We spend a lot of time talking about the grief we experience as pet guardians whose companion animals have grown old or become terminally ill.
There are other types of loss and grief, though, that pet guardians can experience.
Many carry with them elevated levels of trauma -- sudden death, runaways, theft, loss of custody due to the end of a relationship -- and I would love to interview someone on those very subjects.
Today, though, we’re talking about behavioral issues in our companion animals, especially dogs, and the way we manage and treat reactivity or aggression.
Dr. Kyle Bohland of the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center joins me to talk about his work in behavioral studies and the intricacies around behavioral euthanasia.
Dr. Bohland was born and raised in Fremont, Ohio, and completed his undergraduate degree in economics at the University of Akron. After graduation, he earned his master's in science in agricultural, environmental and development economics from Ohio State University.
Along the way, he realized veterinary medicine was his true calling, a career he'd dreamed of since childhood. He graduated from the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018 and worked in general practice doing preventive medicine, general medicine, urgent care, surgery and dentistry.
All the while, he was working on his residency program in behavioral medicine at OSU and then joined the faculty full time.
His topics of interest lie in end of life care, pain management and the behavior of shelter-housed animals. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, 6-year-old child, four senior dogs, one cat and a few fish.
What to listen for
2:42 Early socialization and its impact on dog behavior
8:29 The positive and negative impacts COVID-19 has had on dog behavior
13:27 Trauma and reactivity in shelter dogs
21:55 How the unregulated dog training industry affects dog behavior
