William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

Behavior

Behavior - Hot topics

New Educational Opportunity for Technicians
Complete an Internship in Behavioral Medicine under the guidance of our Board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist

What is Behavioral Medicine?
Behavioral Medicine encompasses the evaluation and treatment of pets with behavioral problems that include neurochemical imbalance, medical conditions, learned fearful associations, and conflicts over rules and social structure. Behavioral Medicine also emphasizes education to prevent problem behavior. It is not simply a matter of training to change the pet's behavior.

Goal: To gain a basic understanding of the scientific principles of animal behavior, the human-animal bond, behavioral modification protocols; client communications and training and available resources. The internship is designed to be completed in 1 week of intense learning interacting with behavioral specialists, clients and patients. You will interact with various types of animals with different behavioral problems including canine aggression, destructiveness, fear, phobias, separation anxiety, feline marking, over-grooming and inappropriate elimination.

Cost: The cost of the internship is $550 per week.

Date: Enrollment begins in October 2009 and continues through July 1, 2010.

The first 20 candidates selected will receive a behavior book with a $25 value. For more information please or questions please send an e-mail to vetbehavior@ucdavis.edu

Download the pdf

Punishment
The UC Davis Clinical Animal Behavior Service has adopted the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position on the use and misuse of punishment for animals. The position is that punishment (e.g. choke chains, pinch collars, and electronic collars) should not be used as a first-line or early-use treatment for behavior problems. This is due to the potential adverse effects which include but are not limited to: inhibition of learning, increased fear-related and aggressive behaviors, and injury to animals and people interacting with animals.

AVSAB Position Statement
The Use of Punishment for Behavior Modification in Animals (pdf file)

Puppy Socialization
The UC Davis Clinical Animal Behavior Service has adopted the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position on early puppy socialization. In general, puppies can start puppy socialization classes as early as 7-8 weeks of age. Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming. They should be kept up-to-date on vaccines throughout the class.

AVSAB Position Statement
Puppy Socialization Statement (pdf file)

Dominance Theory
The UC Davis Clinical Animal Behavior Service has adopted the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position on dominance. It is a wide misconception that problem behaviors in our pets are due to dominance. On the contrary, most problems have a strong underlying motivation of fear and anxiety.

AVSAB Position Statement
Dominance Theory Statement (pdf file)