The Animal Behaviour Doctors

Every young animal has an alarm system in their body that is designed to keep them safe from harm. When activated, the alarm system prepares the body to fight or run away.Dr Mel Starling & Dr Kat Gregory introduce the topic of early life trauma  - the potential effects on puppies - short & longer term.      How might we- as primary caregivers - help mitigate the outcomes of trauma?  An important preliminary discussion with the Animal Behaviour Doctors,  for everyone who lives with dogs of all ages.

Dr Mel Starling & Dr Kat Gregory discuss how to help your dog manage separation distress.  The impacts on the welfare of dogs & their people can be significant, but with an integrated, comprehensive approach, outcomes can be positive, over time. Support is out there, you aren't alone.The Separation Struggles Class mentioned - moderated by Trish Allan:https://www.allpetseducationandtraining.com.au/separation-struggles---12-week-virtual-course.html

In this episode Dr Mel & Dr Kat discuss consent - as it applies to animals in human managed care. They also discuss some important aspects of Cooperative Care - including the patient & more.What is useful to teach?  Effective reinforcement strategies. Handling & restraint.Pre Visit medication strategies.The entire team delivering care to the animal patient - Primary carers, Trainers & Vet Teams - all need to collaborate to deliver quality patient care.  The goal - to create patients - who have a sense of agency - who feel safe & supported in the clinical setting.

Dr MJ  & Dr Kat - discuss & describe the rehabilitation of dogs with behavioural challenges. Why the modus of treatment matters, with respect to outcomes for the dogs & their guardians - & why ethical standards matter.

Mel & Kat spend some time chatting with the fascinating Leslie McDevitt.Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, TAGteach Level 2, is the author of the internationally popular Control Unleashed series of books and DVDs published by Clean Run Productions. Her books have been translated into many languages; people all over the world have learned how to use her science-based and empowering methods to help companion, performance, and working dogs learn how to function optimally without stress in very challenging environments.Leslie also certifies qualified trainers to teach her program and is proud of her Certified Control Unleashed Instructors all over the world. If you have a dog that worries about stuff—other dogs, people, noises, dog show judges, the unexpected—Leslie has many fun counter-conditioning games just for you. Leslie is a popular conference speaker and held the first Conference Unleashed in 2020.

The doctors discuss reasons why behaviour modification strategies might seem ineffective and what we can do about it. More basic strategies for creating positive behaviour change.Instead of saying - how do I stop my dog from doing something I prefer they didn't, first consider how to create an environment - to make the "right" behaviour easy to offer, reliably.

The Animal Behaviour Doctors chat with Dr Diana Rayment about greyhound behaviour, focusing on predatory behaviour, how to read a passive dog, and practical tips for living with an ex-racing greyhound. Dr Diana Rayment holds a PhD in Canine Behaviour and a Bachelor of Animal Science. Her primary research area is canine behaviour and assessments in applied settings, like animal shelters. She has also worked in a variety of academic and industry settings, including as a TAFE and university educator, as an applied scientist studying companion animal welfare and behaviour and working dog assessments, a dog trainer, a shelter nurse, and most recently, leading the behaviour team at the Greyhound Adoption Program Victoria. Diana is now working to integrate and improve animal welfare and animal management practices in Australia through a variety of roles, including consulting and training through her private business and as a Shelter Supervisor at Second Chance Animal Rescue.

Dr Kat & Dr Mel discuss the findings from multiple studies on psychological stress in Laboratory Animals and Dogs in shelters.  Challenging environments certainly result in increased stress - what can we do to mitigate the distress animals experience? In social species, conspecifics can provide valuable, & measurable, mitigation of the stress experienced by individuals. Humans can be important in stress abatement of another social species - dogs.  Click on the link to the published research overview.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/11/2061?fbclid=IwAR0FQ7qo9q765Q_JJQoBkTajZjEL-bWskCE-b5lpl9mYIyzSqhKm0Nk26Mk

In this episode  Dr Mel Starling & Dr Kat Gregory embark on an initial exploration of the application of "Clicker Training" - using the recent publication by the team of The Clever Dog Lab, University of Vienna as a springboard!Cimarelli, G., Schoesswender, J., Vitiello, R. et al. Partial rewarding during clicker training does not improve naïve dogs’ learning speed and induces a pessimistic-like affective state. Anim Cogn (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01425-9

The Animal Behaviour Doctors discuss the basics of implementing an effective behaviour modification program.We will be running an online session to discuss this episode - stay tuned for details! 

Just like humans, it's important for animals to develop relationships with their own kind (conspecifics).  Dogs are unusual, in that it appears that they become attached to their human caregivers, in much the same way that a child bonds to a parent - using the secure base effect.  The Animal Behaviour Doctors discuss some of the findings of recent research.

Applying the science of learning to training animals - may be described as a relatively "silent" conversation. How we choose to behave in that transaction, can have profound impact on animal welfare. “The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.”― William Hazlitt, Selected Essays, 1778-1830

MJ & Kat discuss a recent paper published in BIOLOGY LETTERS"Teenage dogs? Evidence for adolescent-phase conflict behaviour and  an association  between attachment in human and pubertal timing in the domestic dog"Lucy Asher et al

Enjoying your puppy's learning during COVID 19 isolation - socialisation & preparing for the future.