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How I can help

 
I love teaching just as much as I love learning. My unique background, work and research experience allow me to create specific seminar and workshop content for those in the pet industry, including vets and vet nurses, shelters and rescue groups, day care providers, groomers, breeders and pet stores.
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Industry education
Seminars and workshops
Topics include:
  • Behaviour and cognition
  • How training works
  • Dog communication
  • Puppy socialisation & play
  • Puppy specific behaviours
  • Basic manners training
  • Common problem behaviours
  • Appropriate play, enrichment and exercise
  • Building a fear-free practice
Seminars can range from a few hours in an evening to a full weekend. On-the-job training or private small group classes, or socialisation sessions for breeders, can also be arranged.
Get in touch to discuss how I can tailor-make a seminar to suit you.
Educational content
Raising the Perfect Puppy Manual 
Targeted at puppy owners, this complete manual includes topics on puppy development, dog behaviour, perception and cognition, socialisation, puppy specific behaviours (e.g. resource guarding prevention, house training, mouthing) and basic manners training (e.g. recall, polite greetings, loose lead walking foundations, settle on the mat). 
 
Resources
Need some resources for an educational campaign, program or for general client use? Happy to help!
I can write behaviour-specific content for a range of industries for staff or client use. 
Some options for handouts include: 
  • Body language
  • Teaching a behaviour or two
  • Safe interactions with dogs
  • Socialisation
  • Recommended equipment
  • Appropriate exercise or enrichment
Get in touch to discuss how these educational resources might work for you in your industry
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Research and media
Publications
Edwards et al. 2019, 'Fearful Fido: Investigating dog experience in the veterinary context in an effort to reduce distress', Applied Animal Behaviour Science, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2019.02.009  
Edwards et al. 2019, 'Investigating risk factors that predict a dog's fear during veterinary consultations', PLOS ONEhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215416

More coming in 2019

Research interests

Animal behaviour, training, animal welfare, enrichment, animal cognition, human-animal interactions

Honours research: equipment that Australian pet owners use to walk their dogs and associations with owner beliefs about exercise, dog behaviour and equipment. Also a pilot study focusing on whether one harness type may be better than another in reducing pulling. These projects are currently being prepared for publication.

PhD research: how dogs experience their veterinary visits and strategies we may be able to implement to reduce stress. 

Involvement in podcasts, blogs and other media

May 2019: Podcast with Ryan Cartlidge sharing my experience with compassion fatigue on Animal Training Academy

April 2019: ​Blog post from Companion Animal Psychology regarding the review of the literature investigating dog experience in the veterinary context

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Pet parents

In-home consultations & Basic manners classes

​I regret that I am unable to offer in-home consultations at this time due to the time and work constraints placed by pursuing a PhD. 

However, I have worked with, and can highly recommend, the following professional and qualified force free trainers for in-home consults and basic manners classes: 

Puppy pre school

For puppies 8 weeks to 14-16 weeks old (book in asap, they tend to fill up quickly)

  • St Bernards Veterinary Clinic (Magill)

  • Stephens Tce Veterinary Clinic (St Peters)

  • The Parade Vet (Norwood)

  • Walkerville Vet (Collinswood)

  • Payneham Road Veterinary Centre (Payneham)

  • Newton Veterinary Clinic (Newton)

  • Rose Park Veterinary Clinic (Rose Park)*

  • Scholars in Collars Puppy Play Group (Balhannah)

*I teach at these small-group classes

You can also find more qualified, Adelaide-based trainers on the Force Free Trainer's List: https://www.rspcasa.org.au/the-issues/lead-by-example/

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