Announcement: Upcoming Webinars on Behavior Meds
Hi all,
I’m excited to announce that I will be doing a set of webinars on the topic of behavior medications in dogs on Thursday, August 9th through the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. These are open to anyone who wants to sign up, so feel free to join me if you’re curious about behavior meds and how they work!
**Note: you DO NOT have to attend the webinar live, if it doesn’t fit with your schedule. As long as you’re registered, a recording will be available for you to watch at your convenience. But, you do need to make sure to register BEFORE the webinar date, as it won’t be available for purchase afterwards.**
Cost is $19.95 for each webinar. Registration link is here: FDSA webinar page
Details and descriptions are below:
Intro To Behavior Medications: What Are They, And How Can They Help?
Thursday, August 9th – 3 PM Pacific Time
Do you have a dog with behavior issues, or work with client dogs who do? If so, join us for a fun and informative discussion! You may already know how to address issues like anxiety, reactivity, or aggression from a training standpoint, but many dog owners and trainers are unsure about how medication might fit into the picture.
This webinar will provide an overview of the most common medications used to treat behavior problems in dogs. Our focus will be on practical, “real-world” information including:
- How to know if your dog might benefit from medication
- Goals of using meds in behavior cases
- Different classes of drugs and how they work
- Natural supplements and calming aids
Can be taken on its own, or as a lead-in to Part 2 (see below!) for those who want ALL THE DETAILS 🙂
Behavior Medications, Part 2: Beyond The Basics
Thursday, August 9th – 6 PM Pacific Time
In this webinar, we will build on the information presented in “Intro to Behavior Medications” to take your knowledge to the next level. Delve into the nitty-gritty details of behavioral pharmacology as it relates to the following:
- Factors that influence medication choices for aggression, anxiety, etc. – which drug is best for different situations?
- Combination therapy (using multiple meds together)
- Case studies and examples for discussion
We will also discuss specific considerations for performance dogs, including the impact of behavior meds on learning and memory, and possible ethical questions that may arise when deciding whether or not to medicate a dog who is actively showing and competing.
Feel free to comment or contact me with any questions! I’m really excited to present on this topic, as I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding about meds and how they can fit into an overall training or behavior modification plan. Hope to see some of you there! 🙂
7 thoughts on “Announcement: Upcoming Webinars on Behavior Meds”
I was really excited when I saw this as a webinar topic! My youngest dog is on a few behavioral medications to try to help him cope with his inability starting at 2yo to be in the house with my other dog. We have found a combo that has made him manageable, trainable in the tough situations so we can try to get better, and have separate areas for each dog so we’re able to keep him. We love him dearly, and I don’t think we would have gotten there without the meds. Looking forward to learning more about the types of medications, what they can help, reasonable expectations and side effects. It can be overwhelming when your talking to your vet so I think this will be a really nice way to learn more in an easier environment. So, thank you!
I’m excited to present on this topic! Meds are a great tool, and can be a huge help for some dogs along with an appropriate training and management plan.
Glad you’re going to be able to join us! <3
So grateful that you are generously doing this webinar. I’m signed up for the later webinar and hoping to collect information on what is the safest long-term option for my dog and what is the actual research? I have a 5 year insecure noise-phobic dog who was sent into an anxiety-tailspin when I had to leave her with friends with an electric fence for 3 months (I had no idea!). She is much better now thanks to drugs and a lot of counter conditioning work. She is 40 pounds and is on fluoxetine daily 20mg and takes Sileo or Alprazolam when there is a storm; CBD during mild weather events. Alprazolam seems to be addictive and be less effective with use; Sileo has only very limited research – 1 RCT with a small sample size. But different sources seem to be say different things – where is the best place to get reliable pharmacology information? My goal is quality of life for her. Thank you in advance!!
Poor pup! I’m sorry to hear about her bad experience. It sounds like your current plan is a very reasonable one – daily fluoxetine with Sileo or alprazolam as needed for storms is a common combo that works well for many dogs.
I’m glad you’re going to be able to join us for the second webinar! We will be talking a bit about long-term safety, whether most dogs need to be on meds for life or not, and other potential health issues, so I hope you’ll find it helpful.
Note that some of this info will be covered in the first hour – so even if you aren’t able to attend live, you may still want to register for both so that you have the recording to watch later 🙂
Also, to answer your question about reliable pharmacology information – it’s tough to find much online that’s geared towards veterinary patients! Lots of info out there on psychotropic drugs in humans, but of course we don’t always know how much we can extrapolate to dogs.
If you’re interested in a textbook-type reference, I really like Veterinary Psychopharmacology by Sharon Crowell-Davis and Thomas Murray. It’s not overly long, but has great info on all of the commonly used types of meds in veterinary behavior, including references to studies and clinical trials for each medication.
First off, THANK YOU for a fabulous webinar. What a great job- so informative. I learned a great deal- not only for myself and my dogs, but will also feel more comfortable suggesting a vet visit/meds to clients who are struggling. I do have a quick question that I submitted during the webinar, but time ran out and I was unable to attend the following one.
Do you know of any studies that address possible side effects relating to Gabapentin and a dog’s sense of smell? The reason I ask is that I do Nose work and Barn Hunt with my 10+ Am Staff mix. She was a delight and a hoot to watch ‘work’. Recently, my veterinary behaviorist put her on Gabapentin (300mg x2 daily) as she’s been having anxiety issues on top of her degenerative joint disease. During our last 2 hunts, she showed little interest in ‘working’. She tunneled, climbed, and that was about it-a cursory sniff here or there for the rats. As an experiment, I did some scent work here, in my kitchen, with Birch and hides. She was unable to indicate the hot box.
Any help, input, ideas or where to go with this is much appreciated. And, if she has to retire, so be it. She’s a love and I’d do just about anything to make sure she was comfortable.
Thank you for your time.
Hey there! I’m glad you enjoyed the webinar – I had a great time doing it! 🙂
That’s such as interesting question, about gabapentin and sense of smell. I have never seen this in any of my patients, and have not heard of it reported either.
I did some checking on the human side of things, and found a few isolated mentions and anecdotal reports of people on gabapentin not being able to smell as well as before, or smelling strange odors that weren’t there – so it seems like maybe something that does happen occasionally, at least in people??? No studies showing this in any species, as far as I know.
So, definitely weird! If the timing fits in your girl’s case, I would agree with you that it seems likely it’s related to her meds. What a bummer, as far as her barn hunt and nosework stuff goes 🙁
Since it sounds like she normally uses her nose quite a bit, you could certainly talk to her behaviorist about the issue and see if it might be an option to reduce her dose or try another med instead.
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