“What? Lectures on dog training at a Veterinary Conference? Are you crazy?!”

I recently attended a large veterinary conference and listened to most of the lectures on behavior, which is now a very popular subject, and is given the largest lecture halls and filled nearly to capacity at each lecture. Over the years I’ve watched this topic grow from the germ of an idea as the concept of a Veterinary Behaviorist came into existence into a movement that is bringing the treatment of dog behavior issues into the forefront of small animal veterinary practices.

So why do I bring this up? Because, having worked as a veterinary technician for over ten years, and also in the capacity of a dog trainer who works closely with various busy veterinary practices, I know the reality of what a busy veterinarian can do – and one of the things they can *not* do is conduct lengthy behavioral consultations during an office call – not unless they are aspiring to actually be a “behaviorist” and have an inordinate interest in behavior problems. For example, I listened to an extremely detailed talk on Separation Anxiety – and since I agree that the veterinarian will often be the first one consulted by an owner, it is wonderful that they should know how to understand the basic issues and help guide an owner in the appropriate direction – but as the discussion became more complex I found myself realizing that, beyond understanding what *not* to tell a client, a veterinarian is not able to:

a) spend one or two hours in a behavioral consultation
b) teach a dog basic obedience commands, and then teach the owner how to do it
c) understand the empathetic timing in planned departures, and then teach an owner how to do it – and all of this at a vet clinic rather than in the dog’s environment. And this applies to other topics also discussed in various seminars such as aggression and fear.

As I listened to the lectures I found myself wishing that we could forge a necessary, important and essential bond with the veterinary behaviorists wherein it would be *expected* and routine that “of course” the obvious thing to do is to establish a relationship with a trainer who is able to professionally do the “work” required – and that this would be emphasized in each and every lecture regarding the solving of behavior problems. A trainer is not a veterinarian, a veterinarian is not a trainer – a veterinary technician is also not a trainer: there is such a thing as a professional who works with dogs with complex behavioral issues; who is skilled in the training of dogs.

There needn’t be a division between the two specialties.

Oddly enough, we have not yet seen veterinary behaviorists applying this logic to equine veterinarians. It is accepted in that field that equine veterinarians are *not* horse trainers, and no one is trying (yet) to edge out professional horse trainers by saying that only veterinary behaviorists or equine veterinarians should be consulted regarding equine behavioral issues. Why is that? Is that because the animal is “bigger” than the companion animal, dog? Is it because it’s just “obvious” that of course a veterinarian is not a “trainer”? Does it appear that the training of horses requires physical coordination and skill since you have to actually sit upon the horse? I believe that similar physical skill and timing is required in the training of any animal – although it may not seem so clear when the training involves dogs.

I greatly enjoyed the lectures, and am happy to see the speakers working hard to dispel many unfortunate myths still applied by too many small animal veterinarians, such as the practice of “pinning” small puppies to establish “dominance”, scruff shakes and other similar methods. Now if we could only get them to emphasize, in *each and every lecture* the importance of having your partner along with you in the treatment of canine behavioral issues and training: the professional dog trainer.