What Is a Dog? The Ethology of Our Best Friend
Sessions
We’re working on our upcoming schedule. Check back soon for updates!
Ethology is the scientific and objective study of animal behavior under natural conditions. In short, it’s the study of how animals behave in the real world.
This course takes a deep dive into our understanding of dogs as a species, and therefore how we live with them and train them, how they learn, and how we can best solve behavioral issues if they arise.
To address these questions we will consider:
- The interplay between canine domestication, evolution, and behavior
- Development in dogs: birth through adulthood
- The perceptual world of the dog and how it impacts behavior
- How dogs approach and solve problems in their environment
- The role of genetics in behavior
- The behavior of free-ranging dogs
You will come away from this course with an even deeper appreciation and wonder for these amazing animals we live with. You’ll never look at dogs—or dog training—quite the same way again.
** IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ONLINE WEEKLY MEETINGS **
- Meetings are not recorded
- Meetings begin 1 week after course opens
- Meetings are 1 hour in duration
- There are 4 meetings for this course
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Speaker(s)
Dr. Kristina Spaulding PhD, CAAB
Dr. Kristina Spaulding has been in the dog training and behavior profession since 1999. She earned her undergraduate degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While in college, she worked for the Dane County Humane Society and volunteered as an assistant trainer at Dog’s Best Friend, then owned by Dr. Patricia McConnell. She runs Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior LLC. She completed her PhD in biopsychology—the study of the biological basis of behavior—in 2016. In 2017, Dr. Spaulding became a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. She is particularly interested in stress, neurobiology, cognition, emotion, and wellbeing and how to apply these concepts to the prevention and early intervention of behavior problems in dogs.
Dr. Spaulding has a passion for teaching and offers a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior. During graduate school she taught undergraduate courses for several years. She was trained in innovative and effective teaching skills through the Institute for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Leadership and the University at Albany. In 2012, Dr. Spaulding received the Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student Award through the local chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. In 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT’s) Member of the Year Award.
In addition to teaching other professionals, she regularly presents on canine behavior science at conferences and other events. She also continues to work with private training clients where she specializes in fear, reactivity, and hyperactivity/impulsivity. She currently serves on the IAABC Foundation Board and the Fear Free Advisory group.
