This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.

Pain & discomfort are often under-diagnosed in dogs with behavioral issues. This presentation highlights why this happens, cases where pain was the cause of the behavior issues or made behavioral issues worse. This is happening in young dogs and dogs who may not show any typical signs of pain/discomfort but rather express it as aggression and or anxiety.

Speaker: Emily Levine, DVM, DACVB

This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, access the resources, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/BehaviorConnectionJanuary2026

keywords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, Dr. Emily Levine, canine behavior, pain in dogs, canine anxiety

Leer el lenguaje corporal de los perros y comunicarnos bien con nuestro propio comportamiento son habilidades que se desarrollan con práctica y atención. En este curso analizarás videos de perros y sus manejadores “hablando” entre sí. El manejador necesita entender lo que el perro le está diciendo y también comunicarle sus intenciones. La meta siempre es que la persona y el perro estén de acuerdo en: “Me gustas.” A lo largo del curso, aprenderás a reconocer conductas que muestran que el perro no está seguro y pensarás en cómo bajar la tensión para regresar la conversación al estado de “Me gustas.”

Autora del curso: Devan Amundsen, CPDT-KA, entrenadora certificada con más de 15 años de experiencia con perros de dueños, refugios y de trabajo.

This course is the follow-up course to Fundamentals of Canine Communication and Safe Dog Handling. Please complete that course before taking this one. 

As in the first course, this course offers a series of short video examples to demonstrate behaviors and techniques in a real-world setting.

This course will explore some of the reasons why we might see some of the more challenging behaviors we experience working with dogs. Throughout this exploration, it's important to remember that behavior is neither "good" or "bad." Behavior is a response to the environment, but it is influenced by countless factors: genetics, health, injury, learning history, current environment...and the list just goes on!

We also want to keep in mind that our primary job when working with dogs is prevention. Our goal, especially during assessment, training or behavior modification, should not be to provoke potentially dangerous behavior. We want to recognize early warning signs and de-escalate whenever possible.

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

Understanding and respecting an animal’s signals during interactions can significantly enhance their welfare and improve the human-animal interactions. In this presentation, Dr. Amir Sarrafchi will discuss his research on how dogs respond behaviorally when allowed to choose or refuse human contact. Drawing from his work on animal agency and consent, Dr. Sarrafchi will explore how these concepts can be practically applied in everyday animal care, shelter environments, and adoption programs.

Participants will gain insights into how allowing animals to exercise choice, such as initiating or avoiding touch, can reduce stress and support more positive interactions. The session will translate research findings into simple, effective strategies that caretakers, trainers, and shelter staff can use to promote consent-based handling and improve welfare outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

·       Recognize behavioral indicators that reflect a dog’s comfort or discomfort during human interaction.

·       Understand the importance of agency and consent in enhancing animal welfare and fostering a more humane relationship between humans and animals.

·       Apply practical strategies for incorporating choice and consent into daily care, training, and shelter routines.

Presenter: Amir Sarrafchi, DVM, MSc, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Guelph

This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval through 11/3/2027. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA and NACA.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/InsightsJ...

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Dr. Amir Sarrafchi, animal adoption, dog behavior, canine stress in an animal shelter

Resource guarding is a common canine behavior observed in shelters. It is a problem that can have negative outcomes for dogs because shelter dogs exhibiting human-directed aggression are at greater risk of euthanasia. Resource guarding is a natural behavior that occurs on a spectrum. It can be improved through a behavior plan, and some dogs never exhibit resource guarding again after  implementing that plan, but it is a behavior that is never completely cured.

This course addresses one form of resource guarding behavior – food bowl guarding. You will learn one resource guarding protocol that is effective at reducing mild to moderate levels of resource guarding behavior in a shelter. After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

• Set up safety management
• Implement a food bowl guarding behavior modification plan

Course author: Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA)

Doors Wide Open is a series of short discussions about practical solutions that organizations are using to address barriers to accessing pet care and resources in their communities. 

Join us for a 30-minute panel discussion introducing the Social Work Guidelines in Animal Welfare Settings, a groundbreaking new resource created by and for social workers working in animal welfare organizations across North America.

Animal welfare work is rewarding - and often emotionally intense!  In this 30-minute webcast, we’ll explore how to support each other in ways that strengthen connection without adding emotional strain. You’ll learn practical tools for peer debriefs that allow space for processing difficult experiences without “trauma dumping”, including strategies to listen with care, respond with empathy, and keep both the speaker and the listener/supporter resilient! Valuable resources are shared that you can immediately use.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

- Explain the difference between healthy peer support and trauma dumping.
- Use low-impact debrief techniques to process challenging situations with colleagues.
- Apply active listening skills that reduce emotional overload for both parties.
- Understand how to compassionately set boundaries around support provision.

Host:
Aimee St.Arnaud, Founder of Open Door Veterinary Collective 
Presenter: Janet Hoy-Gerlach, PhD, LCSW, LISW-S, Director of Veterinary Social Work, Open Door Veterinary Collective

Earn continuing education credit from The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement towards .5 CAWA CEs. This webinar has also been pre-approved for .5 continuing education credits by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). 

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/OpenDoorForum12162025

keywords Doors Wide Open, Open Door Veterinary Collective, access to animal care

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

This presentation shares findings from a large survey of 484 U.S. animal shelter and rescue organizations on adoption event practices and adopter screening procedures. Participants will learn about common processes in adoption decision-making, the role of implicit bias in these processes, and how organizational procedures can affect both the speed and equity of pet adoptions. The session will highlight areas for animal shelter professionals to reflect on their own adoption practices and consider strategies for reducing barriers while supporting successful matches between people and pets.

The study had three specific goals: (1) to describe the basic characteristics of off-site adoption events, (2) to describe the adoption processes in use by shelters and to determine if there is any potential for unconscious bias in these processes, and (3) to determine if adoption practices differ depending on the characteristics of the animal shelter.

Presenter: Lexis Ly, PhD

This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval through 10/14/27. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA and NACA.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/InsightsD...

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Lexis Ly, animal adoption, implicit bias, shelter management, capacity for care

This course introduces you to the key principles of cooperative care to minimize fear, anxiety and stress, and improve safety for staff and dogs during medical care and day-to-day care in the shelter and other environments, such as foster homes. Cooperative care training originated in zoos and other institutions involved in the husbandry of wild animals and is considered standard practice in modern accredited zoos and aquariums worldwide. 

There is often an immediate need for medical handling for dogs upon intake into a shelter. The examples in this course reflect "real world" shelter situations, where dogs who are unfamiliar with cooperative care require immediate treatment. 

This course has been approved for 0.50 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize the American Association of Veterinary State Board's (AAVSB's) Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) through 12/9/2027. 

Course author: Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA)

Webinar Overview

Over the past few years, new California laws have expanded the roles of shelter staff, technicians, and veterinarians for animals. Meanwhile, shelter medicine remains a hot topic at the Veterinary Medical Board and the California Veterinary Medical Association as they consider compliance and concerns around compounding pharmaceuticals, owner exemptions for medical care, and veterinarian of record relationships.  

On this episode of Shelter Med LIVE, Drs. Valdez, Jones, and White will share how they work through these issues in-shelter and with partner organizations.  Together, we’ll unpack recent and upcoming changes and what they actually mean for your daily practice. 

You'll get answers to the questions everyone’s asking:  

- Can I still compound? What are the rules for High-Quality-High-Volume Spay/Neuter?

- What are the biggest compliance issues for shelter vets, and how can I avoid them?

- What's actually required for Vet of Record relationships, and what's changing?

Send your biggest questions to sheltermedicine@ucdavis.edu in advance. After this hour, you’ll feel more confident about the do’s, dont’s, and how to leverage laws at your shelter. 

Continuing Education Credits 

This webinar has been approved for 1 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and by the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA). 

Keywords

MMPC, Shelter, Learniverse, California shelter laws, shelter medicine, Veterinary Medical Board, California Veterinary Medical Association, compounding regulations, veterinarian of record, veterinary compliance, High-Quality-High-Volume Spay/Neuter, shelter veterinarians, animal care laws, shelter staff roles, veterinary technicians, owner exemptions, pharmaceutical regulations, veterinary practice updates, compliance issues, shelter operations, animal welfare policy

Contact

Email us at help@shelterlearniverse.com if you have any questions or concerns about this webinar.

Maddie’s® Pet Forum Discussion Thread

You can also join the discussion about these concepts over on Maddie's Pet Forum in the discussion thread. CLICK HERE

Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge

With the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, the Five Key Initiatives of the Million Cat Challenge have expanded to include other species at risk in shelters and evolved into the Four Rights.  

Within the Four Rights, every element works in concert to support one another: animals and people are treated as individuals, empowering shelter staff to make the best decisions for everyone; community safety net services are in place and flourishing; and humane care within the shelter is provided, with appropriate outcomes for the animals that do come in, allowing shelters to deliver the Right Care, in the Right Place, at the Right Time, and to the Right Outcome

Learn more about  Maddie's® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse.  #ThankstoMaddie

Doors Wide Open is a series of short discussions about practical solutions that organizations are using to address barriers to accessing pet care and resources in their communities. 

Join us for a 30-minute panel discussion introducing the Social Work Guidelines in Animal Welfare Settings, a groundbreaking new resource created by and for social workers working in animal welfare organizations across North America.

Whether your organization already employs a social worker, you are exploring how social work can enhance your mission, or you are simply curious about how social work skills fit into animal welfare, this panel conversation is for you.

Developed through a year-long participatory action research project funded by the ASPCA, the Guidelines provide a roadmap for social work practice in animal welfare settings at the individual, organization, and community/policy levels.

Discussion topics include:

• How animal welfare organizations can use the guidelines to strengthen human and animal well-being

• Common challenges and strategies for successful implementation

• Ways non-social work staff can engage with and benefit from the guidelines

Host:
Aimee St.Arnaud, Founder of Open Door Veterinary Collective 

Moderator: Janet Hoy-Gerlach, PhD, LCSW, LISW-S, Director of Veterinary Social Work, Open Door Veterinary Collective

Panelists and Guidelines Co-Authors:

Kayla Anderson, Veterinary Social Worker, The Program for Pet Health Equity

Kelly Bremken, Veterinary Social Worker, Oregon Humane Society

Laurie Maxwell, Director of Veterinary Social Work, MedVet

Augusta O'Reilly, President, International Veterinary Social Work Association

Alexis Telfair-Garcia, Director of Social Work Program Development, Austin Pets Alive!

Earn continuing education credit from The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement towards .5 CAWA CEs. This webinar has also been pre-approved for .5 continuing education credits by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). 

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/OpenDoorForum11182025

keywords Doors Wide Open, Open Door Veterinary Collective, access to animal care