speaking engagements
Feline Aggression
Objective: To provide veterinarians with an understanding of the risks, differential diagnosis and motivations, prognostic indicators, treatment and safety recommendations when dealing with feline aggression, both intercat and human directed.
Fears and Phobias
Objective: This lecture will review how to recognize signs of fear and outline specific cases in order to provide veterinarians with a basic understanding of the risk factors, differential diagnosis, motivations, prognostic indicators, treatment including appropriate behavior modification and pharmacological intervention where necessary.
Canine Aggression
Objective 1: To provide veterinarians with an understanding of the risks, differential diagnosis and motivations, prognostic indicators, treatment and safety recommendations when dealing with canine aggression.
Objective 2: To discuss outdated methodologies such as dominance theory and coercive training techniques and outline the most up to date and scientifically based recommendations for behavior modification.
Canine Aggression: Legal Considerations
Objectives: To provide legal professionals with an understanding of the various motivations of causes for aggression which are considered when making a diagnosis; common triggers; Behavioral Biology; Canine body language; Risk evaluation; History taking; factors affecting onset and progression. Topics covered: Liability relating to dog bites.
Feline Inappropriate Elimination
Objective: Spraying and inappropriate elimination in cats is very common and often can result in relinquishment of the pet. If a proper diagnosis is achieved and appropriate recommendations made, even more severe problems can be improved or resolved. This lecture will review how to gather relevant behavioral information necessary to make a diagnosis while differentiating medical from behavioral causes for feline elimination disorders. Behavior modification, environmental management and appropriate use of pharmacological agents for the treatment will be discussed.
Repetitive Behavior
Objective: This lecture will review differential diagnosis for repetitive behavior including attention seeking behavior, compulsive disorders, and displacement behavior while considering underlying medical causes. This will give veterinarians a basic understanding of the risk factors, differential diagnosis, motivations, prognostic indicators, treatment including appropriate behavior modification and pharmacological intervention when necessary.
Ten Ways to Reduce Stress in the Veterinary Clinic
Objective 1: To provided veterinarians and staff with basic information on animal behavior and an approach to integrating behavioral medicine into the general practice in order to help make the practice “behavior friendly” and to reduce animal stress during hospital visits.
Objective 2: To outline the importance of early socialization, interpretation of fearful body postures, low stress handling/approach, humane training techniques, pheromones, and behavior education resources for clients.
Veterinary Psychopharmacology
Objective 1: To outline the neuromolecular mechanism of learning and behavior and the role of medications in these processes.
Objective 2: To provide the general practitioner with a basic understanding of the mechanisms and appropriate application of various classes of psychotropic drugs.
Objective 3: To outline important research on the current use of psychotropic medications.
Behavior Modification Tools and Techniques
Objective: To provide veterinarians and their staff with a basic understanding of behavior modification tools and techniques to modify behavior in the context of veterinary visits and by the owners at home. This lecture reviews the principles of operant and classical conditioning, shaping and flooding techniques as well as introducing the role of various behavioral tools such as head halters, basket muzzles and food dispensing toys for both dogs and cats.
Kids and Pets – When Scooby Bites
Objective: To provide veterinarians with an understanding of the risks, differential diagnosis and motivations, prognostic indicators, treatment and safety recommendations when dealing with child directed aggression.
Separation Anxiety
Objective: To provided veterinarians with a basic understanding of risk factors, taking a behavioral history, differential diagnosis and prognostic indicators and treatment recommendations pertaining to separation anxiety. Pharmacological intervention and behavior modification will be reviewed using case examples.
Setting Up a Puppy and Kitten Socialization Class
Objective 1: To provide information to veterinarians and veterinary staff on the importance of early socialization and outline the current recommendations set forth by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.
Objective 2: To outline important topics, tools and exercises to be integrated into a puppy socialization class.