VALUABLE
RESOURCES
Veterinary behaviorists are doctors in veterinary medicine who have attended a veterinary program for 4 years post an undergraduate degree and then continue their study for an additional 3 to 8 years of specialized education, publication, and research. They are knowledgeable in all species, current scientific literature, learning theory, psychotropic medications, and medical causes that can directly affect behavior.
Veterinary Information
American College of Veterinary Behaviorists: Find A Veterinary Behaviorist Directory for pet owners and veterinarians as well as current handouts and resources.
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior: This organization includes veterinary behaviorists, veterinarians, and research scientists who have a common interest in animal behavior. AVSAB has several position statements on punishment, trainers, dominance, and more that can be freely accessed by the public.
Psychology Today’s Decoding Your Pet Blog: An excellent free resource written by multiple veterinary behaviorists on multiple relevant behavior topics with cats and dogs.
Trainer Information
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC): The goals of this organization “is to inspire, develop, and provide quality, evidence-based, education, research, and other charitable activities in animal training and behavior.” This organization is almost entirely volunteer-run and has behavior education on a multitude of topics and species.
Karen Pryor Academy: Teaches effective marker-based positive reinforcement training. The aim of the academy is to build a community of positive reinforcement trainers who share the value of collaboration. The method is commonly called “clicker training” and is applicable to all species.
The Muzzle Up! Project: Muzzle training pets can be a sensitive topic but there are many indications for needing to muzzle train a pet. The Muzzle Up! Project does a wonderful job of describing the specific reasons for pets to be muzzled and how to teach you how to slowly acclimate your pet to love wearing their muzzle.
How to Choose a Trainer: AVSAB position statement on what to look for in choosing a trainer for your pet.
Family Information
Family Paws Parent Education: Family Paws, created by Jennifer Shryrock, provides support to families who are preparing their lives for babies and/or toddlers cohabiting with dogs. Family Paws has several free resources on their website as well as the ability to look up an educator in your area.
Living with Kids and Dogs: An educational resource by Colleen Pelar who created several books on the topics of living with kids and dogs.
Dr. Yin’s Body Language Posters: These posters display the different types of body language that our pets are showing us which can help children and adults read pets and interpret their needs in a more precise way. There is also information on how to greet dogs as well as how kids should interact with dogs.
Fear Free Happy Homes: This is a resource to educate pet parents on ways to alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress with their pets on a daily basis and throughout their lives.
Fear Free Pets: Where you can find a certified fear-free practice, certified fear-free veterinarian, veterinary staff members, groomers, and trainers