Behind the Behavior

Jim Ha, PhD, CAAB

Back in the fall of 2008, I presented a blog titled A Reading List in Animal Behavior, Part One. I went on in that article to say, “So here I present a highly personal reading list in ethology.  In this entry, I suggest some reading in basic ethology, and in a later entry, I will focus in readings in applied animal behavior.”

But it never happened.. no follow-up blog on the most relevant material, applied ethology!  So, forthwith, the rest of my list… the disclaimer, as before: this is a personal list.  These are the sort of readings, applied in this case, that I would, and have, “required of students of this field, beginning at the undergraduate level and right on through graduate or board-certification work in ethology.  These are the books that my students, graduate and undergraduate, read.  And these would provide the foundation for an excellent library in animal behavior.” Note: We’ve made book and DVD recommendations about dog behavior, cat behavior, and parrot behavior on the Companion Animal Solutions web site under the Books & DVDs section. For the books below, we’ve linked the titles of these books to places you can order them.

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Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT

I see many, many new dog behavior cases each year and I love my work, but sometimes, I need to branch out and learn about the behavior of other companion animals. My partner in Animal Behavior at Companion Animal Solutions is Jim Ha, PhD, CAAB. Jim sees all of the cat and parrot cases that we take. I’ve been privileged to learn about animal and bird behavior by riding along with him on his private behavior consultations with our clients. The ride along opportunities that I enjoy the most are the parrot cases. I love cats, don’t get me wrong, but the parrot cases fascinate me. When I first embarked on my parrot behavior and training research, I was disappointed at how difficult it was to find quality information about parrot behavior and training. The internet is rife with dog training information (some of it excellent and some of it awful and downright harmful), but information about parrot behavior is harder to come by. After some time consuming research, I began to compile a list of resources that include the most respected researchers, veterinarians, applied animal behaviorists, and trainers. I wanted to share what I’ve learned with our readers interested in parrot behavior and training. (more…)

Carly Loyer, BA

I have a little Quaker Parrot (or Monk Parakeet). Her name is Kiwi, she’s about 12 years old, and I’ve owned her since she was a baby. Unfortunately, when she first came to live with me, I was young and inexperienced. Because of this, Kiwi has not had the picture perfect upbringing – not because I don’t love her dearly or because I don’t care about her behavior problems, but because I didn’t know better. As a result, she and I have some challenges to overcome, not the least of which is her desire to reduce my toes to shreds when they are placed in her line of sight. Plastic bags, salt and pepper shakers, hats, anything remotely stick-shaped, and anyone who has the audacity to come into her presence without the standard gift of applesauce are also on her List.

This latter hatred is my biggest concern with my bird, and I have been working with her fairly regularly to counter-condition her reaction when someone new enters the house. Kiwi’s fear aggression became particularly problematic for me when I decided to marry the human being she hated most: The Competition. (more…)