The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2018 | Page 25

VETERINARIAN’S PERSPECTIVE
Maverick. Photo: Dr. Melissa Bain
starting off by telling them they are wrong,
wrong, wrong.
We should extend this kindness to ourselves
and other dog training professionals. While
we may hold ourselves to a higher standard,
we are all still human. Our dogs may be
no less likely to have undesirable genetics.
Dogs we adopt as an adult have unknown
backgrounds, so they may have been
subjected to poor socialization or training.
We have equally busy personal lives that
impinge on the time we have to train our
dogs. I would imagine more than a few
of us have said ‘no’ to our dogs, or given a
reward at the wrong time, or inadvertently
encouraged their dogs to jump upon others
in greeting (ahem).
When we realize that we are similar to our
clients, the normal pet-owning population,
and that our dogs are not flawless, we can
disavow our facade of perfection, learn
from our mistakes, and enjoy the journey.
Society of Animal Behavior. In 2016 she was
selected as the Bustad Companion Animal
Veterinarian of the Year, awarded by the
American Veterinary Medical Association.
Additionally, she is the director of Professional
Student Clinical Education for the UC Davis
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Her
responsibilities include student and resident
education, clinical case management, and
research.
Dr. Melissa Bain, DVM, DACVB, MS,
DACAW, is a professor of Clinical Animal
Behavior at the University of California
School of Veterinary Medicine. She is board-
certified by both the American College of
Veterinary Behaviorists and the American
College of Animal Welfare. In 2007, she
completed a master’s degree in Advanced
Clinical Research from the UC Davis
School of Medicine. She is a past president
of both the American College of Veterinary
Behaviorists and the American Veterinary
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2018
23