In this session, we will explore how we can assess canine welfare in the animal shelter and promising measures found across the scientific literature that can help us better understand dogs’ experiences. Also explored are recent studies undertaken by Arizona State University research team that have investigated the effects of certain types of housing and social interaction on the welfare of shelter dogs and how these interventions can be implemented to improve the lives of dogs in your shelter.

Presenter: Lisa Gunter, PhD, CBCC-KA, Arizona State University

This presentation was recorded at the 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

This lecture has also 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.

keywords: canine welfare, animal sheltering, canine behavior assessment in animal shelters, canine housing, effect of social interaction on shelter dogs, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference

As our communities become more informed about recognizing and responding to human trauma, there’s growing interest in the impact of chronic stress and trauma on animal behavior. There’s a large volume of evidence that demonstrates the negative impact of trauma on human health and welfare. While research in animals isn’t focused on the concept of trauma, this session will share evidence that demonstrates the impact of stressful experiences on animal health and welfare. Acknowledgement of the role of trauma in animal behavior encourages us to be more understanding and respond more appropriately to undesirable or challenging behaviors that may be caused by trauma. This presentation will discuss practical ways you can prevent trauma and help animals to recover.

Presenter: Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB, CDBC, CCBC, Director of Outreach and Research @ Maddie’s Fund

This lecture 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.

keywords behavior assessment, animal behavior, canine behavior, chronic stress in shelter dogs, stress in shelter dogs, shelter medicine, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference, trauma in shelter dogs, dog aggression, aggressive behavior, public safely, risk assessment

Speaker: Lisa Gunter, PhD, CBCC-KA

During their stay in the animal shelter, dogs will likely experience assessment of their behavior, whether that is a more formal procedure with an evaluation, informal observations made by staff and volunteers, or a combination of the two. Assessing a dog’s behavior can help us meet the dog’s needs in the shelter, and such information can guide us in placement choices and adopter support. This presentation reviews the recent literature on behavior assessments and conclude with suggestions on how to proceed in this critical and complex issue of observing and interpreting canine behavior in the animal shelter. This presentation was recorded at the 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

This lecture has also 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.

Keywords behavior assessment in shelter pets, dog behavior, problem behavior in dogs, post-adoption behavioral issues, veterinary shelter medicine, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference, canine behavior, evaluating dog behavior, dog behavior assessment 

Science and practice come together in case studies - where the rubber meets the road! Join us as we discuss the details of cases from both shelters and homes. We will touch on the science behind the behavior modification techniques used and give tips for coaching and supporting "regular" people who are struggling with their animal's behavior. We will discuss both feline and canine cases.

Speakers:

Rebecca Lohnes, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant both through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants; BS - Yale University 2005; MS - Cornell University 2010

Alex Ferrente, CPDT-KA

This presentation was recorded at the 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit for each part in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

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

keywords: canine welfare, feline welfare, animal sheltering, pet behavior enrichment in animal shelters, shelter dog and cat behavior case studies, behavior modification, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference

It is likely that social isolation contributes to reduced welfare for dogs living in animal shelters. One type of intervention that addresses this concern, human interaction, has been demonstrated to improve behavior and reduce physiological measures of stress for dogs awaiting adoption. In this talk, we will discuss research conducted at 11 animal shelters across the United States in which we’ve investigated the impacts of field trips, sleepovers, and weeklong fostering, on shelter dog stress and activity levels, and how these types of programs can be implemented to positively impact the lives of dogs in your shelter.

Presenters: Erica Feuerbacher, PhD, CAAB, BCBA-D; Lisa Gunter, PhD, CBCC-KA

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

This lecture has also 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.

Keywords social isolation in dogs, dog sheltering, cortisol in dogs, shelter dog welfare, canine behavior research, shelter dog field trips, shelter dog fostering, shelter dog sleepovers, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference

Speakers: Seana Dowling-Guyer, MS and Sheila Segurson, DVM; DACVB

Research into animal behavior has increased exponentially, particularly in the area of applied animal behavior. Although many of the behavior topics presented at this conference are supported by research findings, this lightning round of updates will focus on applied research that can be used immediately at your sheltering organization. From research to improve the welfare of animals in the shelter to decreasing lengths of stay to supporting pet ownership in the community, this session will present key findings from recent research along with caveats and critiques to help you put the research results in proper context.

This was recorded at the 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval until 9/22/2024.

This lecture has also 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.

keywords animal behavior research, dog and cat behavior research studies, chronic stress in shelter dogs and cats, stress in shelter dogs and cats, shelter medicine, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference, trauma in shelter dogs and cats, shelter pet behavior health

In recent years, animal sheltering organizations have increased their focus on improving the welfare of the animals in their care. One component of this approach includes the use of enrichment interventions. In this presentation, we will explore the evidence for various types of enrichment that can broadly be categorized as social interaction: either with a human or canine; object enrichment; and sensory stimulation. We will also describe how these interventions can be assessed and how staff and volunteer efforts can be utilized to achieve programmatic success.

Presenters: Lisa Gunter, PhD, CBCC-KA, Arizona State University and Erica Feuerbacher, MS, PhD, CAAB, BCBA-D, CPDT-KAMS, PhD, CAAB, BCBA-D, CPDT-KA

This presentation was recorded at the 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

This lecture has also 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.

keywords: canine welfare, animal sheltering, canine behavior enrichment in animal shelters, canine object enrichment, canine sensory stimulation, effects of social interaction on canines in a shelter, canine behavior assessment in a shelter,  2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference

Animal Shelters have been housing animals for over 100 years. Supporting the behavioral health of our canine and feline companions in the shelter environment is something that has been, is and will always be a challenge. In addition, many of us are overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals (especially big dogs) in our care. How do we do our best to help animals while also protecting public safety? During this session, you’ll learn about the evolution of behavior in animal shelters. What lessons can we learn from how we did things in the past? How do we live for today and support the animals in our care? And how can we work towards a better future? 

Presenter: Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB, CDBC, CCBC, Director of Outreach and Research @Maddie’s Fund

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval until 9/22/2024.

This lecture has also 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.

keywords animal behavior, canine behavior, chronic stress in shelter dogs, stress in shelter dogs, shelter medicine, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference, trauma in shelter dogs, dog aggression, aggressive behavior, public safely, history of animal sheltering, evolution of behavior in animal shelters, shelter pet behavior health

You know that famous saying, ‘No risk, No reward’? There’s risk in almost everything we do. When it comes to animal welfare, we’re fortunate that seriously aggressive behavior is rare. Even if infrequent, we hope to protect public safety by preventing animals at high risk of causing serious harm from being placed in homes. Behavior assessment tests were standard of care; however, we now know that behavior assessment tests of shelter dogs don’t reliably and accurately predict the occurrence of aggressive behavior in a home environment. So how do we identify animals who are a significant public safety risk and protect the public? During this presentation, we’ll talk about risk assessment and how animal welfare organizations can assess the risk of placing dogs into the community.

Presenter: Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB, CDBC, CCBC, Director of Research @ Maddie’s Fund

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

This lecture has also 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.

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keywords behavior assessment, shelter medicine, 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference, shelter dogs, dog aggression, aggressive behavior, public safely, risk assessment

Speaker: Erica Feuerbacher, PhD, CAAB, BCBA-D

Separation related problem behavior (SRPB) is a large category of behaviors, including separation anxiety. SRPB is one of the most problematic behavioral issues for owners, with it being the most referred behavioral issue after aggression to behaviorists. It is also quite common, with reports of 20-50% of the dog population showing SRPB issues at some point in their life. Given its severity and prevalence, identifying dogs in shelters that are at-risk for SRPB could help us make better adoption matches, as well as thoughtfully allocate our behavior resources to those dogs and adopters. In this session, we will review what is known about SRPB, including its severity and prevalence, current treatments and their efficacy, and then focus on in-shelter tests for predicting SRPB after adoption, as well as what the research tells us about adoption counseling's effects on SRPB after adoption. Attendees should leave with a greater understanding of the behavioral issue, the current state of the science, and considerations for using in-shelter tests to predict post-adoption behavioral issues.

This presentation was recorded at the 2022 ASPCA Maddie's Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

This lecture has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

This lecture has also 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.

Keywords separation anxiety in shelter pets, dog behavior, SRPB, separation related problem behavior in dogs, post-adoption behavioral issues, veterinary shelter medicine,