Identifying Discomfort in Dogs with Gemma Harvey

 

3rd March 2025 7pm

 
In this talk Gemma will cover, what discomfort (pain) actually is and the categories of behaviours surrounding pain related behaviours, as well as identifying physical areas of concern. She will also present the case study of Oscar the “reactive” spaniel and his journey with a Dynamic Dog Practitioner, his diagnosis and life changing support.
 
 
Gemma has lived a life with dogs of various breeds growing up in a house full of show dogs, but initially studied at Hartpury College for a career with horses, going on to work at show jumping and event yards along with hydrotherapy centres.
 
In the early 2000s she started growing an interest in how pain affects movement & behaviour after one of her own horses developed gastric ulcers, this then became an obsession when returning to her love of dogs and attending dog classes could see dogs from an early age already experiencing difficulties.
 
Wanting to expand on her observational skills she trained as a Practitioner in various alternative hands-on therapies, before deepening her knowledge of canine anatomy, physiology & movement alongside Canine Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation.
 
Gemma now combines her passion for canine behaviour  and movement to help dog guardians get to the bottom of their dogs problematic behaviours using science based analysis techniques to shine a light on potential issues, she is often called in by other canine professionals to work with their clients for additional support and advice.
Quite often what Gemma observes can be a direct cause or adding to a behavioural issue which could go on to be resolved or managed & supported to lessen the outward behaviour.
 
More recently Gemma now teaches other canine professionals to do what she does so that more help and support can be given to guardians and their dogs as possible through her Dynamic Dog Practitioner Programme. This is the very first training of its kind that teaches Dog Professionals the skills to spotting physical discomfort in dogs, and how to put it in terms the Vet can make a more informed diagnosis.
 
🐶 General public £35
🐶 ABTC members £25 (your PO will provide you with a discount code)
🐶 TCBTS members Free of charge
 
Click here to purchase https://sowl.co/p/bpxHqA 



What are we assessing and why? - Meaningful assessment of the risk of human directed dog bites with Helen Howell

Webinar Recording

 

In this session Helen will discuss how we have traditionally assessed the risk of aggression in dogs across contexts and what research tells us about the validity of dog assessments. 

She will then explain what research at the University of Lincoln has revealed about risk factors for human directed aggression and provide some practical guidance for professionals carrying out assessments of dog behaviour to help them do so in a meaningful and ethical way.

Following attendance at this session participants should -

- Have an understanding of methods used for assessing dogs in a number of contexts
- Have a brief understanding of factors that may increase the likelihood of human directed aggression in dogs
- Be aware of practical solutions for professionals who are carrying out dog behaviour assessments to ensure they do so in a meaningful and ethical way.

 

🐶 General public £35
🐶 ABTC members £25 (your PO will provide you with a discount code)
🐶 TCBTS members Free of charge

 

Click here to purchase recording  https://sowl.co/p/bt7Nob




Expert Evidence Webinar

Recorded webinar


With forensic behaviourist, researcher and leading UK expert witness in canine behaviour (and a former Police Detective) - Helen Howell BSc (Hons), ACDBC.
 

Helen has worked all over the world, and is one of the UK’s leading expert witnesses, assessing dogs and providing expert evidence in respect of both breed type and behaviour for dangerous dog and personal injury cases across the country, including cases involving life changing injury and fatality. Helen is also a guest lecturer at a number of universities, delivers training to police officers and has presented opinions to Parliament.

In this session Helen will discuss the role of an expert witness in criminal and civil legal cases. For anyone who is interested in becoming an expert witness this is an introduction to the role and will provide an insight into the legal and ethical obligations of an assessor of dog behaviour. Helen will share her experiences and discuss what an expert assessment should consider and some of the practicalities of carrying one out.

It is anticipated that learning outcomes will be:

An understanding of the role of an expert witness
A basic knowledge of the legal requirements of an expert witness and expert reports
An awareness of the ethical issues in the assessment of dogs for legal cases
An understanding of the practical assessment process

Helen will provide suggestions on how to best gain experience in this field.

🐶 General public £35
🐶 ABTC members £25 (your PO will provide you with a discount code)
🐶 TCBTS members Free of charge


Click here to purchase recording  - https://sowl.co/xPSWT


Webinar Recording

Understanding and working with Predation
with
Tracey McLennan

Predatory behaviour can be a huge challenge for dog training and behaviour practitioners. Frequently dogs will choose opportunities to perform predatory behaviour over anything that we may use to reinforce recalls or any other trained behaviour. That internal desire that dogs have to behave like predators is what creates the challenge for practitioners helping their clients.

This webinar will cover how to rule in or out predatory behaviour including discussing situations where anxiety or aggression may look like predatory behaviour and whether or not there is a correlation between predation and risk to humans.

It will also cover techniques to help clients in living with their predatory dogs so that it stops being such a huge problem for them. This will focus on managing the behaviour in outdoor environments where there is a lack of control over prey animals. As part of that I will discuss breed specific approaches and what, if any, science there is supporting them.



🐶 General public £35
🐶 ABTC members £25 (your PO will provide you with a discount code)
🐶 TCBTS members Free of charge


To purchase recording click here: https://sowl.co/uceKn

 


 

TCBTS ONLINE CONFERENCE 2023


Play your way to resilience in dogs, the application and the science
with speaker KATHY MURPHY

SUNDAY 22nd October 2023 10am - 2pm Online

The neurobiology of resilience (the ability to cope with and adapt to physiological and psychological stress) is a complex and multifaceted topic that involves many different brain regions, neural circuits, and molecular pathways.


One key aspect of resilience is the ability of the brain to regulate stress responses. This webinar will explore chronic or severe stress and the effect this has on the brain, nervous system and specifically dysregulation of the HPA axis.

Resilient individuals have been shown to have a more flexible and adaptive stress response system, which may help protect against the negative effects of chronic stress. Play and social behaviour are important tools for inducing the necessary neurobiological changes needed for developing and maintaining resilience in dogs via a sense of agency over their environment, learning how to overcome obstacles, adapt to new situations, find creative solutions to challenges, read and respond to social cues, resolve conflicts, stay physically fit and mentally stimulated and build positive relationships.

Join us for this unique exploration of the neurobiology of play and resilience. We will focus on the practical application of play as a tool to build resilience at different life stages and in different situations or family environments.

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