Worry Less, Wag More: The Behavior Vets Podcast - The Podcast Takeover: Lauren Novack Asks Ferdie Yau about Ethology, Wildlife Conservation, and Training Exotic Species

The Podcast Takeover: Lauren Novack Asks Ferdie Yau about Ethology, Wildlife Conservation, and Training Exotic Species

01/30/23 • 65 min

Worry Less, Wag More: The Behavior Vets Podcast

In this episode, guest host Lauren Novack (MS, ACDBC, KPA-CTP, FPPE) interviews Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA) about ethology, working in wildlife conservation, and lessons learned from training exotic species. We discuss:

The ethological perspective on animal behavior
Functional breeding
Being a trainer at Central Park Zoo and an ecologist for NYC
Lessons learned from training exotic species

Ferdie's bio:
Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA) is the host of Behavior Vets' "Worry Less, Wag More" podcast and the Director of Shelter & Community Outreach. He has an MA in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and a BS in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan. Ferdie was a zookeeper and trainer both the Central Park Zoo and Bronx Zoo from 2002 to 2005, and trained dozens of exotic species including California sea lions, river otters, Arctic foxes and polar bears. He is the Staff Trainer at the Humane Society of Westchester and an instructor at CATCH Canine Trainers Academy. Ferdie studies urban coyote behavior and population dynamics with the Gotham Coyote Project.
Links:
More about Lauren Novack
More about Ferdie Yau
Gotham Coyote Project
NYC Coyote Diet Study
Evidence of variable dog genetic ancestry influencing coyote behavior in NYC?

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The ethological perspective on animal behavior
Functional breeding
Being a trainer at Central Park Zoo and an ecologist for NYC
Lessons learned from training exotic species

Contact Behavior Vets

Previous Episode

Viviane Arzoumanian Helps Us Coach Clients to Understand the Toughest Cases

In this episode, Viviane Arzoumanian (CDBC, CPDT-KA, CBATI, PMCT2, Licensed Family Dog Mediator - Training) drops nuggets of wisdom to help dog behavior professionals coach their clients through the toughest cases. How Viviane communicates with her clients is a professional standard we should all strive for to truly help families and their hard-to-live with (but hopelessly loveable) pets. We discuss:

Preparing yourself for emotional clients.
Connecting with the human end of the leash.
Focusing on the human-canine relationship.
Humane behavioral euthanasia.
Teaching clients their dog's perspective.

Viviane's bio:
LICENSED FAMILY DOG MEDIATOR - TRAINING
CDBC
CPDT-KA
CBATI
PMCT2
Viviane has been training dogs and conducting behavior consultations since 2005. She is your guide in all things having to do with dogs, whether you are an animal professional or a family guardian. Viviane is a networker and values collaborating with other animal professionals in order to best serve her clients and colleagues. If she doesn’t have a resource you need, she will use her ever expanding network to find it for you.
Coaching humans has always been Viviane’s strength and joy. In recent years she has increased her focus on the human side of dog training and behavior. She offers coaching and guidance in an atmosphere of acceptance and safety.
Her clients include a range of other professionals needing resources or a sounding board for finding new or tried & true ideas for puzzling or difficult cases.
Viviane is a resource for pet parents who are struggling with difficult decisions, or not sure they are on the right track with their dogs. She is available for a full range of conversations including case review, referral to other professionals, all the way to discussion of quality of life for humans and canines living together. This includes discussion of humane euthanasia due to age, illness or behavioral concerns. She still sees dogs and their families for the full range of needs from puppyhood to old age on a case by case basis. Viviane has been educated by thousands of clients and their dogs, and she learns something new every day!
She wants to give special mention to her personal passed dogs, Taki, Shadow, Toby, Pasha, and Greta. Her current dogs are 12 year old Willow, a Staffy, Shiba Inu, Basenji mix and 5 year old Mimi a Lagotto Romagnolo.
Links:
Pumpkin Pups Dog Training
Pumpkin Pups Membership Learning Program
Contact for clients about training offerings
Information and contact for coaching services: [email protected]
Ask the Trainer - Always Free every Saturday except some Holiday weekends:
Private Pumpkin Pups FB group

Theme music composed and performed by Andy Sells

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Next Episode

Open Conversations with Michael Shikashio and Dr. Kathy Murphy: Moving Past Polarization in the Training World

In this episode, we discuss how to have difficult conversations with other trainers who may not share a similar approach to training dogs. This conversation was a response to Mike Shikashio’s recent appearance on a trainer’s podcast who uses and teaches training with aversive tools. Was it a mistake to “reach across the aisle”?

Keeping communication lines open
Navigating sensitive conversations
Shifting away from the 4 quadrants
Understanding emotions related to behavior

Dr. Kathy Murphy’s bio:Dr Kathy Murphy (BVetMed, DPhil, CVA, CLAS, MRCVS) is a veterinary surgeon and neuroscientist. She graduated from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons UK in 1999, initially working in mixed clinical practice before studying for two post graduate clinical qualifications with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and Laboratory Animal Science.

Links:
https://behaviorvets.com/
https://www.facebook.com/neuroscienceisawesome/
Resilience Rainbow Tour 2023
May 20th: Madison, NJ
May 27th: Nova Scotia, CAN
June 3rd: Denver, CO
Mike’s bio:Michael Shikashio, CDBC, is the founder of AggressiveDog.com and focuses on teaching other professionals from around the world on how to successfully work aggression cases. He is a five-term president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and was the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) Member of the Year in 2020.
Michael is sought after for his expert opinion by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, New York Post, Fox News, The List TV, Baltimore Sun, WebMD, Women’s Health Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, SiriusXM Radio, The Chronicle of the Dog, and Steve Dale’s Pet World. He also hosts the popular podcast show “The Bitey End of the Dog” where he chats with the foremost experts on dog aggression.
Links:
https://aggressivedog.com
Aggression in Dogs Online School
Mike’s FB
Aggression in Dogs FB
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