Many advantages and negligible risk to feeding treats in the veterinary clinic. Veterinarians and vet technicians are often impressed when they see the effects of successful counterconditioning on fearful animals: growling dogs stop snapping, and scared animals become more manageable. But as a consultant, the skeptical comment I keep hearing is: “… unfortunately we can’t feed treats because if we need to sedate animals at any time during the examination, feeding might increase the risk of Aspiration Pneumonia…” This is a valid concern, of course. Aspiration Pneumonia (AP) is a very serious disease. But how does the risk of AP

The primary reasons for the use of low stress handling techniques and methods in avian species are no different than with companion dogs and cats. The adverse effects of learned fear, increased escape and avoidance behaviors, increased aggression, generalized fear and even apathy are profound.

Often I see the joy, frustrations, and enrichment a new dog can bring into the home of an established dog, whether it is adding a lifelong friend to your family, or to welcome a visiting dog at the holidays with peace and harmony. There are 3 main points to consider …

By now, you’ve probably heard all about the Low Stress Handling™ Certification Program. You know it’s got these videos you can watch that are… maybe all lectures or something? There might be books involved, but you know it exists. So, what is it, exactly? For Pet Guardians: This logo signifies that the people you are dealing with have spent a lot of time learning Dr. Yin’s methods for reducing stress in animals. They know how to hold a leash, how to offer treats and countercondition animals to having medical treatment, and the perfect way to do a medical wrap. What

For many, being able to read a dog’s body language on the fly is very hard. But you can’t always bring your book or your posters with you wherever you and your pooch go. Thanks to technology, I was able to develop an app called Dog Decoder, ready to use right when you need it. This was an outgrowth of my passion to help owners understand the nature of dogs. The app is colorfully and lovingly illustrated by Lili Chin of Doggie Drawings. You definitely know Lili’s work as the illustrator of choice for Dr. Sophia Yin’s posters on The Body Language of

During the course of my undergraduate degree in Animal Science, I quickly realized that working in a vet hospital setting wasn’t going to be my thing – but research was so cool! I discovered that I could study animal behaviour from an applied research perspective instead of becoming a veterinarian. This was in great part due to an incredible mentor, veterinarian, and applied animal behaviourist, Dr Sophia Yin. Not only did Dr Yin let me assist in her research projects and private consultations, she also encouraged me to take on as many outside learning opportunities as I could fit in: