Davis, CA Oct 1, 2009

Afternoon Talk: Treatment Modalities for Canine Aggression

This talk is for students of the vet school, faculty and staff of the VMTH. "Aggression" accounts for up to 75 or 80% of a certified applied animal behaviorist's case load, and yet the term is so broad that it is almost the behavioral equivalent of "my dog is sick." This presentation will discuss how to evaluate a range of behavioral problems labeled as aggression by owners, and will describe and demonstrate different treatment modalities, including different forms of operant conditioning, classical conditioning, training for impulse control and emotional inhibition, as well as perspectives about diet, the dog's environment and medication.

Evening Talk for the Public - 6:30 pm

For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend

How much of your emotional life do you think is shared by your dog? This presentation will illustrate how understanding emotions in you and your dog can improve your relationship with your four-legged best friend. Through a series of photographs and videos, we'll discuss how fear, anger and happiness are primal emotions generated from the same sources in you and your dog's brain. You'll learn how to recognize subtle signs of discomfort, fear, irritation and joy on the faces of dogs that you may never have noticed, and learn how to help your dog when he is frightened (and calm him if he is angry!). We'll discuss the controversy over whether dogs can be jealous, sympathetic or guilty. No matter how well you know your dog, you'll come away with an enhanced understanding and appreciation of the complexity of emotion in you and your best friend.
Cost of the evening talk is $25.

For more info and to register, please visit the UC Davis website.