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it ’ s too broad . For example , what exactly are “ canine behavioral displays ”? It seems like that could include behaviors like submissive urination , but we doubt many professionals ( or even guardians ) would consider that “ reactive ” behavior .
With that said , the authors go on to say , “ Additionally , future research should aim to gain insight into how human characteristics ( including education , training-philosophy beliefs and supportseeking practice ) mediate their perception of canine behavior and perceived Reactivity .” This is something we can definitely get behind !
They also go on to propose developing a “ Perceived Canine Reactivity Framework in the form of an instrument specifically tailored to capturing canine behavior , human expectations and capabilities .” While that might be useful in matching dogs to homes and communicating with guardians , we would prefer to see an objective scale that would allow dogs to be rated in terms of their reactivity , without the human ’ s reaction to the behavior being a factor .
The bottom line We applaud the authors for taking the time to explore what the term “ reactivity ” means . It ’ s clear from this research that , like most labels , the label “ reactivity ” can mean very different things to different people . Rather than create a definition based on what the public says , though , we would prefer to develop an objective definition and then teach it to the public through PSAs and other education . Who ’ s with us ?
Irith Bloom , CPDT-KSA , CBCC-KA , CDBC , CSAT , KPA CTP , VSPDT , CBATI-KSA , FFCP ( Trainer ), is a popular speaker at conferences and seminars worldwide . She is faculty at Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy , a Member of the Board of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers ( CCPDT ), on the Advisory Board for Pets for Vets , on the Expert Review Board for Daily Paws , and Chair Emeritus of the Education Committee of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers ( APDT ). She also volunteers for National English Shepherd Rescue . Irith is co-founder of the Freak ’ n Awesome Dog Project ( https :// awesomedogproject . com /), which helps pet professionals develop the business of their dreams . Her company , The Sophisticated Dog , LLC , ( https :// thesophisticateddog . com /) offers services to clients worldwide . Irith will be a speaker at the 2024 APDT / CAPDT conference , Sept . 18-20 , at Riverside , California .
Kristina Spaulding , Ph . D ., CAAB , has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and a doctorate in Biopsychology — the study of the biological basis of behavior — and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist . In addition , she has been in the dog training and behavior profession for more than 20 years where she taught family dog training courses and did private behavior consulting . As part of her graduate training , Dr . Spaulding was formally trained in effective teaching techniques . She fell in love with teaching people and was honored to receive an award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student . After earning her doctorate , Dr . Spaulding ’ s interest in teaching carried over to her applied behavior work . She currently teaches a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior through her business Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior LLC . In addition to her own courses , she teaches for the IAABC Foundation and is an adjunct professor for Virginia Tech ’ s graduate program in Animal Behavior and Welfare . Dr . Spaulding is also the author of The Stress Factor in Dogs : Unlocking Resiliency and Enhancing Well-Being .
She is particularly interested in stress , neurobiology , cognition , emotion , and well-being and how to apply these concepts to the prevention , early intervention , and treatment of behavior problems in dogs . In 2019 , Dr . Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer ’ s ( APDT ’ s ) Member of the Year Award for her work on their Education Committee . She currently serves as the vice president of the IAABC Foundation Board . She can be reached through her website , www . sciencemattersllc . com . Dr . Spaulding will be a speaker at the 2024 APDT / CAPDT conference , Sept . 18-20 , at Riverside , California .
Reference Danielle Stephens-Lewis , Amber Johnson , Nia Turley , Rebecca Naydorf-Hannis , Laura Scurlock-Evans & Kimberley Caroline Schenke ( 2022 ): Understanding Canine ‘ Reactivity ’: Species- Specific Behaviour or Human Inconvenience ?, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science , DOI : 10.1080 / 10888705.2022.2147007 ( available at https :// doi . org / 10.1080 / 10888705.2022.2147007 )
Footnotes
1
It ’ s not 100 percent clear if that 14 percent means 14 percent of the total sample , 14 percent of the 159 dog guardians , or 14 percent of the dog professionals . That last seems unlikely , but we couldn ’ t tell which it was from the paper .
2
Foundation degrees and Higher National Diplomas are focused on work assignments instead of straight academics .
32 Building Better Trainers Through Education