Research Bites Podcast Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB

Here is a quick little episode for you with a summary of three recent papers. If you enjoyed this information and would like more opportunities to stay current with dog behavior research, check out Research Bites here. You can also get more information on my courses and upcoming events at www.sciencemattersllc.com.

Papers discussed in this episode:

Pereira-Figueiredo, I., Rosa, I., & Sancho Sanchez, C. (2024). Forced Handling Decreases Emotionality but Does Not Improve Young Horses’ Responses toward Humans and their Adaptability to Stress. Animals, 14(5), 784. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/5/784

Gerken, A., Lee, K., Bain, M., & Kim, S. A. (2024). Correlation between aggression at the veterinary clinic and problem behaviors at home for cats in the USA. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 26(2), 1098612X231214907. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X231214907

Brand, C. L., O’Neill, D. G., Belshaw, Z., Dale, F. C., Merritt, B. L., Clover, K. N., ... & Packer, R. M. (2024). Impacts of Puppy Early Life Experiences, Puppy-Purchasing Practices, and Owner Characteristics on Owner-Reported Problem Behaviours in a UK Pandemic Puppies Cohort at 21 Months of Age. Animals, 14(2), 336. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020336

In this episode, I will be talking to Dr. Erin Hecht. She received her bachelor of science degree in cognitive science from the University of California, San Diego in 2006, and her PhD in neuroscience from Emory University in 2013. Before moving to Harvard, she was a research scientist at the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University and an affiliated scientist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University.
Dr. Hecht joined the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University in January of 2019. Her lab studies brain behavior, evolution, and dogs, primates, and humans. And she has two miniature Australian shepherds, Lefty and Izzy, who are mostly good. 
In this episode, we cover recent studies indicating that different breeds have slightly different brain structures. This discovery opens up a whole new avenue for understanding what traits might have been selected for in breeding - each breed may have unique cognitive strengths and weaknesses. We also discuss how to interpret genetic studies, and the relationship between dog size, brain size, and behavior.

Finally - and excitingly, we discuss ongoing studies in which you can participate! You can find more information on these studies - and sign up to participate - at caninebrains.org. You can get more information on Dr. Hecht and her work at https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/people/erin-hecht. And, of course, if you'd like to geek out about dog behavior even more, please visit my Dr. Spaulding's website www.sciencemattersllc.com for even more opportunities for science learning.

Dr. Sharmaine Miller is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Her research focuses on stress, One Health, and health equity and she is interested in human-animal relationships and their impact on both human and animal health.

Dr. Miller completed her undergraduate studies at Towson University (2010 - 2014) and her PhD in Biology from Pennsylvania State University (2014 - 2019). Her PhD focused on stress (biology and exposure) and its effects on animal behavior. She is currently conducting research on the stress and health impacts of animal-assisted therapy as well as potential health impacts of pet ownership in minority populations.

In this episode, we talk about the impacts of development stress on behavior and  differences between stress in captive vs. free-living animals. We then move on to a discussion of One Health (an interdisciplinary framework examining how local environment can impact human and animal health) and how each of these three segments interact to influence each other. Dr. Miller discusses her work with animal shelters and animal-assisted therapy.

We can't help animals if we, ourselves, are not okay. Taking care of your mental health and well-being is essential to avoid burnout. In this episode, I interview Pierre Zimmerman, a Buddhist chaplain and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction instructor.  We discuss the impact of stress on different aspects of behavior, and approaches for handling stress  and uncertainty. Drawing parallels from animal behavior, Pierre explains how mindfulness can foster compassion, empathy, and better communication among humans. Set aside some time and give yourself the gift of listening to this episode - you won't regret it!

If you'd like to learn more, check out Pierre's new book, Facing Cancer with an Attitude, Beyond Survivorship

Dr. Allison Scagel. She is the owner and founder of Scholars with Collars Training and Behavior LLC. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor's degree in wildlife and conservation biology and minors in both psychology and animal behavior. She then interned with Dr. Spaulding for three years. She also served as a dog kennel attendant for the Humane Society of Rome and upstate New York for two years during this period.
In 2022, she completed her PhD in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Buffalo. There, she studied canine cognition and behavior work, which we'll be discussing today. Her first published paper "Do that again. Memory for self-performed actions in dogs" published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology won the 2022 Robert W. Rice Memorial Award for early excellence in research. 

In this episode, we talk about cognition, memory, and training in dogs. It's a fascinating discussion!

This episode's guest is Rose Browne.  She was a student in my Unlocking Resilience course. I decided to have her on because I was so impressed by one of the assignments that she submitted for this course that I asked if she'd be willing to come on the podcast to talk about her idea more and share it with a wider audience.

Rose is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner and a Fear-free Certified professional animal trainer. With over 25 years of experience in dog training with a primary focus on canine behavior modification and preventing problems before they begin. She teaches group classes and also develops and implements private training and behavior modification plans for her company Dynamic Canines. She has extensive experience in education and canine development and behavior, from working with and taking accredited courses with world-renowned professionals in the field of animal behavior. Please join us for this fascinating conversation where Rose shares with us an exercise that she has developed called Puppy Trails.