 
Lectures can be tailored for your organization's purposes. If you're interested in having me lecture, please contact me at Sophia@nerdbook.com and use the topic: "behavior lecture." Here are the topics on which I can lecture. For additional topics, please ask.
How Animals Learn The Science of Learning: How to modify behavior in your dog, cat, chicken, rat, giraffe....
(1 to 3 hours, or up to all day).
Whether or not we're aware of it, every time we interact with an animal, we're learning something and the animal's learning something. Whether the animal's learning something "good" is another story. By understanding the principles that guide learning in all animals, we can better modify our behavior in order to modify theirs. Two of these universal principles are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In this lecture, I use video, case studies, stories, and demonstrations (with humans, chickens, dogs, etc) to illustrate the main principles as well as the nuances one must be aware of in order to successfully implement the information into behavior modification programs. Examples span many species and include both natural behaviors as well as trained behaviors. Lecture can be as short as 50 minutes and workshops be up to 2 or more days (including group problem sets, case studies on specific types of behavior problems, and demonstrations).
For more information click here
If a dog (or a horse or a bird) is fearful around strangers or aggressive with other dogs, should it be removed from the gene pool in order to prevent passing of these traits on to offspring? When is a trait genetic and when is it environmental? Can we tell? If there's a genetic component to the behavior, what does that mean? It turns out that all behaviors are a combination of genes and environment and the nature vs. nurture questions is obsolete. Researchers now concentrate on the more useful question-"How does behavior develop." In this lecture I overview genes and inheritance, discuss methods for studying whether behaviors are hereditary, show why the old "isolation" studies don't tell us which behaviors are genetic, and describe the new studies for looking at development of behavior. Workshops include case studies, videos, and problems sets for attendees to solve in groups.
Social Learning in Animals
(1 - 2 hours)
 Do animals learn by observation? Can they mimic each
other? Are they influenced by peer pressure? In this lecture I review the
scientific definitions used to discuss these ideas and then give an overview of
the methods scientists use to determine which type of social process is
occurring. Lecture includes examples of famous historical cases as well as other case studies and problems for attendees to work on in groups.
Animal Behavior: Science not Religion
(1-2 hours)
If animals have emotions why is it bad to anthropomorphize? When an animal behaves badly how do you tell if diet plays a role?
In this lecture I discuss why and how ethologist approach animal behavior in a scientific way. We look at Tinbergen's four questions for approaching behavior, examine the scientific approach to looking at behavior, discuss appropriate ways to describe behavior, and work through a number of case studies.
By the end of this lecture attendees will be better able to evaluate their own ideas about behavior as well as information presented by researchers and fellow trainers.
Barking in Dogs:Noise or Communication
20min, 1hour, 2hours
 Ask any dog owner why his or her dog barks and you'll get a plethora of answers. Because he is hungry. He wants to come inside. He can't stand strangers on his property. With so many uses for one type of vocalization, is barking just a nuisance by-product of domestication or could barking serve some specific communication functions?
For more info click here.
Crime and Punishment
(1-2 hour)
When is it appropriate to use aversives? In this lecture I briefly review the scientific definitions of positive punishment vs negative reinforcement (both include the use of aversives). Then I discuss the side-effects of using aversives (citronella collar, electronic collar, choke chains, pinch collars, Scarecrow, Scatmat, shaker cans) and explain the proper situations and techniques for using aversives. I also discuss how to determine whether a technique is working and whether a technique is appropriate. This lecture includes videos showing how different dogs respond to different techniques.
The Making of an Aggressive Dog
(1-2 hours)
Over 750,000 dog bites leading to emergency room visits are reported annually and approximately 16 lead to fatalities. A large percentage of these bites are due to the pitbull or rottweiler cliché; however, Golden retriever, Labrador, Cocker spaniel, and Pomeranian are on the list too. While many people want to believe that it's primarily the breed that is to blame or that these dogs were specifically abused or trained for fighting, the fact is that many pet lovers have four-legged time bombs living in their own homes. In this lecture I show examples of how aggression begins and progresses (video, slides, case studies). I discuss the process by which the owners accidentally reinforce aggressive behavior and then show examples of how to counter-condition the aggression. I also discuss the importance of dog parks and off leash play for dogs at a young age.
Fighting Felines and other Family Feuds
(1 hour)
Having multiple pets can make for an ideal home; however many multi-pet households are far from the peaceable kingdom. Whether it's a one-species problem or a spat between species, such quarrels can puzzle and stress the owners. In this lecture I discuss different types of family feuds, go through case studies, and discuss and show techniques for counter-conditioning.
The Science Behind Natural Horsemanship
(1-2 hours)
Natural horsemanship, a method popularized by Monty Roberts, involves understanding the natural history and body language of the horse and using the information to better communicate with and better modify behavior in the horse In this lecture I explain the science behind natural horsemanship and discuss the learning and behavior qualities that are specific to horses. This lecture includes extensive video examples.
Scaredy Cats and Fearful Fido's
(1 hour)
While many people assume that fearful dogs and cats must have been abused in earlier life, in reality, many have missed the vital socialization needed during their sensitive period of development. In this lecture I discuss social development in dogs and cats, illustrate postures that indicate fear. I talk about ways to prevent these problems from developing and how to counter-condition when they do develop (includes video)
 No jumping on guests, no chasing cats, no sampling food off the dinner table, no dragging humans down the street during daily walks. With so many rules, it's no wonder Rover's having trouble developing the good social skills she needs to survive in a multi-species society. Luckily, it turns out Rover can learn most of life's rules if her owner just teach her four basic behaviors. When Rover can execute these exercises at full attention, the owner is on his or her way to having a four-legged expert at dog-human etiquette. These behaviors are the foundation for keeping dogs out of trouble. In this lecture I go over the four techniques using videos and slides. And then show how these techniques can be applied to every-day situations.
 Studies show that obedience classes don't have much bearing on whether a dog develops behavior problems. This is because most classes don't deal with behavior outside the training session. In this lecture I discuss the UC Davis shelter dog (foster dog) program and other training classes where I've integrated real-life situations into the regular training curriculum. The course starts with a lecture and workshop on learning. Through demonstrations using dogs, chickens, and humans, as well as video clips and slides, students see how these principles can be applied in real life. In the remaining 6 classes, participants learn basic exercises and how these exercises can be used to prevent or handle behavior problems such as aggression towards other dogs, unruly behavior when greeting strangers, and chasing cars and bikes. Owners learn how to teach their dog the appropriate way to greet other dogs, how to recognize canine body postures, how to train Fido. In general, students of these classes understand that their dog's behavior depends on their behavior. They have the foundations for understanding their dog. They realize that they are learning more than their dogs, and they develop a stronger relationship with their dogs. In the case of the shelter dog program, most of the volunteer trainers end up adopting their trainees instead of letting other adopt them. This adoption rate is much improved over past sessions.
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