Page 7 - Volume 18 Issue 2
P. 7
Veterinary News and Notes
WHO WOULD FIDO CHOOSE? Meeting the trainers and watching them work with a dog and interact with
HOW TO SELECT THE BEST TRAINERS people is a good way to decide on referrals. She added that veterinarians
should also follow up with clients about their experiences with the trainers.
Helping clients solve their pets’ behavior
issues is an important part of complete
veterinary care, Suzanne Hetts, PhD, told ANIMAL WELFARE STUDIES GUIDELINES FOR
members of the student Animal Behavior VETERINARY SCHOOLS
Club on April 7.
Professor of Animal Welfare Jose M. Peralta,
“It is inevitable, once you are in practice, pet DVM, MSc, PhD, DACAW, DECAWBM, has
owners will ask a question about their pets’ spent several years as a member of the Model
behavior,” said Dr. Hetts, who, with Daniel Q. Animal Welfare Curriculum Planning Group
Estep, PhD, owns Animal Behavior working on an American Veterinary Medical
Associates, Inc., (ABA) based in Colorado’s Association (AVMA) project to develop a
Denver area. “We recommend that you have program to facilitate the integration of the
knowledge about people in the community who can help. animal welfare discipline in veterinary
education. The set of guidelines that resulted
“There have been trainers prosecuted for cruelty to animals because of their should influence how accredited veterinary
training techniques, and those trainers had been getting referrals from colleges incorporate animal welfare in the
veterinarians,” she added. “You don’t want to be the veterinarian who education and competencies of future
made that referral. It is important to know who the trainers are and what veterinarians. Those results were published in the March 15 issue of
they are doing.” JAVMA, the journal of AVMA: “A model curriculum for the study of animal
welfare in colleges and schools of veterinary medicine.” The study may be
That is not an easy task, Dr. Hetts said.
accessed here:
“Anyone can call themselves a trainer, or a behaviorist, and that does not
necessarily mean that person is competent,” she said. “If the word http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.250.6.632
‘certified’ is used in a title, that’s a little better, but you need to know what
the certification stands for and the criteria for earning that certificate.”
Both Hetts and Estep are Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB).
The rigorous educational and experience requirements for this credential is
explained on the Animal Behavior Society website
(http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org). There is a plethora of training
organizations, though, so veterinarians need to do diligent online research,
including reviewing any demonstration videos posted by the trainer.
Veterinarians also could invite trainers to the office to demonstrate their
techniques.
The dog training field is contentious, with a continuum of punishment or
aversive techniques as the first or primary approach on one end, and a
rejection of any and all punishment, and the purported use of only positive
reinforcement on the other, she said. What’s important is solving problems
effectively and efficiently without causing harm, and doing what’s good for
dogs.
She recommended that veterinarians be wary of trainers who say that
“being dominant” is key to better behavior and that shock collars are the
first or only tool in their repertoire.
“We've seen both aggression- and fear-related problems develop because of CVM associate professor Dr. John Tyler was the top choice of students to kiss a
inappropriate punishment --- meaning painful or physically forceful pig: Specifically, Penelope Pig from Danny’s Farm Petting Zoo on the Cal Poly
punishment that is too strong or delivered inconsistently, so that the dog Pomona campus. The annual contest and associated Cook of the Block outdoor
doesn't know when he'll be punished nor how to avoid punishment,” lunch potluck is a fundraiser for the student chapter of the American Veterinary
Dr. Hetts said. Medical Association (SCAVMA). This year’s event was on April 11, 2017.
Veterinary Outlook 5eterinary Outlook 5eterinary Outlook 5
V V
WHO WOULD FIDO CHOOSE? Meeting the trainers and watching them work with a dog and interact with
HOW TO SELECT THE BEST TRAINERS people is a good way to decide on referrals. She added that veterinarians
should also follow up with clients about their experiences with the trainers.
Helping clients solve their pets’ behavior
issues is an important part of complete
veterinary care, Suzanne Hetts, PhD, told ANIMAL WELFARE STUDIES GUIDELINES FOR
members of the student Animal Behavior VETERINARY SCHOOLS
Club on April 7.
Professor of Animal Welfare Jose M. Peralta,
“It is inevitable, once you are in practice, pet DVM, MSc, PhD, DACAW, DECAWBM, has
owners will ask a question about their pets’ spent several years as a member of the Model
behavior,” said Dr. Hetts, who, with Daniel Q. Animal Welfare Curriculum Planning Group
Estep, PhD, owns Animal Behavior working on an American Veterinary Medical
Associates, Inc., (ABA) based in Colorado’s Association (AVMA) project to develop a
Denver area. “We recommend that you have program to facilitate the integration of the
knowledge about people in the community who can help. animal welfare discipline in veterinary
education. The set of guidelines that resulted
“There have been trainers prosecuted for cruelty to animals because of their should influence how accredited veterinary
training techniques, and those trainers had been getting referrals from colleges incorporate animal welfare in the
veterinarians,” she added. “You don’t want to be the veterinarian who education and competencies of future
made that referral. It is important to know who the trainers are and what veterinarians. Those results were published in the March 15 issue of
they are doing.” JAVMA, the journal of AVMA: “A model curriculum for the study of animal
welfare in colleges and schools of veterinary medicine.” The study may be
That is not an easy task, Dr. Hetts said.
accessed here:
“Anyone can call themselves a trainer, or a behaviorist, and that does not
necessarily mean that person is competent,” she said. “If the word http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.250.6.632
‘certified’ is used in a title, that’s a little better, but you need to know what
the certification stands for and the criteria for earning that certificate.”
Both Hetts and Estep are Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB).
The rigorous educational and experience requirements for this credential is
explained on the Animal Behavior Society website
(http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org). There is a plethora of training
organizations, though, so veterinarians need to do diligent online research,
including reviewing any demonstration videos posted by the trainer.
Veterinarians also could invite trainers to the office to demonstrate their
techniques.
The dog training field is contentious, with a continuum of punishment or
aversive techniques as the first or primary approach on one end, and a
rejection of any and all punishment, and the purported use of only positive
reinforcement on the other, she said. What’s important is solving problems
effectively and efficiently without causing harm, and doing what’s good for
dogs.
She recommended that veterinarians be wary of trainers who say that
“being dominant” is key to better behavior and that shock collars are the
first or only tool in their repertoire.
“We've seen both aggression- and fear-related problems develop because of CVM associate professor Dr. John Tyler was the top choice of students to kiss a
inappropriate punishment --- meaning painful or physically forceful pig: Specifically, Penelope Pig from Danny’s Farm Petting Zoo on the Cal Poly
punishment that is too strong or delivered inconsistently, so that the dog Pomona campus. The annual contest and associated Cook of the Block outdoor
doesn't know when he'll be punished nor how to avoid punishment,” lunch potluck is a fundraiser for the student chapter of the American Veterinary
Dr. Hetts said. Medical Association (SCAVMA). This year’s event was on April 11, 2017.
Veterinary Outlook 5eterinary Outlook 5eterinary Outlook 5
V V
