The Biology of Breed: Examining genetic, neuroanatomical, and behavioral differences in dog breeds. Presented by Dr. Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB

Free Webinar for PPG Members

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1 , KPA 1, IAABC 1

How much does breed really matter? Are there more differences within breeds or between breeds? Environment and learning are important, but biology matters too. How do the brains of different dogs differ? What might this tell us about their behavior? We know what traits are commonly associated with various breeds, but what does the research actually support?

This webinar will look at two different studies – one on genetic variation between breeds (with over 14,000 dogs and 101 breeds) and one on variations in brain anatomy between breeds.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain what is known about the heritability of behavior as it results to breed
• Summarize what we know about brain differences between breeds
• Define gene by environment interactions and explain how they apply to dog behavior
• Apply the information from today's webinar to working with dogs.

About The Presenter

Dr. Kristina Spaulding

Dr. Spaulding has a PhD in biopsychology - the study of the biological basis of behavior - and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist through the Animal Behavior Society. She specializes in stress and behavior, social cognition and emotion, positive welfare and the prevention and treatment of behavior problems in dogs. In addition to her academic background, she has been in the dog training and behavior profession for 19 years. She currently splits her time between private behavior work and teaching other dog trainers and behavior consultants online and through seminars and conferences.

In addition, Dr. Spaulding is a long-standing member of the APDT Education Committee. She is also a member of the Fear Free Advisory Group and an authorized Speaker for Fear Free. She also chairs a task force for Meeting of the Minds, a coalition of top dog professionals across the country charged with improving the quality of life for our dogs and is a member of the IAABC Foundation Board. You can find out more about her on her website. (http://smartdogtrainingandbehavior.com/online-services/)