On April 24th the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) Foundation will hold an event as part of their Learning Bond Series.
Event description from the IAABC website: “Leading-edge researchers and educators Kristyn Vitale and Saho Takagi will host a half-day live event on current work and future directions of cat training and behavior. They’ll discuss how to best apply learning principles to these brilliant, sensitive animals, how to prepare for success in training sessions, how the environment, other pets in the home, and human behavior all affect a cat’s learning, and how best to deal with unwanted or problematic behaviors when they arise. The afternoon will end with a moderated discussion with our presenters and attendees.”
See this link and below for more details!
Presentation 1: How Cats Learn: Training to improve cat welfare
Kristyn Vitale, PhD
Cats are known to be intelligent and curious animals. Yet, counter to this, many believe cats to be untrainable. In this presentation we will explore the relevant science related to how cats learn from their environment, from other cats, and from the humans in their lives. We will discuss how to apply learning principles for cat training, how to set up training sessions for success, and how human behavior can unintentionally shape the behavior of cats. We will also examine how to deal with behaviors that may be seen as inappropriate or problematic. We will conclude with an examination of how to apply this knowledge to increase the welfare of cats living in our homes.
Presentation 2: Social Cognition in Cats: Review of recent studies and my current works
Saho Takagi, PhD
Cats, along with dogs, are the most widely kept companion animals in the world. However, some have been skeptical about their ability to read human social signals, partly because their ancestral species was solitary. In recent years, an increasing number of cats’ social cognition studies have shown that cats are able to read human signals better than previously thought. In this talk, I will introduce the social cognitive abilities of cats that have been revealed in recent years and my current research on the extent to which cats understand human language.
Followed by a Moderated Discussion with Speakers and Attendees
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