Reactive or Proactive? What’s Agency Got to Do With It? In my last post, we talked about the use of the word “reactivity” to describe how easily an emotional response is triggered in an individual animal. In this article, I am going to talk about two perspectives on reactive and proactive responding. The most widespread… Continue reading Reactive or Proactive? What’s Agency Got to Do With It?
What Does Reactivity Really Mean? That’s a good question! Depending on where you look, there are many different definitions of the term. If we look at the research on emotion, one definition of reactivity comes from the concept of affective style, originally developed by Richard Davidson. Affective style refers to individual differences in the three… Continue reading What Does Reactivity Really Mean?
I previously wrote about what is meant when we use the term reactivity and some of the different factors that influence reactivity. This month I’ll be talking about how we can use this information to improve our ability to work with reactive dogs. As a reminder, my preferred definition of reactivity is that of affective… Continue reading Addressing Emotional Reactivity
Here is a quick little episode for you with a summary of three recent papers that I think you’ll enjoy. As I review each study, I also provide guidance on how to evaluate the design and findings with an open, inquiring and interpretive mind. Each paper is open access, so I hope if you find the topics… Continue reading Mini Episode 1 – Horse Handling, Cat Aggression, and Pandemic Puppies
In this episode, I will be talking to Dr. Erin Hecht about the brains of our best friends! Dr. Hecht received her bachelor of science degree in cognitive science from the University of California, San Diego in 2006, and her PhD in neuroscience from Emory University in 2013. Before moving to Harvard, she was a… Continue reading Episode 18 – Dr. Erin Hecht – Breed Differences in Dog Brains
We can’t help animals if we ourselves are not okay. Taking care of your mental health and well-being is essential to avoid burnout. In this episode, I interview Pierre Zimmerman, a Buddhist chaplain and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction instructor. We discuss the impact of stress on different aspect of behavior and approaches for handling stress… Continue reading Episode 16 – Pierre Zimmerman on Addressing Burnout
Dr. Sharmaine Miller is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Her research focuses on stress, One Health, and health equity and she is interested in human-animal relationships and their impact on both human and animal health. Dr. Miller completed her undergraduate studies at Towson University and her PhD in Biology from… Continue reading Episode 17 – Dr. Sharmaine Miller – One Health
Dr. Allison Scagel is the owner and founder of Scholars with Collars Training and Behavior LLC. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and conservation biology and minors in both psychology and animal behavior. She then interned with Dr. Spaulding for three years. She also served as a… Continue reading Episode 15 – Dr. Allison Scagel on Cognition and Training
I had the honor of sitting down as Victoria Stilwell’s guest on the Positively Dog Training podcast in April, 2023. Victoria is the CEO of Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training (VSPDT) – a global network of world-class positive reinforcement dog trainers, and a world-renowned dog trainer best known as the star of the international hit TV series It’s… Continue reading A Discussion with Victoria Stilwell on the Neurobiology of Aggression
In April 2023, I was excited to be invited as a guest on Pet Harmony’s ‘Enrichment for the Real World’ podcast, with host Emily Strong, CDBC, SBA. The subject was of course the one closest to my heart and my expertise – the intricate relationship between stress and dog behavior. Emily and I enjoyed a down-to-earth… Continue reading A Conversation About Stress on the Enrichment for the Real World Podcast
