Have you left your CEUs until the last minute?
Are you scrambling to catch up and renew your certification,
but conferences you counted on were cancelled?
Are you running out of time?

Relax!!  Not only will our module on Socialization and Genetic Effects on Behavior allow you to add up those CEUs quickly, conveniently, at a reasonable cost, you’ll do so by learning aspects of behavior science it’s unlikely you’ll get anywhere else. [Content/Log-in available to Socialization-genetics members only]

If you want to be challenged rather than watching yet another webinar course containing information you’ve mostly heard before you’ve come to the right place.  If you want to drill down into the original science on socialization and genetic effects on dog behavior, this module package is for you!  Now’s the time to “bone up” on the science  behind the practical application of such common recommendations as crate training and puppy classes and the contribution that genes make to behavior.  It really isn’t “all how they are raised and trained”.

This module contains “The Science of Socialization versus The Stories You’ve Been Told” – a 2 session course that links original research about socialization in dogs and other animals to how we can make the best recommendations for socialization experiences for individual dogs and cats.

Read an expanded course description HERE. +
We all know that socialization is a critical process in the development of well adjusted pets.  But the term has been so loosely applied it’s lost its precise meaning.  What IS socialization, really?  What does science tell us about the effects of socialization on pet behavior?  A body of literature exists about the development of social behavior in social species of animals that has often been ignored when it comes to our pets.

In this webinar we’ll go back to the basic literature and discuss the research results.  Within this framework we should all be better judges of what are – and are NOT –  scientifically sound recommendations about what sorts of experiences dogs and cats need during the sensitive socialization period to help them be good companion animals and improve their welfare.

  • What is the best definition of socialization?
  • What type, and how many, experiences result in “adequate” socialization?
  • Does research support the belief that puppy classes are beneficial?
  • Does socialization affect “bite inhibition?”
  • What about socialization in cats?
  • And MUCH MORE!

The SECOND course in this module is “What You Thought You Knew and What You Don’t Know About the Original Research of Scott and Fuller”.  Any serious student of canine behavior knows that Scott and Fuller undertook a 25 year long project to better understand the development of social behavior in dogs and genetic influences on it  – from which came the title of their book.  But how much do you really know about their research?  We’ve pulled out the highlights – reactivity and emotional behavior, trainability and more including their critical look into breed differences in behavior.

Read an expanded course description HERE. +
Scott and Fuller’s book Genetics and Social Behavior of the Dog is a classic of canine behavior.  Any serious student of canine behavior has at least heard about this book and hopefully tried to make their way through it.  The research findings and conclusions from this book have been cited for almost 50 years.  Unfortunately their pioneering research is often misinterpreted including conclusions about socialization experiences, crate training and more.

How genes influence behavior is a complex topic and there are few opportunities to learn the basics without taking a college level course or quickly getting in over your head. This course provides one of those rare opportunities.

In this webinar we’ll set the record straight on some of the most important findings from Scott and Fuller’s ground breaking research.  You’ll discover:

  • Why Scott and Fuller concluded behavior is not inherited
  • Their findings about the genetic effects on important behaviors such as emotional reactivity, playful aggression, bite restraint and more
  • How genetic effects on behavior are studied, in a way you can understand
  • And MORE

And the THIRD course answers the question “Is It All About The Genes?” We welcome Drs. Alice Moon-Fanelli, CAAB and Dr. Steve Zawistowski, CAAB Emeritus, two behavior geneticists with extensive professional experience with dogs and cats.

Dr. Moon-Fanelli has done research on tail chasing in bull terriers and flank-sucking in Dobermans while at Tufts University, and Dr. “Z”, served as a senior executive at the ASPCA for 26 years and he is currently their Science Advisor Emeritus.

You’ll quickly see why “it’s all about how they are raised and trained” ignores the incredible influence genes have on behavior.

Read an expanded course description HERE. +
We all know that genes influence behavior.  But claims we hear every day make it clear that popular ideas about how genes affect behavior are disconnected from the actual science of behavior genetics.  Consider the following statements we’ve all heard repeatedly:

“Fill in the blank breed” aren’t naturally aggressive.  It’s all in how they’re raised and trained.

Aggression is 80% environmental and 20% genetic (fill in whatever percentage you want).

Behavior is inherited.

There is a gene for aggression. We just haven’t found it yet.

It’s instinctive for dogs to guard their food,

Turns out, these claims – stated as they are – aren’t even the right way to ask questions that can be the subject of behavior genetic research.   In this webinar, we’ll you’ll learn about the methods of behavior genetic research from behavior geneticists Dr. Alice Moon-Fanelli and Dr. Steve Zawistowski.  You’ll come away knowing:

  • The difference between phenotypes and genotypes and why defining a phenotype is a crucial part of genetic research
  • What heritability really means and how it’s measured
  • The effects of relaxed selection, with the pitbull as an example
  • The “Charlotte’s Web” of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions that influence gene expression
  • About new research in behavior genetics as it pertains to dogs how methods affect results
  • And MORE

This module comes with a SLEW of supporting scientific materials, including:

  • Dr. Estep’s chapter on Behavior Development in “Readings in Companion Animal Behavior” edited by Voith and Borchelt
  • Reviews of CLASSIC scientific research articles that came from Scott and Fuller’s decades long research on behavior development you won’t find anywhere else: Behavioral Effects of Rearing Dogs with Cats Together, Critical Period in the Social Development of Dogs (this is a review of the findings of the original research that forms the basis for EVERYTHING about sensitive periods in dogs)
  • AND an extensive reference list

So don’t delay.  This module of courses on “Socialization and The Effects of Genetics on Behavior” contains over 6.5 hours of instruction.  You get ALL On Demand webinars PLUS all materials for only $55.   Because the three courses are ALL available On Demand you can get started within minutes!  No waiting!  You’ll LEARN and EARN  6.5 CEUs for only $55.  This is a discounted price, because we know times are tough right now.  The price WILL go up later this year.

If you have content questions, let us know. We’ll either answer you individually or compile them and add a Q&A module!

Behavior Education Network members:  – You already HAVE access to all the materials in this package, within BEN.  No need to purchase this package.  And to make it easy for you to find these webinars among the 100s you have available to you in BEN, we’ve created a special page with links to this module’s courses.  Just GO HERE to find it – you MUST be logged in for the page to appear.

Want to join Behavior Education Network?  Learn more about member benefits and how to join on BEN’s information page.