in research, evidence based practice, scentwork and deaf/blind dogs. Morag divides her time between academic study and clinical practice. 

Academic activities: Morag is currently a lecturer in Psychology (Open University), Human Factors in Behaviour Counselling & Advanced Dog Training (Bishop Burton) and a visiting lecturer for the University of Edinburgh (MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour). She supervises a range of MSc research students from Clinical Animal Behaviour to Acupuncture and Advanced Oriental Medicine.

Clinical activities: Morag is a Director of Well Connected Canine Ltd, based in York (UK) and manages a small team providing canine behaviour services to private clients, local government organisations, and national animal rescue organisations. She specialises in risk assessment, treating phobias and working with deaf and/or blind dogs. Morag also includes skills from her previous career as a myofascial release and remedial massage therapist in many consultations.

When not attempting to convince practitioners that a scientific journal club really is the most exciting way to spend a Saturday morning, Morag enjoys canicross ultra running with her two collies and a large German Wire-Haired Pointer.

Presentation Detail:

Evidence-based practice is a relatively new buzz word for the animal behaviour and training world, but it’s been around a long time in human health care and research. When we’re trying to decide what strategy to take for a specific client, or justify a decision to the animal shelter, wouldn’t it be great to have some solid scientific back up?  Even if it turns out that there’s not much evidence, that can help inform our decisions too. 

We’re going to start by assuming you have some primary research papers saved on your computer or printed out on your desk. Journal articles can look intimidating, and very few make good bedtime reading material. Understanding the scientific form and language is a skill in its own right, and improves with practice.  Rather than skimming the abstract, or just reading a summary of the paper on a blog, this session is all about digging into the juicy innards of research articles. 

Critical appraisal really means working out how much we can trust the results of a study. Did the researchers use the most suitable methods to answer their question? How reliable will those answers be? How useful are the findings in relation to your practice and experiences?

Core Learning Outcomes

1. Learn the key words and essential sections to look for in an article
2. Create an outline of the paper using PICOS (using a real life example paper)
3. Critically read the findings AND decide if it’s worth changing your practice

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

The Power of the Pattern: Pattern Games from Control Unleashed

Original Air Date 8th December 2022

Presenter Bio:

Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, is the author of the internationally popular Control Unleashed series of  books and DVDs. Her books have been translated into many languages; people all over the world have  learned how to use her evidence-based and empowering methods to help companion, performance,  and working dogs learn how to functional optimally without stress in very challenging environments.  If you have a dog that worries about stuff—other dogs, people, noises, the unexpected—Leslie has  many fun counter-conditioning games just for you. Leslie is a popular conference speaker and now  hosts her own virtual Conference Unleashed to teach more about her methods and showcase trainers  she has certified to be CCUIs, Certified Control Unleashed Instructors. Leslie has CCUIs all over the  world.

Presentation Detail:

Pattern Games are a group of operant counter conditioning games that provide predictability and  structure for dogs who are learning to manage themselves through strong feelings. The games utilize  “startbutton” behavior to give dogs control over their own learning experience. Control and  Predictability are what make these patterns so powerful. These games are very simple to teach and  to generalize onto a variety of contexts. Both you and your dog will feel better using these reliable  and effective tools for behavior change.

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally Aired 21st February 2022

Presenter Bio: Kim Brophey, CDBC, CPDT-KA, FDM ®, is an applied ethologist and owner of The Dog Door Behavior Center. Kim’s commitment to Family Dog Mediation has been recognized internationally, awarded the APDT Outstanding Trainer of the Year in 2009 and the Best Dog Trainer of WNC seven years in a row. She is a member of the International Society for Applied Ethology and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and a certified member and past board member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Kim Brophey’s Dog L.E.G.S.® model of comprehensive canine science has been endorsed by prominent canine scientists such as Raymond Coppinger and embraced by reputable dog trainers worldwide. From her applied ethology content in Michael Shikashio’s Aggression in Dogs Master Course to her upcoming Applied Ethology & Family Dog Mediation ® Course, Kim’s work is a celebrated contribution to the field. Her groundbreaking book, MEET YOUR DOG, and TED talk have made profound waves and become favorites among both dog professionals and the public. Kim continues to build bridges and invite others to contribute to a new conversation about dogs- one that challenges us to redefine how we perceive, talk about, and treat our canine companions as a society

Presentation Detail: Ethically and effectively working cases as a canine behavior professional requires us to perform both  initial and ongoing comprehensive analysis of all contributing elements to a dog’s behavior. Participants  will be introduced to Kim Brophey’s widely celebrated and endorsed L.E.G.S.® system of Applied  Ethology as a simple and practical framework for doing so – bridging multiple scientific disciplines and  delivering new depths of understanding by organizing the critical components of all animal behavior.  Learn how to identify, understand, and integrate the full scope of potential factors influencing behavior  – Learned, Environmental, Genetic, and unique internal conditions of the individual animal’s own Self – in order to prevent misunderstandings and incorrect assessment of cases, obstacles to the progress of  behavior modification, inadequate safety and management provisions, and even life-threatening  circumstances for both animals and people.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air date: 18th January 2022

Presenter Bio: Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD, is a veterinary genetics researcher who is fascinated by dog behavior. She works at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as a postdoctoral associate, studying the genetics of behavior in pet dogs through the Darwin’s Ark project and the Working Dogs Project. She also teaches online and consults with breeders about genetic testing and breeding choices. Recently, she founded the Functional Dog Collaborative (functionalbreeding.org) to provide support to ethical breeders of healthy and behaviorally solid dogs. Jessica lives in Raymond, NH with her husband and three dogs. You can follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/dogzombieblog.

Presentation Detail: Probiotics are starting to be recommended by veterinarians to help manage behavioral issues in dogs, either as support in addition to behavioral medication or just on their own. Are they actually effective? How could adding bacteria to the GI system affect the brain? How long term must they be given? What changes might you expect, and what diagnoses are they helpful for? Are there side effects? What’s the best brand to buy, or can you make your own? Join Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD, a research scientist who specializes in the biology of behavior, for a deep dive into the crazy new findings coming out about probiotics and behavior in dogs.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Airdate: 28th October 2022

Presenter Bio:

Dr Claire Guest obtained a BSc in Psychology in 1986, followed by an MSc in Psychology by research. She is a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and was Director of Operations & Research at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Claire directed one of the first studies in the world to train dogs to identify cancer by odour publishing a robust proof of principle in the BMJ September 2004. Claire became Co-Founder of Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) in 2008 a charity that trains both Bio-detection and Medical Assistance Dogs and is the Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer. In 2011 Claire was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the development of new approaches for the detection of life-threatening diseases. In January 2015 she was awarded a British Citizen Award for health and in 2016 received the CBI National First Women award for Science and Technology. Claire is also a frequent peer reviewed author in scientific journals, and in 2016 she wrote “Daisy’s Gift”, about the formation of the charity and her remarkable dog ‘Daisy’, who indicated her own breast cancer. Claire regularly presents at conferences around the world, and frequently appears on national television and radio to discuss and promote the pioneering work and research of MDD. Claire’s current work includes detection of bacteria, prostate cancer and COVID-19 among other conditions and diseases

Presentation Information:

Throughout history, dogs have fulfilled a range of different functions and more recently canine roles have grown to a range of medical support and disease detection tasks, with growing evidence of elevated levels of a ‘signature’ volatile organic compound (VOCs) associated with disease.  As medical usage expands, it is imperative that the value of these dogs is objectively assessed, their potential capabilities are optimised, and these abilities are used to further understanding of disease diagnostics.   Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) a leading charity, pioneers both medical assistance and disease detection and is committed to carrying out empirical research to improve operations and to inform future medical technologies. To further this aim, MDD have worked on NHS approved clinical trials, exploring dogs’ ability to detect cancer, the malaria parasite, Parkinson’s disease, and bacteria.  In addition, our Medical Alert Assistance Dogs use olfactory alerting ability for day-to-day support for people living with chronic conditions. More recently MDD has been researching the canine ability to detect the virus COVID-19. This work has provided evidence that dogs can detect the odour of an individual with the disease from a collected piece of clothing, and we are now assessing the accuracy of dogs when screening people in real world settings. The possibility that dogs could provide a rapid accurate non-invasive screening tool for deadly virus in the future is an exciting and realistic.

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.
Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 1st November 2022

Presenter Bio:

Gemma has lived a life with dogs of various breeds growing up in a house full of show dogs, but initially studied at Hartpury College for a career with horses, going on to work at show jumping and event yards along with hydrotherapy centres.

In the early 2000’s she started growing an interest in how pain affects movement & behaviour after one of her own horses developed gastric ulcers, this then became an obsession when returning to her love of dogs and attending dog classes could see dogs from an early age already experiencing difficulties.

Wanting to expand on her observational skills she trained as a Practitioner in various alternative hands-on therapies, before deepening her knowledge of canine anatomy, physiology & movement alongside Canine Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation.

Gemma now combines her passion for canine behaviour (level 5 dip) and movement to help dog guardians get to the bottom of their dogs problematic behaviours using science based analysis techniques to shine a light on potential issues, she is often called in by other canine professionals to work with their clients for additional support and advice.

Quite often what Gemma observes can be a direct cause or adding to a behavioural issue which could go on to be resolved or managed & supported to lessen the outward behaviour.

More recently Gemma now teaches other canine professionals to do what she does so that more help and support can be given to guardians and their dogs as possible through her Dynamic Dog Practitioner Programme. This is the very first training of its kind that teaches Dog Professionals the skills to spotting physical discomfort in dogs, and how to put it in terms the Vet can make a more informed diagnosis.

Presentation Detail:

In this webinar, Gemma will discuss why canine professionals should be observing physical aspects of the dog as part of an assessment and training programme. She will identify key areas to look at when working with dogs including conformation, posture and movement and will share a case study about a dog with troubling behaviours and how Gemma’s Dynamic Dog protocol transformed things for the dog and the owner.

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.
Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date 5th August 2022

Presenter Bio: Tamsin Durston is presenting this webinar on behalf of Dogs Trust and the British Veterinary Behaviour Association. Tamsin is a member of their Dog Friendly Clinic Project team, a combination of veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, veterinary behaviourists, clinical animal behaviourists and dog trainers. Tam works as Dogs Trust’s Veterinary Engagement Manager, leading a team of veterinary and clinical animal behaviour professionals designing interventions which ai to embed canine behavioural principles in veterinary practice to improve human and animal welfare alike.

Presentation Details: Tamsin Durston is presenting this webinar on behalf of Dogs Trust and the British Veterinary Behaviour Association. The organisations have collaborated on a membership scheme for veterinary professionals which aims to embed canine behavioural principles within veterinary practice. The presentation will cover the development of the scheme, using applied human behaviour change science, from concept to launch. Full details of how the scheme will operate from the veterinary perspective will be shared.

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally aired 6th July 2021

Presenter Bio

Dr. Haug graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993.  She completed a one year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2002, she completed a Master’s Degree and residency program in animal behavior at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine.  She ran the Animal Behavior Service at Texas A&M from 2002-2007 and then move to Sugar Land, TX to begin a private referral practice.

Dr. Haug speaks frequently across the country at veterinary and animal behavior venues, with an emphasis on canine, feline, and equine behavior. Dr. Haug also has a special interest in neurobiology, behavior modification, and pharmacology. She has published articles in several veterinary journals and is a chapter author in several books.  

She is a past President of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and is a long standing member of the ACVB Examination Committee.  Dr. Haug is also a certified consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

Presentation Details:

This seminar covers the pathophysilogy of brain aging and dementia in dogs and cats.   Current options for management and treatment are also covered. Cats and dogs suffer from similar brain aging changes as humans and can also develop dementia similar to Alzheimer’s disease. However, aging animals may show behavior changes from treatable conditions. Even brain aging and dementia can be temporarily reversed or slowed with proper interventions.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 24th January 2022

Presenter Bio : Elaine Henley is a Clinical Animal Behaviourist who has been working with humans and their pets for well over 20 years. 

Along with her dogs and human family, Elaine lives with two Grey parrots: Milo who has lived with her for 12 years; Roy, a 34-year old Congo Grey parrot, joined her 8 years ago; and Sparky is a 12-year-old rehomed Timneh Grey parrot who has lived with her for 7 years.

Elaine feels privileged to share her home with three of these magnificent creatures, and she is one of very few Clinical Behaviourists to have studied them in the wild. This has given her a much deeper understanding of their behaviour in the domestic context, and Elaine is passionate about educating people in their behaviour and welfare.

Trained to Post-Graduate level in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling at the University of Southampton, Elaine attends conferences and seminars worldwide to share ideas and lead on best practice across the industry.

Elaine is skilled in applying modern, hands-on training methods and, critically, in demonstrating and explaining those techniques to owners. She has written and lectured extensively on animal behaviour and training and she offers a range of Continuous Professional Development opportunities to veterinary practices, local and national governments, independent CPD providers, re-homing organisations and charities, including Guide Dogs for the Blind and The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). Elaine is also an experienced Expert Witness for courts and animal welfare organisations; she undertakes risk assessments for adoption and fostering agencies across Scotland.

Presentation Information *

This webinar will explore common behavioural problems that are often experienced by caregivers who live with Parrots in their home. 

Debunking the myth that behavioural problems can simply be trained away, whilst exploring the use of behaviour modification techniques in combination with a dollop of common sense, this webinar aims to provide practical solutions for caregivers, professionals and veterinary teams.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date 21st July 2022

Presenter Bio: Gemma combines her time between research and outreach on behalf of the The Horse Trust and seeing clinical equine behaviour cases where she is based at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh. After working in ambulatory practice Gemma moved to the Dick Vet where she completed a rotating residency programme in the equine hospital, becoming an advanced practitioner in equine medicine, alongside an MScR investigating horse veterinarian interactions. Subsequently she completed her CCAB (certified clinical animal behaviourist) and her PhD thesis ‘Investigating the stress responses of horses undergoing veterinary care’. As the Veterinary Liaison Officer for the International Society for Equitation Science, Gemma is passionate about improving interactions between horses and people, specifically regarding the application of learning theory. In her spare time she has competed up to advanced level endurance on a homebred horse as well as enjoying competing in affiliated dressage and eventing.

Presentation Details: Adverse early life experiences in children are well recognised risk factors for poor mental health and even increase likelihood of a prison sentence as adults. We also have an increasing body of evidence of their long term negative effect in a range of species from rats to cattle. This webinar will explore the science of how early life experience impacts neurophysiological development in a range of species, including the horse. We will then focus in on how we can maximise healthy neurophysiological development in foals and youngsters, including evaluating critical periods such as weaning.

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 10th November 2022

Presenter Bio: Kim Brophey, CDBC, CPDT-KA, FDM ®, is an applied ethologist and owner of The Dog Door Behavior Center. Kim’s commitment to Family Dog Mediation has been recognized internationally, awarded the APDT Outstanding Trainer of the Year in 2009 and the Best Dog Trainer of WNC seven years in a row. She is a member of the International Society for Applied Ethology and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and a certified member and past board member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Kim Brophey’s Dog L.E.G.S.® model of comprehensive canine science has been endorsed by prominent canine scientists such as Raymond Coppinger and embraced by reputable dog trainers worldwide. From her applied ethology content in Michael Shikashio’s Aggression in Dogs Master Course to her upcoming Applied Ethology & Family Dog Mediation ® Course, Kim’s work is a celebrated contribution to the field. Her groundbreaking book, MEET YOUR DOG, and TED talk have made profound waves and become favorites among both dog professionals and the public. Kim continues to build bridges and invite others to contribute to a new conversation about dogs- one that challenges us to redefine how we perceive, talk about, and treat our canine companions as a society

Presentation Information of part 2: The second part of this session will take a deep dive into the ten genetic working groups of dogs, exploring their original historical purpose and the resulting selective forces on behavior for specialized perceptions and responses in various conditions. We will examine how many of the erroneously labeled “behavior problems” commonly observed in pet dogs are the natural consequence of the friction created by modern conditions – the preservation of genetic keys (niches) that no longer fit the environmental locks (habitats) in which they find themselves. Through a greater understanding of the behaviors for which the various working groups were designed, we will appreciate how readily these artificially selected patterns manifest problematically in the average pet dog lifestyle, and how paramount certain adjustments to our expectations and common practices of stewardship need to be in our profession and culture

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.
Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air date: 10th May 2022

Presenter Bio: After completing a degree in Zoology at the University of Liverpool (UK) and a PhD in abnormal equine behavior at the University of Edinburgh (UK), Dr Sebastian McBride continued his research at Aberystwyth University looking specifically at the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning repetitive behavioural disorders. This line of investigation extended towards attributes of learning behaviour and computational models of brain systems as a way of better understanding some of the underlying mechanisms involved.  He later worked at the University of Cambridge developing cognitive tests as markers for normal and abnormal brain function in large animal species as part of a Huntington’s disease project. Sebastian has recently returned to Aberystwyth University to establish a research group on the effects of stress and ageing on ovine and equine cognition. He has presented several papers at international conferences and written a number of articles for both the scientific and popular press on the neuroscience of equine behaviour.

Presentation Details: This webinar gives provides a basic understanding of how the mammalian brain works and identifies specific anatomical and functional characteristics of the equine brain. Factors affecting brain function are also discussed with a focus on how neurophysiological changes can manifest as changes in perception, cognition and behavioural output. The webinar also presents current equine neurophysiological research and discusses this work in relation to abnormal behaviour, learning mechanisms and implications for training the horse.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 10th March 2022

Presenter Bio :

Meghan Durno – I am a profoundly deaf registered veterinary nurse who qualified in 2016. I have a keen interest in feline behaviour and I also have a passion in raising deaf awareness in the veterinary industry as I have experienced first-hand the struggles of being deaf in a fast-paced profession. This struggle has increased during the pandemic with the introduction of face masks and the influx of locum staff in workplace, many whom have never met a deaf person before.

Laura Adkins is a behaviourist and trainer who has worked and volunteered with animals and people for 11 years through behaviour consultations, private training, group classes, veterinary surgeries, and rescue centres. She also worked at the assistance dog charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf people as a Partnership Instructor. She has been in a very privileged position over the years to meet a large number of people who are Deaf and hard of hearing and was opened up to a whole new world of awareness, communication, connection and education. A big part of this awareness was how difficult interactions can be with people who are not Deaf aware and what an impact it would have if more people took the time to learn and adapt how they work and communicate. With her background in a range of animal centred workplaces she hopes to bring this experience together to create a more inclusive animal industry.

Presentation Information :

An introduction to Deaf awareness and mindful communication for anyone working with animals and people, but particularly those who are behaviourists, trainers and those working in the veterinary field. 

Laura and Meghan will highlight some important and interesting information to not only help you improve the inclusivity of your work, but potentially open you up to a whole new view of our world.

Price: APBC members £12.50 ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date 19th April 2022

APBC Members – Free (You will find the correct discount code in the members area of the website)

ABTC Member – £25

Non- Members – £35

We recommend you purchase and watch the first webinar to get the full benefit: https://www.apbc.org.uk/Events/evidence-based-practice-for-animal-professionals-part-1/ and also read the paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0102722

Presenter Bio:

Dr Morag K Heirs, PhD, MSc, MA(hons)(SocSci), PGCAP, ABTC-CAB, ABTC-ATI

Morag is a practicing Clinical Animal Behaviourist, proud member of the APBC and an enthusiastic academic with particular interests in research, evidence based practice, scentwork and deaf/blind dogs. Morag divides her time between academic study and clinical practice.

Academic activities: Morag is currently a lecturer in Psychology (Open University), Human Factors in Behaviour Counselling & Advanced Dog Training (Bishop Burton) and a visiting lecturer for the University of Edinburgh (MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour). She supervises a range of MSc research students from Clinical Animal Behaviour to Acupuncture and Advanced Oriental Medicine.

Clinical activities: Morag is a Director of Well Connected Canine Ltd, based in York (UK) and manages a small team providing canine behaviour services to private clients, local government organisations, and national animal rescue organisations. She specialises in risk assessment, treating phobias and working with deaf and/or blind dogs. Morag also includes skills from her previous career as a myofascial release and remedial massage therapist in many consultations.

When not attempting to convince practitioners that a scientific journal club really is the most exciting way to spend a Saturday morning, Morag enjoys canicross ultra running with her two collies and a large German Wire-Haired Pointer.

Presentation Detail:

The aim of this session is to read the set paper and apply one of the basic appraisal tools covered in part 1. Come to this webinar with your judgements, comments and most importantly, your questions.

We will discuss the set paper in detail (including the statistics!) and try to come to a group conclusion on the reliability and validity of the author’s conclusions.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 5th August 2021

Presenter Bio: Danielle Beck is a registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist with the ABTC and a full member of the APBC. She has a BSc in zoology and a PGDip/MSc in companion animal behaviour counseling; where her thesis focused on stress. Danielle has worked with animals within zoos, safari parks, dog training centres and kennels for  19 years and has been seeing clients for behaviours problems for 10 years.

Talk Details: A webinar discussing training and behaviour modification techniques and where should we draw the line? Just because we can help these dogs often their caregivers or the situations don’t allow.

Join Danielle for some thought provoking discussion about dog training

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally broadcast on 24th February 2021

Presenter Bio:

Karen Ingram who has over 15 years experience working with dogs in range of roles, from veterinary care to rescue. Karen is a highly qualified Clinical Animal Behaviourist with an honours degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Karen is a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (mAPDT-00994) and is a registered practitioner for both training and behaviour with the Animal Behaviour & Training Council (ABTC). 

Karen has a passion for agility and is an Agility Club Approved Instructor and a UKA agility judge. She is also a Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme examiner.

Presentation Details:   

This presentation looks at pain and behaviour shown in sports dogs. Starting from your dogs lifestyle of competing and non-competing dogs, agility equipment, training, appeasement and displacement behaviour, aggression, arousal and biting, incomplete training and prevention of these issues. 

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Original Air Date: 30th November 2021

Presenter Bio: Dr Patrizia Piotti DVM MSc PhD MRCVS is a veterinarian specialised in clinical animal behaviour. Patrizia graduated in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Milan, in Italy, and holds a MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour from the University of Lincoln and a PhD on canine cognition from the University of Portsmouth. She has worked as researcher at the Family Dog Project in Budapest. Currently she is working as post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Milan in Italy and she is practicing as behaviourist in private practice. Her current interests are studying the link between cognition and personality to better understand behaviour problems and improve companion animals’ quality of life across the lifespan. 

Presentation Details:In the latest years, companion animal research has been focusing on the personality differences between individuals. Personality reflects the choices that dogs will make in a variety of situations, and personality traits shape the underlying motivation and emotional state of dogs when facing relevant triggers. However, it is possible to recognise individual differences also in canine cognition, or dogs’ ability to interpret and understand the world. Cognitive traits contribute to the differences in areas that are fundamental to dog-human interactions, such as impulsivity, communication, and memory. Understanding how personality and cognition interact in shaping dogs’ internal and external responses to events and circumstances, helps not only in predicting pet dogs’ behaviour in various circumstances, but also in understanding the constraints and strengths of a behaviour modification plan. 

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Price: APBC members FREE (please visit the members are of the website for the free access) ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

Originally broadcast 6th May 2020

Presented By Lori DeLeo

You can’t give what you don’t have

For those of us in the role of helping professionals, compassion fatigue is real, and it is the direct result of repeated exposure to highly emotional and traumatic situations. Consequently, when dealing with people and/or their pets and having to make difficult decisions that affect both on a regular basis, all too often we forget that we need to take care of ourselves.

What is the difference between compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma? How do these manifest themselves  and impact our ability to show up as our best selves in our personal and professional lives? How can we address these issues in practical and impactful ways? This webinar will help you  identify the signs of what some refer to as “burn out” and  will assist  in providing you with quality emotional self-care.

Lori J. DeLeo, MAT, LMFT, is a licensed therapist who specializes in grief and trauma. She has worked extensively with first responders and helping professionals. Ms. DeLeo holds Masters degrees in Multicultural Education/Teaching and Marriage and Family Therapy. Additionally, she is certified in both Gestalt therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally Broadcast on 17th December 2020

Presented by Kathy Sdao

Kathy Sdao is an applied animal behaviorist. She’s been a full-time animal trainer for thirty-five years, first with marine mammals and now with dogs and their people. At the University of Hawaii, she received a master’s degree as part of a research team which trained dolphins to understand sign-language. She then worked for the United States Navy to train dolphins for open-ocean military tasks. Kathy also worked as a marine-mammal trainer at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma Washington. After leaving the zoo world, she co-created Tacoma’s first dog daycare. Kathy launched Bright Spot Dog Training in 1998. Services include consulting with families about their challenging dogs and mentoring professional trainers who want to maximize the power of positive-reinforcement training. Kathy is proud to be an original faculty member for Karen Pryor’s ClickerExpos; she’s taught at thirty-nine of these popular conferences. Kathy has also lectured at venues across the United States, Canada and Europe, and in Australia, Israel, Japan and Mexico. In 2012, she published her first book, Plenty in Life Is Free: Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace.

When a client says this during our initial consultation, my response is “He’s not food-motivated yet.” Eating is an operant behavior. We can often increase its probability and intensity and lessen its latency through structured training procedures. Developing fluent eating might seem laughable if you have a ravenous Rottweiler or always-hungry hound, And yet, situations requiring skilled intervention abound: a senior dog whose appetite is fading; a wary dog who has learned to distrust treats; a pampered dog fussy about meals. While various medical conditions may contribute to the creation of a finicky eater, so can unwise behavioral practices. We’ll review several common mistakes and provide alternatives, including use of The Premack Principle.

AFTER PAYMENT YOU WILL BE REDIRECTED TO THE REPLAY.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of live broadcast or recording are not refundable.

this webinar was originally broadcast on 3rd December 2020

Presented by Risë Van Fleet, PhD, RPT-S, CDBC

Dr. Risë VanFleet is a licensed psychologist, registered play therapist-supervisor, and certified dog behavior consultant with over 45 years of experience working with children, families, and animals. She is the cofounder, with Tracie Faa-Thompson of the UK, of the field of Animal Assisted Play Therapy® and heads the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy®. Core values and practices of this approach include heavy emphasis on reciprocal relationships between humans and animals and full attention to animal well-being. Her book with Tracie, Animal Assisted Play Therapy, won a major award in 2018 as the best book in the human-animal bond category. Dr. VanFleet also works with highly fearful, traumatized, unsocialised, and feral dogs using play as an important aspect of the multi-modal intervention. She is well-known for her work around the globe in speaking, training, and writing.

This webinar will explore current knowledge about the importance of play in animals’ lives, what constitutes healthy play, and how natural play behaviours can be elicited and harnessed in helping intensely fearful dogs and other animals. She draws on her decades of experience conducting play therapy with children and families, doing behavioural work with animals, and observing/studying the play of Alaskan brown bears in the wild. The neurobiological significance of play as a helping mechanism will also be covered. The bulk of the presentation will focus on practical aspects of including play to foster healthy development and reciprocal social interactions in animals, including with conspecifics and with humans when appropriate. Recommended (but not required) reading: Mechtild Käufer’s Canine Play Behavior: The Science of Dogs at Play. English: Dogwise. German: Kosmos.

AFTER PAYMENT YOU WILL BE REDIRECTED TO THE RECORDING.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of live broadcast or recording are not refundable.

Original air date 13th November 2020

Presented by Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB

Dr. Spaulding has been in the dog training and
behavior profession since 1999.   She has a PhD in
biopsychology—the study of the biological basis of
behavior—and is a Certified Applied Animal
Behaviorist through the Animal Behavior Society.
 She is particularly interested in stress,
neurobiology, cognition, emotion, and wellbeing
and how to apply these concepts to the prevention
and early intervention of behavior problems in dogs.
In addition to working with behavior clients,
Dr. Spaulding teaches a variety of online
courses and webinars on the science of
behavior.  
In 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the
Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT’s) Member of the Year Award. She
serves on the APDT Education Committee, the
IAABC Foundation Board, the Fear Free
Advisory group and the Quality of Care task
force facilitated by Fear Free.
Before opening Smart Dog, Dr. Spaulding earned
her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of
Wisconsin – Madison. In college, she worked for
the local humane society for several years. She also
served as an assistant trainer at Dog’s Best Friend
which was owned at that time by Dr. Patricia
McConnell.

We know that enrichment benefits dogs. Taking a look
into the science provides many additional, illuminating
insights. This talk will cover:
 How we can make our animals more optimistic
 How to provide appropriate challenge to
maximize the effectiveness of enrichment
 How enrichment can improve a dog’s ability to
cope with stress

The webinar recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of live broadcast or recording are not refundable.

Originally Broadcast on 22nd September 2020

Presented by Dr Frank McMillian

Franklin D. McMillan, DVM, served as the director of well-being studies at Best Friends Animal Society from 2007 to 2020. In that role, his studies included the quality-of-life and the mental health and emotional well-being of animals who have endured hardship,
adversity and psychological trauma. At Best Friends he has published in scientific journals the first studies of dogs rescued from puppy mills, hoarding situations, and abusive environments. In addition, he has published the most extensive reports of the psychological health of puppies born in puppy mills and sold through pet stores or over the Internet.  The goals of all of these studies is to better understand the effects of trauma on animals and to develop new therapies to restore to them a life of enjoyment rather than having a life filled with fear and emotional distress as well as provide the science to support better animal protective legislation and improvements in the way animals are treated all around the world. Before coming to Best Friends, he was in private practice for 23 years as well as clinical professor of medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. McMillan is board-certified in the veterinary specialties of small animal internal medicine and animal welfare. He lectures worldwide and is the author of the textbook Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals and a book for the general public titled Unlocking the Animal Mind.

Social Pain in Dogs
The experience of unpleasant emotions is often referred to as “emotional pain”, such as when someone loses a loved one. The emotions that arise when one’s social bonds with another are impaired or lost – such as feelings of isolation, loneliness, and rejection – comprise one type of emotional pain, called “social pain”. Recent research has found that the term “pain” is not just a metaphor, but is based on the finding that social pain is
processed in the same brain regions where physical pain is processed. In addition, similar drugs can alleviate both physical and social pain. For social species, like elephants, horses, sheep, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and humans, social pain plays a
powerful role in one’s well-being and quality of life. For today’s domestic dog, the issue may be of greater importance than for any other species on Earth. Evidence indicates that through domestication the emotional bonding propensity of dogs toward humans has been greatly amplified, which appears to have resulted in both greater joy for dogs when in the company of humans, but also greater suffering when denied human companionship. Only by educating all those who care for dogs will “man’s best friend” receive the care they so strongly deserve.

The webinar recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of live broadcast or recording are not refundable.

Originally Broadcast 9th april 2020

Raising Wolfdogs; Getting to know the dogs that look like wolves
Presented by: Gemma Krzesinska

Wolfdogs are becoming increasingly popular but they aren’t well known and the information about them is often out of date or plain uneducated. The World of Lupines Foundation is working to not only increase education around wolfdogs of all breeds and types but to also be the ethical guideline for raising wolfdogs and breeding the Lupine breed specifically using scientifically backed methods.
I will talk about my experiences breeding and raising Lupine dogs, the differences noticed between them and your more common dog breeds and the steps taken to ensure they get the best possible start.

Presenter bio:

Owner of Lupine dogs for 10 years, Gemma is a registered ethical breeder with the World of Lupines Foundation, and board member. My lupines work various jobs including photography modeling and public event and education work.
Dog Trainer for 3 years running training classes with Puppy School, doing 121’s and working with Darwin dogs training assistance dogs.

The recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of webinar recordings are not refundable.

Originally presented at the APBC Virtual Conference on Sunday 7th June 2020
Presented by Natalie Light

Meet Drax, a rescue Wolfhound who was rescued at 10 months of age, as Natalie shares their journey so far in a series of webinars.

In this second webinar of A Case Study Of Drax’s Galactic Adventure, Natalie will continue to share Drax’s journey and discuss the importance of building trust to create an optimum environment for the rehabilitation of traumatised rescue dogs.

Presenter Bio:
Natalie Light, is an Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) accredited Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist, an Animal Behaviour & Training Council (ABTC) Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Animal Training Instructor and a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. Natalie has been working professionally in the companion animal sector since 2006 and has graduated from Southampton University with a Zoology BSc (2:1) and Newcastle University in Applied Animal Behaviour & Welfare PGDip (Distinction).

The webinar recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of live broadcast or recording are not refundable.

Originally broadcast on 4th November 2020

Price: APBC members FREE (please visit the members are of the website for the free access) ABTC members £25 Non-members £35

Presented by Veronica Boutelle, MA Ed., CTC
Founder, Consultant Lead, DWA Director
Veronica is the former Director of Behavior & Training for the San Francisco SPCA. She has been helping dog professionals create their dream businesses through dogbiz since 2003.

Veronica is the author of How to Run a Dog Business and The Business of Dog Walking, the co-author of Minding Your Dog Business, and writes for multiple industry journals, including regular business columns in PPG’s Barks from the Guild and APDT’s Chronicle of the Dog. She is a sought-after speaker at conferences and dog training schools across the country and internationally, teaching R+ dog pros how to help more dogs in countries ranging from North America to South America, Europe to Down Under.

Veronica has made good use of her previous career as a classroom teacher, teacher educator, and curriculum developer to bring more effective curriculum and instructional strategies to group dog training classes.

The webinar recording will be available straight after purchase. You will also receive a link direct to the webinar replay in the purchase confirmation email.

Please note: APBC and SPEAKERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TECHNICAL FAILING IN THE RESULTING RECORDING. Purchases of live broadcast or recording are not refundable.