ASPCA® Expert to Appear at Panel on Pet Behavior

NEW YORK—The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced that Dr. Steven Zawistowski, CAAB, Science Advisor for the ASPCA, will participate in an upcoming panel “Topics on Pet Behavior” to be presented on Friday, July 23 by the Interdisciplinary Forum of Applied Animal Behavior & Premier Pet Products, Inc.

The program, which will take place from 1-5 p.m. ET at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., will include several panel discussions, including:

• “Birth of Our Best Friends” from 1-2 p.m., presented by the ASPCA’s Dr. Stephen Zawistowski, CAAB. Over 60% of American households have a pet, and we will spend over $50 billion on their care this year. Find out how wolves and wildcats tamed their human neighbors and gained access to our beds, wallets and hearts.
  
  
• “Getting Behaviors and Making Them Stick” from 2-3 p.m., presented by Pia Silvani, CPDT-KA, Director of Training and Behavior at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J. One of the best ways to teach pets is to reward the behaviors you want and ignore the behaviors you don’t. But how do you get the animal to do the behavior in the first place? Pia will go over the key points to getting behaviors and making sure they stick!
  
  
• “Think you have to be alpha over your dog? You Don’t!” from 3:15-4:15 p.m., presented by Nancy Williams, MA, RVT, ACAAB, of Dogs With Issues, LLC, in Manchester, Md. We’ve all heard that we need to be dominant over our dogs, or show them we are the boss to have good relationships. This is not correct and can harm your relationship! Come and find out the latest information that will help you work with your dog in a much more effective manner.
  
  
• Open Q & A from 4:15-5 p.m., with the ASPCA’s Dr. Stephen Zawistowski, CAAB; Pia Silvani, CPDT-KA; Nancy Williams, MA, RVT, ACAAB; Ellen J. Mahurin, MA; and Dan Estep, Ph.D. CAAB, Animal Behavior Associates, Inc., of Denver, Colo. Do you have a burning question about pet behavior? The expert panel will answer questions and give the best scientific information available.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Room 20 of the McGlothlin-Street Hall on the William and Mary campus.