Velcro Dogs and Pavlov’s Horse: Helping Your Animal with Behavioral Issues

Three Online Sessions in October

Is your pandemic pound puppy distraught—and destructive—whenever you leave the house? Does your horse get the heebie-jeebies every time the vet’s truck pulls up?

Did you know that aggressive dogs may be telling you through their body language that they are motivated by fear, not by dominance?

Find out what’s going on in your animal’s head and how you can help the situation by attending Insights into Behavior, a series of webinars by a seasoned veterinary behaviorist. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is offering three online sessions designed for animal owners and veterinarians.

The speaker is Katherine Houpt, VMD, PhD, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the James Law Professor Emeritus of Behavior Medicine at Cornell University.

Register here for $45 per session: go.illinois.edu/insightsintobehavior

The sessions focus on identifying the problems and triggers your animal is experiencing. Drawing on her research and 40 years of experience, Dr. Houpt offers various methods for behavior modification as well as some medication options.

Participants may ask questions directly to Dr. Houpt at the end of each session. Sessions begin at 6 pm CDT. Preregistration is required. Veterinarians may earn 1 hour of CE per session.

• Insights into Behavior: Separation Anxiety, Thursday, October 7 The risk factors for separation anxiety will be listed as well as the ways of differentiating separation anxiety from other behaviors. Treatment of separation anxiety includes both behavior modification and use of psychopharmacological agents.
• Insights into Behavior: Canine Aggression, Thursday, October 14 Canine aggression is the most common behavior problem of dogs. The aggression can be directed to people or dogs, both familiar and unfamiliar. The ways in which injury can be prevented will be presented as well as training methods and medications to help dogs be less likely to bite.
• Insights into Behavior: Horse Behavior Problems, Thursday, October 21 Fear of veterinarians is the most common equine behavior problem. Other problems include aggression to people and to other horses and problems with over-attachment to another horse. Management training and medications for these problems will be offered.

Photo by Mike Burke on Unsplash