For over a century, our scientific understanding of animals has undergone a massive paradigm shift. We’ve moved away from viewing animals merely as biological machines to recognising them as psychologically complex, sentient beings whose quality of life depends on dynamic interactions between brain, body, and environment.

Here is an AI generted podcast that discusses my recent resentation "A History of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine and Animal Welfare Science" that highlights how veterinary behavioural medicine and animal welfare science evolved through four key conceptual revolutions:

1. The Behaviorist Era: Focused on learning history, antecedents, and external consequences to modify observable behaviour.

2. The Medical Model (Veterinary Psychiatry): Framed behavioural issues as neurological or physical disorders requiring formal diagnoses and medical interventions.

3. The Psychobiological Synthesis: Applied affective neuroscience (pioneered by the late great Jaak Panksepp) to ground animal emotions in biologically conserved systems.

4. The Emergins Systems & Ecosystem Approach: Seeks to highlight how biological, psychological, and environmental factors interact over an individual's entire lifespan.

💡The core clinical question has evolved from "What is the animal doing?" to "What is the animal experiencing?". This shift allows the veterinary profession to move beyond merely caring about disease prevention and productivity to comprehensively caring for individual animals by protecting their emotional well-being and quality of life.

#VeterinaryMedicine #AnimalBehaviour #Ethology #AffectiveNeuroscience #VeterinaryScience

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/

In this final episode we look back with Becky and Craig on their personal pet behaviour Odyssey and how far they have come. They share the insights they have gained and how this has helped to built their relationship. They discuss the many positives of the journey but also the challenges they met on the way. Every client is an individual and every case is a unique learning opportunity for us as clinicians, so we share what we learned on the way too. However we leave the last word to Becky and we hope you find her words inspirational.
Thank you for listening. We hope this was useful to youo.
If you liked this video please help to spread the word and share it with your friends, like, subscribe and turn on notifications (click/tap on the bell by the subscribe button).

Footnote for those seeking professional support:
If you are in the UK and would like help with your pet’s behaviour, we encourage you to seek professional advice. A list of Certificated clinical animal behaviourists, including the presenters of this show can be found at www.ccab.uk/.
You can also find further details of the Lincoln Animal Behaviour Clinic at animalbehaviourclinic.lincoln.ac.uk/.
In Europe, if you want to find a veterinary behaviourist you can find a list of Diplomates (individuals who have the highest level of training available in the field) at https://www.ecawbm.org/diplomates-list.
In North America, you can find a directory of certified applied animal behaviorists at https://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/committees-applied-behavior-directory.php and board certified veterinary behaviorists at: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709.

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/

When we ask clients to do something it is important that we support them throughout the process. What a client needs at this time is not the same as what they need to encourage initial action. At this time things like reinforcement for progress, become particularly important, as do helpful relationships that support the change process. Again this is something that is perhaps not as widely appreciated as it should be. This aspect of treatment forms the basis of the current episode. Becky and Craig discuss the highs and lows of their Odyssey. They also share with us, what it was that made them think they were making progress. They thus provide invaluable insight for others. What an owner sees as an important marker of success and what a clinician sees as important in this regard are not always the same initially. We must listen to our clients and help them achieve meaningful goals.

If you liked this video please help to spead the word and share it with your friends, like, subscribe and turn on notifications (click/tap on the bell by the subscribe button).

Footnote for those seeking professional support:
If you are in the UK and would like help with your pet’s behaviour, we encourage you to seek professional advice. A list of Certificated clinical animal behaviourists, including the presenters of this show can be found at www.ccab.uk/.
You can also find further details of the Lincoln Animal Behaviour Clinic at animalbehaviourclinic.lincoln.ac.uk/.
In Europe, if you want to find a veterinary behaviourist you can find a list of Diplomates (individuals who have the highest level of training available in the field) at https://www.ecawbm.org/diplomates-list.
In North America, you can find a directory of certified applied animal behaviorists at https://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/committees-applied-behavior-directory.php and board certified veterinary behaviorists at: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709.

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/

Individualising treatment for a given client and their pet is essential and so we have to go beyond the theoretical techniques used in human and animal behaviour modification. In the last episode we looked at the COM-B model of human behaviour change. COM-B stands for Capability, Opportunities and Motivations underpinning human Behaviour change. We also introduced the Theoretical Domains, like an individual’s knowledge, beliefs about their capabilities, emotions, ability to visualize a goal and so forth and the Intervention Functions used to make these as optimal as we can for the client. In this episode we return to the dog side of things in our discussion with Becky and Craig . We talk about the importance of avoidance of triggers, and diary keeping but expand on two protocols we have developed at Lincoln. The safe haven and sensitive carer routines. These may be somewhat different to other versions of the protocol that are commonly discussed by behaviourists and trainers. It is important to pay attention to certain details if they are to work as we would hope.

When choosing interventions it is important that they are right for that client and so we introduce the concept of the APEASE criteria, from the human behaviour change literature, for assessing their suitability. These are important considerations: I detail here what each letter in the acronym APEASE stands for:

A is for acceptability

P for practical

E for effective

A for affordable

S for safe

Equitable, i.e is it fair

We discuss these further in the current episode, and the last E is an important ethical consideration and may be where some quick fixes fall down.

Footnote for those seeking professional support:

If you are in the UK and would like help with your pet’s behaviour, we encourage you to seek professional advice. A list of Certificated clinical animal behaviourists, including the presenters of this show can be found at www.ccab.uk/.

You can also find further details of the Lincoln Animal Behaviour Clinic at animalbehaviourclinic.lincoln.ac.uk/.

In Europe, if you want to find a veterinary behaviourist you can find a list of Diplomates (individuals who have the highest level of training available in the field) at https://www.ecawbm.org/diplomates-list.

In North America, you can find a directory of certified applied animal behaviorists at https://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/committees-applied-behavior-directory.php and board certified veterinary behaviorists at: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709.

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/

In this episode we talk about the process of implementing treatment. In particular we discuss the less often discussed issue of human behaviour change, with a focus on how we consider the underpinning capability, opportunities and motivation of a client to enable more effective change. We introduce the theoretical domains framework. This is a synthesis of lots of different evidence based approaches for bringing about human behaviour change. At its simplest it is a list of about 14 different ways in which we can help people bring about change. By doign this we can more accurately set expectations for change. Find out more by listening to the episode, and please do give us a rating if you have enjoyed the episode.

Footnote on seeking help:
If you are in the UK and would like help with your pet’s behaviour, we encourage you to seek professional advice. A list of Certificated clinical animal behaviourists, including the presenters of this show can be found at www.ccab.uk/.
You can also find further details of the Lincoln Animal Behaviour Clinic at animalbehaviourclinic.lincoln.ac.uk/.
In Europe, if you want to find a veterinary behaviourist you can find a list of Diplomates (individuals who have the highest level of training available in the field) at https://www.ecawbm.org/diplomates-list.
In North America, you can find a directory of certified applied animal behaviorists at https://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/committees-applied-behavior-directory.php and board certified veterinary behaviorists at: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709.

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/

Separation related problems are commonly misunderstood, and the term separation anxiety is an unhelpful misnomer. Indeed our scientific understanding of separation related problems is rapidly being revised in light of new research. It is now clear there are four common forms of the condition, which represent different responses to the frustration that arises when a pet is left at home. These are typically described as

a Exit frustration related

b Reactive excited

c Reactive inhibited

d. Boredom related, inhibited-conflicted

If you think your dog might have one of these problems, you can find out more by using the App we developed with ZigZag and Tech4Animals, just visit https://separation.zigzag.dog/

In this episode we discuss the nature of separation related problems as they applied to Drax and the implications of a more scientific assessment. We also explore the role of attachment. These dogs are not hyper-attached (even if they follow their owner around the whole time), rather what is seen as hyper-attachment is often a sign of insecure attachment. The owner’s behaviour is important in this regard, but it is not the only thing driving the problem. It is not the owner’s fault. Effective intervention involves individualised treatment, so if you want to learn more listen to the episode, and please don’t forget to share this with others. We'd really appreciate it if you could give us a rating if you have enjoyed the show.

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/

In the previous episode, we explored Becky and Craig's initial experience of seeking help for Drax, the challenges with finding a professional service and the strain associated with having a loved one with behavioural issues.

In this episode, we look at how we tend to structure our pet behaviour service, especially with regards to identifying where clients are in relation to what is known as the Cycle of Change. This views change as a process not an event and there are several stages involved. It begins with contemplating change (before that we are in a state of precontemplation and thus not considering changing); we then need to help clients make the necessary preparations for change (e.g. developing key skills they will need) if we wish them to succeed making long-term changes; only then are they in a good state to take action (which is what most behaviour advice texts focus on); finally we need to consider the support required by clients to help them to maintian this action.

We take this "process perspective" of change and thus do not rush into action straight away. It is important to us that clients appreciate this process and what is involved, and we recognise that this is not necessarily the way things are done by others. Our first consultation is very much focused on helping owners understand the nature of the problems they face, managing risk and laying the ground work for change. We can only help clients if we can help them build their capabilities and motivations, while enabling opportunities for them to develop the behaviours needed to help their pet. We elaborate and discuss this furtehr in this episode.

We hope you enjoy the episide.

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/

In this episode we pick up from where we finished Episode 1. We discuss in more detail the minefield that is the unregulated fields of animal training and behaviour.

We explore Becky's and Craig's experience of seeking help from various sources for the behaviours that Drax was exhibiting. We discuss how things progressed; but more importantly, how they each felt on this part of their Odyssey.

We highlight the stresses and strains associated with owning a pet with problem behaviour and introduce the listener to the value ofa validated ‘pet caregiver burden’ questionnaire. Milly and Daniel discuss how important this can be to us, as clinicians, in hleping us understand the nature of the stresses felt by a client, and how this can shape the focus of the assistance we give as a result. We illustrate this by discussing the results of the questionnaire which Becca completed for us. This described how she felt before coming to the Lincoln Animal Behaviour Clinic, and also how things changed as we made progress. This not only helped us, but Becca also explains how important this was to her, Craig and ultimately Drax too!

You can read a bit more about the questionnaire here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787823000576

Footnote for those seeking professional support:

If you are in the UK and would like help with your pet’s behaviour, we encourage you to seek professional advice. A list of Certificated clinical animal behaviourists, including the presenters of this show can be found at www.ccab.uk/.

You can also find further details of the Lincoln Animal Behaviour Clinic at animalbehaviourclinic.lincoln.ac.uk/.

In Europe, if you want to find a veterinary behaviourist you can find a list of Diplomates (individuals who have the highest level of training available in the field) at https://www.ecawbm.org/diplomates-list.

In North America, you can find a directory of certified applied animal behaviorists at https://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/committees-applied-behavior-directory.php and board certified veterinary behaviorists at: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709.

#petbehaviourodysseys #whatmakesyouclick #PBO #professordanielmills #profdsm #reactivedog #DogBehaviour #AnimalWelfare #VeterinaryBehaviour #DogOwners https://companionanimalconsulting.com/