Worry Less, Wag More: The Behavior Vets Podcast

What happens when a strange behavior your dog does becomes unhealthy and maladaptive to her quality of life? Strange animal behaviors (from a human perspective) can sometimes be funny or cute, but not in this case. This is the case of Maggie the border collie-golden retriever X who was determined to interact with almost every rock she came across. Learn how Megan Ramirez (KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA) approached this case with some out-of-the-box thinking and Dr. Karen Overall's Protocol for Relaxation in order to teach Maggie how to enjoy hiking.

Megan's Bio:
Megan Ramirez (KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA) has been training dogs for a little over 10 years now and is a 2018 graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy and also holds a certification from the Council of Certified Professional Dog Trainers.  Prior to working for Behavior Vets, Megan worked for a training facility in Alabama as well as Alabama's only veterinary behaviorist.  Megan lives with her husband, 2 Maine Coons: Pavlov and Skinner, Great Dane: Xaver, Mini Dachshund: Wiener Schnitzel and Whippets: Rim Shot and Legato.  In her spare time Megan enjoys hiking and competing in dog sports such as: flyball, dock diving, lure coursing and conformation.

More about Megan Ramirez.

Links:
Dr. Karen Overall's Protocol for Relaxation
Maggie's Training Journey Video

Theme music composed and performed by Andy Sells

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In this episode, Dr. Sarah Byosiere teaches us about how she studies dog cognition and ongoing research at the Thinking Dog Center at the City University of New York Hunter College. We discuss:

• Why study dog cognition?
• Ongoing research on enrichment and contrafreeloading
• How to introduce enrichment to your dog
• Surprising research about breed labels in animal shelters

Dr. Byosiere's bio:
Dr. Byosiere is the Director of the Thinking Dog Center and an Assistant Professor at CUNY Hunter College where she focuses on studying the behavior and cognition of companion animals. She is also a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. Dr. Byosiere has worked at various canine cognition and behavior research groups including the Duke Canine Cognition Center, the Clever Dog Lab and the Wolf Science Center. Dr. Byosiere earned her PhD at La Trobe University in Australia at the Anthrozoology Research Group, where her dissertation focused on evaluating whether or not dogs are susceptible to visual illusions. More recently at the Thinking Dog Center, her work has expanded to include applied research topics, including human-animal interactions, dog training methodologies and animal sheltering practices. Dr. Byosiere has published her research in peer-revived scientific journals, presented her findings at conferences, and has been featured on NPRs Science Friday, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, The New York Daily News, Gizmodo, WIRED Currents, and Curiosity Stream.

Links:
Thinking Dog Center Website
Twitter Thinking Dog Center
Instagram Thinking Dog Center
Facebook Thinking Dog Center

Theme music composed and performed by Andy Sells

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What do you do when you move in with the love of your life but your dog and your partner’s dog are fighting? Intra-dog aggression in the same household is one of the most difficult and dangerous behavior problems to manage. The fighting between the dogs can also cause a strain in your relationship with your partner. Is it possible to make two individual dogs with their own emotions and desires to like each other? Learn how Shannon Erickson (CPDT-KA) helped her clients achieve peaceful coexistence with Elliot, a 6 year-old yellow lab, and Oleo, a 12 year-old cattle dog through a systematic approach involving safety management, behavior modification training, and building resilience.

Shannon’s Bio:
Shannon  Erickson (CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified Trainer) is a Behavior Consultant and the Marketing and Content Manager at Behavior Vets. She is passionate about helping dogs and their families and specializes in education and ensuring that good information is readily available to every pet guardian. Before joining our team, Shannon was the Midwest Regional Training Mentor for Petsmart, where she collaborated on building class curricula and bringing training content to the public.

More about Shannon Erickson

Links:
https://behaviorvetsco.com/

For more about building resilience:
Podcast Episode: Dr. Kathy Murphy and Bobbie Bhambree Present a Framework to Build Resilience in Companion Animals

Bhambree, B. and K. Murphy. A Framework for Behavior Modification and Training Plans to Help Build and Maintain Resilience. The IAABC Journal. Feb 2023. Issue 26.

Dive deeper into intra-dog aggression with Michael Shikashio:
Podcast Episode: Michael Shikashio (CDBC) on Treating Dog-Dog Aggression

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In this episode, the amazing team of Dr. Kathy Murphy and Bobbie Bhambree discuss how they developed the Resilience Rainbow, a framework to build resilience in dogs and other companion animals, and how it works. We discuss:

• What is resilience and what it looks like
• The stress response cycle and the HPA axis
• Seven domains of the Resilience Rainbow:
  1. Predictability
  2. Decompression
  3. Completing the stress cycle
  4. Mental and physical well-being
  5. Safety and security
  6. Social support
  7. Agency

Dr. Kathy Murphy’s bio:
Dr Kathy Murphy (BVetMed, DPhil, CVA, CLAS, MRCVS) is a veterinary surgeon and neuroscientist. She graduated from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons UK in 1999, initially working in mixed clinical practice before studying for two post graduate clinical qualifications with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and Laboratory Animal Science.

Bobbie Bhambree's bio:
Bobbie Bhambree (CDBC, CPDT-KA) is the Director of Education and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant at Behavior Vets. She is also a faculty member of CATCH Canine Trainers Academy and Agility University. Bobbie started her career in 2003 as a pet behavior counselor with the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center. While there, she implemented behavior modification programs for dogs who had been surrendered by the public or seized by Humane Law Enforcement. In 2007, Bobbie joined the Humane Society of Westchester, spending the next nine years as their shelter trainer. She created and implemented training and enrichment programs for the dogs, counseled adopters, trained volunteers, participated in community outreach programs, and performed evaluations.

Links:
Bhambree, B. and K. Murphy. A Framework for Behavior Modification and Training Plans to Help Build and Maintain Resilience. The IAABC Journal. Feb 2023. Issue 26.
https://iaabcjournal.org/the-resilience-rainbow/

Resilience Rainbow Tour 2023
Madison, NJ: May 20-21

Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada: May 27-28

Denver, CO: June 3-4

https://behaviorvets.com/
https://www.facebook.com/neuroscienceisawesome/

The Education of Will: Healing a Dog, Facing My Fears, Reclaiming My Life by Dr. Patricia McConnell - read about Dr. McConnell's own story of resilience and adventure with her border collie named Will. 

Podcast with Sarah Stremming on decompression walks

Contact Behavior Vets

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In this episode, we discuss how to have difficult conversations with other trainers who may not share a similar approach to training dogs. This conversation was a response to Mike Shikashio’s recent appearance on a trainer’s podcast who uses and teaches training with aversive tools. Was it a mistake to “reach across the aisle”? 

• Keeping communication lines open
• Navigating sensitive conversations
• Shifting away from the 4 quadrants
• Understanding emotions related to behavior

Dr. Kathy Murphy’s bio:
Dr Kathy Murphy (BVetMed, DPhil, CVA, CLAS, MRCVS) is a veterinary surgeon and neuroscientist. She graduated from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons UK in 1999, initially working in mixed clinical practice before studying for two post graduate clinical qualifications with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and Laboratory Animal Science.

Links:
https://behaviorvets.com/
https://www.facebook.com/neuroscienceisawesome/
Resilience Rainbow Tour 2023
May 20th: Madison, NJ
May 27th: Nova Scotia, CAN
June 3rd: Denver, CO

Mike’s bio:
Michael Shikashio, CDBC, is the founder of AggressiveDog.com and focuses on teaching other professionals from around the world on how to successfully work aggression cases. He is a five-term president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and was the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) Member of the Year in 2020.

Michael is sought after for his expert opinion by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, New York Post, Fox News, The List TV, Baltimore Sun, WebMD, Women’s Health Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, SiriusXM Radio, The Chronicle of the Dog, and Steve Dale’s Pet World. He also hosts the popular podcast show “The Bitey End of the Dog” where he chats with the foremost experts on dog aggression.

Links:
https://aggressivedog.com
Aggression in Dogs Online School
Mike’s FB
Aggression in Dogs FB
Instagram
LinkedIn
TikTok
YouTube
Podcast

Contact Behavior Vets

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In this episode, guest host Lauren Novack (MS, ACDBC, KPA-CTP, FPPE) interviews Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA) about ethology, working in wildlife conservation, and lessons learned from training exotic species. We discuss:

• The ethological perspective on animal behavior
• Functional breeding 
• Being a trainer at Central Park Zoo and an ecologist for NYC
• Lessons learned from training exotic species 

Ferdie's bio:
Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA) is the host of Behavior Vets' "Worry Less, Wag More" podcast and the Director of Shelter & Community Outreach. He has an MA in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and a BS in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan. Ferdie was a zookeeper and trainer both the Central Park Zoo and Bronx Zoo from 2002 to 2005, and trained dozens of exotic species including California sea lions, river otters, Arctic foxes and polar bears. He is the Staff Trainer at the Humane Society of Westchester and an instructor at CATCH Canine Trainers Academy. Ferdie studies urban coyote behavior and population dynamics with the Gotham Coyote Project.

Links:
More about Lauren Novack
More about Ferdie Yau

Gotham Coyote Project
NYC Coyote Diet Study
Evidence of variable dog genetic ancestry influencing coyote behavior in NYC?

Contact Behavior Vets

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In this episode, Viviane Arzoumanian (CDBC, CPDT-KA, CBATI, PMCT2, Licensed Family Dog Mediator - Training) drops nuggets of wisdom to help dog behavior professionals coach their clients through the toughest cases. How Viviane communicates with her clients is a professional standard we should all strive for to truly help families and their hard-to-live with (but hopelessly loveable) pets. We discuss:

• Preparing yourself for emotional clients.
• Connecting with the human end of the leash.
• Focusing on the human-canine relationship. 
• Humane behavioral euthanasia. 
• Teaching clients their dog's perspective.

Viviane's bio:
LICENSED FAMILY DOG MEDIATOR - TRAINING
CDBC
CPDT-KA
CBATI
PMCT2

Viviane has been training dogs and conducting behavior consultations since 2005. She is your guide in all things having to do with dogs, whether you are an animal professional or a family guardian. Viviane is a networker and values collaborating with other animal professionals in order to best serve her clients and colleagues. If she doesn’t have a resource you need, she will use her ever expanding network to find it for you.

Coaching humans has always been Viviane’s strength and joy. In recent years she has increased her focus on the human side of dog training and behavior. She offers coaching and guidance in an atmosphere of acceptance and safety.

Her clients include a range of other professionals needing resources or a sounding board for finding new or tried & true ideas for puzzling or difficult cases.

Viviane is a resource for pet parents who are struggling with difficult decisions, or not sure they are on the right track with their dogs. She is available for a full range of conversations including case review, referral to other professionals, all the way to discussion of quality of life for humans and canines living together. This includes discussion of humane euthanasia due to age, illness or behavioral concerns. She still sees dogs and their families for the full range of needs from puppyhood to old age on a case by case basis. Viviane has been educated by thousands of clients and their dogs, and she learns something new every day!

She wants to give special mention to her personal passed dogs, Taki, Shadow, Toby, Pasha, and Greta. Her current dogs are 12 year old Willow, a Staffy, Shiba Inu, Basenji mix and 5 year old Mimi a Lagotto Romagnolo.

Links:
Pumpkin Pups Dog Training
Pumpkin Pups Membership Learning Program
Contact for clients about training offerings
Information and contact for coaching services: [email protected]
Ask the Trainer - Always Free every Saturday except some Holiday weekends:
Private Pumpkin Pups FB group

Theme music composed and performed by Andy Sells

Contact Behavior Vets

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In this episode, Dr. E'Lise Christensen (DVM, DACVB) and Laura Rhodes share the story behind the evolution of Behavior Vets and why building resilience is our focus for helping animals and humans. We discuss:

• The value of building a community for behavioral care.
• The growth and evolution of Behavior Vets.
• Building a supportive and welcoming team culture builds resilience to adversity.
• "You are not alone" and supporting people through the toughest decision.
• Building resilience for animals and wanting it for people. 

* Correction: There are less than 100 veterinary behaviorists certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists but there are some certified by other organizations internationally. There are probably less than 500 certified veterinary behaviorists worldwide.
* Correction: Dr. C meant to say she grew up next to a farm but not actually on one. 

Dr. C's bio:
Dr. E’Lise Christensen (DVM, DACVB) is a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and an international lecturer and author. Dr. C received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2002.

Dr C is always working on new ideas to support animals, families, trainers, and veterinary colleagues as they learn more about behavior and manage animals with behavioral disorders.

Laura's bio:
Laura, a Certified Fear Free™ Professional, is currently pursuing a BA in psychology and plans to study ethology in graduate school. She hopes to one day apply environmental enrichment strategies and animal psychology to improve the welfare of wild animals who have landed in captivity.

Laura found her passion for working with animals at a young age and in high school she began volunteering at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. In pursuit of more hands-on experience, she landed in South Africa where she worked with cheetahs, tigers, elephants, and crocodiles and Costa Rica where she learned the process of rehabilitation and slow release of wildlife.

Back home, she worked in the client care department of Community Pet Hospital, a 24-hour emergency service for dogs and cats. Laura joined the team at Behavior Vets in 2018 as a Behavior Technician.

Links:
More about Dr. C

More about Laura Rhodes

Learn with Behavior Vets online!

Theme music composed and performed by Andy Sells

Contact Behavior Vets

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This is the real life story of Freddie, an adorable and mischievous miniature Australian Shepherd pup, who suffered from separation anxiety in NYC. Freddie's humans welcomed him home as a young puppy and were determined to do everything right. But his problems with separation anxiety were beyond what they could handle on their own and they became trapped in their own home. Desperate for help, Freddie's humans sent him to a board and train facility and ended up with a very traumatized pup. Sound familiar? Don't miss this episode if your pet is suffering from separation-related problems.

Jenna's bio:
New Jersey native Jenna Gallicchio founded Bedminster’s premiere training center, All Star Paws Dog Training Academy, which she ran from 2004 until joining Behavior Vets in 2022. She has 20 years of experience teaching group, private, and virtual classes to help dogs struggling with fear, anxiety, and reactivity. She earned her CSAT (Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer) in 2015 and has focused on helping owners whose dogs struggle to be left alone ever since. 

Jenna is the author of two best selling books, “The Secret To Getting Your Dog To Do What You Want” and “Teach Your Dog To Pee and Poop Outside: Housetraining Made Easy”.  Her programs The Housetraining Made Easy Video Series and the Ring My Bell Program which accompany the books are helping people all over the world to house train their pups. You can also find her as a featured expert on Malena DeMartini’s blog “Me, Emmy and Separation Anxiety” and as the expert trainer for Bedminster’s own CB Pet Market where she created their two most popular webinar training programs, “Separation Anxiety” and “From Puppy Overwhelm to Puppy Love”.

Links:
Separation Anxiety Prevention

https://behaviorvetsnyc.com/

Jenna's books:
The Secret To Getting Your Dog To Do What You Want
Teach Your Dog To Pee and Poop Outside: Housetraining Made Easy

Contact Behavior Vets

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In this episode, Dr. Alexandra Horowitz discusses how dogs perceive the world and understanding what is meaningful to them. We discuss:

• The concept of the umwelt and how to imagine what it's like to be a dog.
• Her research at the Dog Cognition Lab in Barnard College and how she would like it to influence the way we live with dogs. 
• Questioning things we think we know about dogs with empirical research.
• Her new book The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves

Dr. Horowitz's bio:
Dr. Alexandra Horowitz heads the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College, where she also teaches seminars in canine cognition, creative nonfiction writing, and audio storytelling. She is the author of 5 books, including Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know and, most recently, The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves. She lives with her family of Homo sapiens, Canis familiaris, and Felis catus in New York City.

Links:
Opportunities for dog caregivers to participate in research at the Dog Cognition Lab @ Barnard College

http://alexandrahorowitz.net/

Theme music composed and performed by Andy Sells

Contact Behavior Vets

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