GoodPup’s New Webinar Series on Surrender Prevention; Addressing Common Behavioral Challenges begins Friday, January 20, 2023!

During the spring webinar series, GoodPup will break down how to provide some preventive management and simple solutions for addressing a variety of common behavioral challenges experienced with the welcoming of new family members. The series begins in January with House Training struggles including common setbacks and the demands encountered within different lifestyles. Then they’ll dabble into other challenges during the following months including barking, jumping, mouthiness, crate concerns and reactivity to unfamiliar people.

The first webinar is scheduled for January 20th at 2 PM EST. Mark your calendars as you won’t want to miss the beginning of this new problem solving series!

Presenter:

Kait Hembree VTS (Behavior), CVT, KPA CTP
Head of Training at GoodPup

Kait Hembree and her team designed the GoodPup Training Program using the latest scientific research and positive reinforcement training techniques. Kait’s career in Animal Behavior spans decades. She has extensive experience working with behavior modification both in and outside veterinary practices and animal shelters. She regularly consults as a dog behavior expert across the country.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/surrender-prevention-series-potty-training-challenges-tickets-499611179487

What is the secret ingredient for high performing teams? Research over the last few decades clearly indicates that teams with high levels of “psychological safety” consistently and dramatically outperform those that do not. Psychological safety refers to freedom from fear of being ridiculed or punished for speaking up about one’s ideas, opinions, questions or mistakes. When individuals feel fully included and are able to speak honestly and without fear of social risk, teams are more innovative, make fewer errors, are more capable of complex problem solving, and are willing to give discretionary effort for the good of the group. This session will explore the key elements of psychological safety in teams. You, as a leader, will be equipped with tips and techniques for fostering psychological safety in your organization.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://learning.theaawa.org/p/2-15-23

Have you ever heard the phrase, “death by a thousand paper cuts?” It’s not only blatant acts of bias that exclude or discriminate against people from minoritized populations. It’s often the more subtle acts of exclusion, also known as microinequities or microaggressions, that are equally if not more harmful. These behaviors on the surface may seem insignificant, for example:

• frequently interrupting the same people during conversations
• consistently forgetting or mispronouncing a person’s name
• using coded or stereotypical language
• overlooking someone’s work but praising another’s

Regardless of the intentions of the message sender, the impact of such actions are often deeply felt by the receiver, especially if they have been on the receiving end of exclusionary treatment many times before. This session will help you recognize some common microaggressions, understand the impact of such actions, and develop techniques to respond effectively when they occur.

(“Microaggression” by Giulia Forsythe / CC 2.0)

WEBSITE LINK:  https://learning.theaawa.org/p/2-01-23

Join us on the second Thursday every month for a series on the latest research in animal well-being and how you can use the findings in your shelter and community.

These one-hour webinars will be recorded and have been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.

This webcast has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval.

REGISTER HERE

Thursday, April 13 at noon Pacific / 2pm Central / 3pm Eastern
This webinar will be presented by Monique Udell, Ph. D., CAAB, Associate Professor of Animal Sciences at Oregon State University, where she also runs the Human-Animal Interactions Lab.

Many people feel that they have shared a strong bond with a do, and there is growing scientific evidence that these dogs also form strong bonds with their humans. However, science also tells us that not all bonds are created equal. The kind and quality of attachment relationship shared can influence a dog’s behavior and welfare outcomes. In this talk, Dr. Monique Udell will provide an overview of attachment theory, including what it means to be a Secure Base, and how this knowledge can be applied to better understand and improve dog-human relationships and the relationships shared between humans and other animals.

About the presenter:

Monique Udell, Ph. D., CAAB

Dr. Monique Udell is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and an Associate Professor of Animal Sciences at Oregon State University, where she also runs the Human-Animal Interactions Lab. Much of her work focuses on the development of human-animal bonds and the impact that these bonds can have on the behavior and success of both species. She also studies the social behavior and cognition of a variety of species including cats, dogs, wolves, and sheep, with a special interest in the influence of domestication and lifetime experience on behavioral development, welfare and learning. In addition, Dr. Udell is the co-director of an animal-assisted intervention program dedicated to improving the quality of life of children with and without developmental disabilities and their family dogs and cats. To find out more visit: https://thehumananimalbond.com/

WEBSITE LINK:  https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastSecureBase

Every year millions of cats enter animal shelters in the U.S. alone. Interventions are greatly needed that have the potential to reduce cat stress and increase cat welfare while in the shelter environment. Although dog foster programs have become commonplace for many animal shelters, cat foster programs are relatively uncommon, potentially due to the belief that cats may be at risk of unnecessary stress from the fostering experience. In the study, researchers examined the social behavior and stress levels of cats that stayed in the shelter to cats that left the shelter for short-term foster, either for 1-night or 1-week. The results of the study indicate that shelter cats placed in foster care were not at a disadvantage. These findings can benefit both cats and animal shelters alike. Attendees will learn more about the study and how to apply the findings of the research to help reduce stress and promote welfare for cats living in animal shelters. The research discussed in this webinar was made possible by a grant from Maddie’s Fund®, #ThankstoMaddie.

This webinar will be recorded and has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.

This program has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval.

About the presenter
Kristyn Vitale, PhD
Dr. Vitale received a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Oregon State University and a Master’s in Environmental Science from Miami University. She holds a B.S. in Zoology and a B.A. in Social Geography from Kent State University. Her areas of specialization are animal behavior and human-animal interaction. Her research focuses specifically on domestic cat behavior, cat social cognition, and the cat-human relationship. She has worked professionally with cats for over 15 years. During her graduate career she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, a Visiting Research Fellow at Kyoto University in Japan, and Maddie’s Postdoctoral Scholar. Her research on cat behavior and human-animal interaction has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals. Her innovative research has generated significant international attention from media outlets including Science, National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Times of London. She has taught a variety of courses on animal behavior and welfare, including courses focused on enrichment, learning, and behavior modification. She is also a cat trainer who has taught kitten training classes and offered socialization opportunities to cats of all ages. She is an active public speaker and is frequently invited to present at professional associations and to the general public.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastShortTermFoster