Behavior Talk

Another in our special series of interviews from the North American Veterinary Conference.

Another in our special series of interviews from the North American Veterinary Conference.

This episode continues our special series of interviews with animal behavior professionals from the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando Florida. Today we feature an interview with Dr. Kersti Seksel, a registered veterinary specialist in behavior medicine in New South Wales, Australia. We started our conversation talking about her presentation on managing aggression in a clinic setting.

Dr. Temple Grandin is one of the more unique and influential people working in animal behavior today. She is a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, but is perhaps best known for her innovative work redesigning livestock facilities around the world. Her autism often gives her a different prospective, allowing her to better understand how an animal might respond to its environment. She took time for this interview while visiting the University of Minnesota for a series of talks.

This episodes guest is Steve Dale, ubiquitous radio host, newspaper columnist, author, and untiring advocate for cats and dogs. You can hear his syndicated weekly radio program "Pet World," "The Pet Minute," and "Pet Central," which originates from WGN Radio in Chicago. He's a frequent lecturer and moderator at conferences and seminars all over the country, and is a special correspondent for Cat Fancy magazine. He talked with me from the Black Dog Radio studios, in Chicago.

Steve Dale and Dr. R.K. Anderson discuss enriching the home environment for cats.

Steve Dale and Dr. R.K. Anderson discuss enriching the home environment for dogs.

Steve Dale and Dr. R.K. Anderson discuss socialization for dogs

Steve Dale's Pet Central Radio, part 2

Steve Dale talks with Dr. R.K. Anderson on his "Pet Central Radio" program, originating from WGN Studios in Chicago. They talk about animal behavior, and take calls from listeners. Part one of two.

This is the last of our 4-part series on the topic of play, all recorded at the 2008 Association of Pet Dog Trainers Conference. My guest today is Pia Silvani, a trainer, author, and speaker based in Morristown, New Jersey. Pia was one the keynote speakers during the APDT's special one-day symposium on Play, giving a talk entitled "Appropriate Versus Inappropriate Play between Dogs" We talked about the topic of Play, and the kinds of information exchange and learning dogs engage in when they're playing.

We're continuing our four-episode series from the 2008 Association of Pet Dog Trainers Conference, taking a look at the topic of play. In this episode I talk with Kellyann Conway, the immediate past-president of APDT. I caught up with her as the hotel crew was clearing away lunch on the last day of the conference. In addition to a spot-on Tina Fey as Sarah Palin impersonation during the APDT Entertainment night, she also tireless saw to all the details of the conference. We talked about the conference, and why APDT decided to devote a full-day symposium to the topic of play. She also talked about what's ahead for APDT, and for dog training in general.

Behavior Talk 019: Melissa Bain

Dr. Lare Houg led a couple of seminars at the AVMA conference, one on using various control devices to improve behavior and owner compliance, and the other on improving humane restraint techniques in the veterinary clinic. We talked about these seminars, and also how owners can find out good information on veterinarians, trainers, and animal behavior in general, and how professionals can help keep owners motivated and effective with their animals.

In a wide ranging conversation, we touched on a number of topics, including cats with litterbox and other issues; cribbing in horses, and the genetics of aggression. We began our talk with a discussion of some recent research on pheromones.