but actually built into the brain. None of this negates the fact that we need to approach each dog as an individual.
Some new and exciting information that Dr. Hecht shared was her current research on the effects of“ Early Life Adversity” on dogs, yet to be published. Currently owners of more than 4,500 dogs of more than 200 breeds filled out an internet survey on the behavior of their dog, along with histories of any known adversities, such as abuse, neglect, starvation, being tethered outside, and being attacked by another animal. There seems to be a correlation between adversities and increased fear and aggression toward people and non-household dogs, and it was more impactful if the adversity occurred before six months of age. This correlation was stronger in certain breeds and weaker in others, notably the Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever.
By combining what we know from behavior with what neuroscience tells us about brain structure, we can become better, more empathetic, and more effective animal care professionals. Whether you’ re working with a hound, a retriever, or a terrier, understanding what’ s happening in the brain can make all the difference.
If you are interested in attending next year’ s symposium, in person and virtually, the preliminary plan is that it will take place June 9-10, 2026, in Seattle, Washington … hope to see you there! Keep an eye on www. dacvb. org for updates.
Dr. Melissa Bain is a veterinarian and Professor of Clinical Animal Behavior, and is board-certified by both the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the American College of Animal Welfare. She received a Master’ s degree in Advanced Clinical Research from the UC Davis School of Medicine in 2007. She is a past president of both the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, and is currently on the board of the American College of Animal Welfare. In 2016 she was selected as the Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year, awarded by the American Veterinary Medical Association, and in 2019 she received the Companion Animal Welfare Award from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association.
REFERENCES Hecht EE, Smaers JB, Dunn WD, et al. Significant Neuroanatomical Variation Among Domestic Dog Breeds. Journal of Neuroscience, 2019; 39( 39): 7748-7758. https:// doi. org / 10.1523 / JNEUROSCI. 0303-19.2019
Neuroanatomical variation in domestic dogs. A, MRI images and 3D reconstructions of warped template from 10 selected dogs of different breeds. Images are public-domain photos from Wikimedia Commons. B, Unbiased group-average template for this dataset. See Figure 1-1, and Figure 1-2 for processing schematics. Neuroanatomical labels( based on Palazzi, 2011; Datta et al., 2012, Evans and de Lahunta, 2013) are as follows:( a) olfactory peduncle;( b) orbital( presylvian) gyrus;( c) proreal gyrus;( d) pre cruciate gyrus;( e) postcruciate gyrus;( f) marginal( lateral) gyrus;( g) ectomarginal gyrus;( h) suprasylvian gyrus;( i) ectosylvian gyrus;( j) sylvian gyrus;( k) insular cortex; and( l) piriform lobe. C, Brain-wide morphological variation, regardless of breed, as indexed by the SD of all dogs ' Jacobian determinant images. D, A Monte Carlo permutation test on demeaned gray matter Jacobian determinant images revealed that much of gray matter shows significant deviation from groupmean morphology. Colored regions are all p < 0.05 after multiplecomparisons correction; t-statistic values are illustrated.
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2025 39