Please note, speakers are being added and more will be announced soon! Many more tracks and speakers are pending! Please note speakers listed are subject to change.
Bob Bailey
B
ob is a biologist, chemist (UCLA), animal trainer, and a “biological-systems engineer-analyst.” In 1962 Bob became the Director of Training for the US Navy Marine Mammal Program and was a pioneer in at-sea applications of marine mammals.
Bob’ training career began with the “behavior modification” of wild coyotes and kangaroo rats in the Mojave Desert in the 1950s. He then began training cephalopods, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, rats, and some birds. His training methodology was based on the writings of B. F. Skinner and Keller and Marian Breland.
Bob joined the Brelands’ company, Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE) in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1965, the same year Keller Breland died. Bob became ABE’s operational head in 1969. ABE produced stage productions for many tourist attractions in the USA and abroad and conducted government sponsored free environment programs with dolphins, dogs, cats, ravens, gulls, vultures, pigeons, and many other birds and mammals. Bob and Marian married in 1976. They trained, or directed the training, of more than 140 different species, totaling well over 15,000 animals. Bob and Marian closed ABE’s doors in 1990. They continued to consult on selected projects. Marian died in 2001. Bob continues consulting and teaching worldwide.
Some of the story of the Brelands and the Baileys and ABE is chronicled in a video called Patient Like the Chipmunks. A five-hour video of one of Bob’s two-day lectures, “The Fundamentals of Animal Training,” was released in 2006.
Tom Candy
Tom Candy is a Senior Training and Behaviour Advisor for DogsTrust in the United Kingdom. Tom is responsible for overseeing the training and behaviour at multiple rehoming centres across the UK. His duties include assessment, management and behaviour modification.
A passion for animal welfare and training led Tom to undertake a BSc (Hons) in bio-veterinary science, and an MSc in clinical animal behaviour from the University of Lincoln, UK.
Having started volunteering in rescue at the age of 15, Tom has been involved in a variety of aspects of rescue, including fundraising, home checks, transporting, and general day-to-day activities. Since graduating from University, Tom has been working as a training and behaviour advisor at a DogsTrust, locuming across 7 centres before moving to the senior training and behaviour team.
Tom is an accredited animal behaviourist with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council, and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Chair of the Dog Division with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.
Peta Clarke
Peta Cla
rke has more than twenty years experience working as a professional animal trainer in a variety of settings both in Australia and America, she has engulfed herself during that time in the practical and theoretical application of reinforcement training in the training and care of literally thousands of animals. While Peta’s first love is working with dogs, her experiences in the field of animal training range from elephants to goldfish. As a trainer and presenter of animal shows in zoos on several continents, she has had the opportunity to work with many exotic animals, but has focused her work in this area on working with free-flighted birds and marine mammals.
Peta also runs her own animal training and consultancy business, Animal Training Solutions based out of Sydney, Australia. Peta consults on both pet dog and parrot behaviour and training issues for companion owners and consults extensively with wildlife parks and zoos worldwide on improved training practices and show development.
Peta Clarke is a Nationally Accredited Trainer, holding her Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and is a sought-after lecturer in Australia, teaching Certificate level animal training and behaviour courses for aspiring animal trainers and an invited lecturer for many dog training clubs, zoos, and other private organizations.
James Crosby
James W. Crosby M.S. CBCC-KA is a Certified Behavior Consultant, a recognized expert in canine behavior, dog bites and attacks, and shelter management and operations. He is a retired Police Lieutenant from Jacksonville, Florida, and former Animal Control Division Manager in Bay County, Florida. He has combined his police experience and his animal specific experience to train Animal Control and Police agencies on animal issues, including dangerous dog cases and criminal cruelty investigations Mr. Crosby is the Working Group Chair for Police Dog Encounter Training for the National Coalition on Violence Against Animals and is the subject matter expert on Police Dog Encounters and dog behavior for the National Sheriffs’ Association. He is Director, Canine Encounter Training, for the National Law Enforcement Center on Animal Abuse and is on the Board of Directors of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). Mr. Crosby earned a M.S. in Veterinary Medical Science, specializing in Veterinary Forensics, from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. He is currently a fully accepted active candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Florida, Graduate School, College of Veterinary Medicine, in Veterinary Medical Science.
Steve Dale
Steve Dale, certified animal behavior consultant (CABC), has reached more pet owners over the past few decades than any other pet journalist in America.
He is the host of two nationally syndicated radio shows, Steve Dale’s Pet World and The Pet Minute (together heard on more than 100 radio stations, syndicated Black Dog Radio Productions, since 2005). He’s also a special contributor at WGN Radio, Chicago, and program host of Steve Dale’s Pet World (since 1997). He formerly hosted the nationally broadcast Animal Planet Radio.
For 21 years, his twice weekly newspaper column was syndicated by the Chicago Tribune. Steve was a contributing editor for USA Weekend (2002 to 2014), and regular columnist at Cat Fancy magazine (2006 to 2014). He has written for a long list of magazines, from People to Dog World (where he was a columnist).
He’s currently a writer and contributing editor for CATster, and authors a column called Steve Dale’s Vet World for Veterinary Practice News. He’s also a columnist for the Journal of National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America and PetVet magazine.
Gail Fisher
With over 40 years’ experience, Gail’s background in dogs covers virtually all aspects of the field – breeding, showing, competitive obedience and agility, and training dogs from household pets to problem solving to training specialties such as dogs for the hearing impaired. She bred Mastiffs and Vizslas, handling many dogs of her own breeding to breed championships and obedience titles. She operated a boarding, grooming and training kennel, worked for a professional handler and developed professional skills in grooming as well.
While Gail’s direct involvement with dogs has been the mainstay of her professional life, she has made even more significant contributions to the field as a “teacher of teachers.” Gail developed the first ever university course for dog trainers and instructors, a two-year certificate program, which she taught at the University of New Hampshire.
Named one of the top 5 lecturers in the world on dog behavior and training by England’s “Our Dogs Magazine,” her entertaining and educational seminars spread the word of humane dog training and a greater understanding of dog behavior to audiences throughout the United States, Canada, England and Switzerland. Gail’s commitment to learning and sharing knowledge benefits dog owners, professionals and the dogs themselves.
Dr. Susan Friedman
Dr. Susan Friedman is a psychology professor at 
Utah State University who has pioneered the application of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to captive and companion animals. ABA, with its roots in human learning, offers a scientifically sound teaching technology and ethical standard that can improve the lives of all learners. Students from 22 different countries have participated in Susan’s online courses, Living and Learning with Animals for Professionals and Living and Learning with Parrots for Caregivers. She has written chapters on learning and behavior for three veterinary texts (Behavior of Exotic Pets, Clinical Avian Medicine, and Manual of Parrot Behavior), and is a frequent contributor to popular magazines. Her articles appear around the world and in eleven languages. Susan has presented seminars for a wide variety of professional organizations around the world such as the Association of Avian Veterinarians, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Moorpark College Exotic Animal Training and Management
Lore Haug, DVM, MS, DACVB, CABC
Dr. Haug graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. She completed a one year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2002, she completed a Master’s Degree and residency program in animal behavior at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. She ran the Animal Behavior Service at Texas A&M from 2002-2007 and then move to Sugar Land, TX to begin a private referral practice. Dr. Haug speaks frequently across the country at veterinary and animal behavior venues, with an emphasis on canine, feline, and equine behavior. Dr. Haug also has a special interest in neurobiology, behavior modification, and pharmacology. She has published articles in several veterinary journals and is a chapter author in several books. She is currently the Immediate Past President of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and is a long standing member, and past Chair, of the ACVB Examination Committee. Dr. Haug is also a certified consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.
Dr. Elinor Karlsson
Elinor Karlsson is an assistant professor in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the director of the Vertebrate Genomics Group at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She is excited by the potential for using our own evolutionary history to understand how the human genome works, and in how that knowledge can lead to advances in healthcare. By investigating evolutionary history using high throughput genomic tools, Elinor aims to identify genes, pathways, and functional variants underlying polygenic traits, including susceptibility to infectious diseases, like cholera and viral hemorrhagic fevers, as well as psychiatric disorders (using dogs as a model organism). Elinor received her B.A. in biochemistry/cell biology from Rice University, and earned her Ph.D. in bioinformatics from Boston University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University before starting the Karlsson Lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 2014.
Dr. Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB
Dr. Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB received his veterinary degree from the University of MN in 2002 and worked as a general practitioner for two years in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area prior to the start of his residency program. He operated a house-call behavior practice in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area until 2010 and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in 2010. He is currently the owner of the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, OR, lectures regularly throughout the US and Canada, and has taught courses in veterinary behavior at the University of MN and at the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. He has published research on feline water consumption preferences, wrote a book chapter on Intercat Aggression for the May 2014 issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, and is co-author of an forthcoming book chapter on Pet Selection for Animal Assisted Therapy.
Dr. Maria Solacito
Dr. Maria Solacito has been the Senior Veterinarian for the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control since July 2012. She oversees the agency’s medical program in 7 Animal Care Centers (ACC), with a staff of 11 shelter veterinarians and 27 RVTs.
Dr. Solacito has a D.V.M. from the University of the Philippines and completed her clinical year at Purdue University.
Dr. Solacito is a member of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA), the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) and The Association for the Advancement of Animal Welfare (AAWA). She served as President of the Southern California Filipino Veterinary Medical Association (SCFVMA) for 2016-18. She also regularly volunteers for the Paws For Life outreach program of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in Los Angeles. Dr. Solacito also completed the County of Los Angeles/University of Southern California (USC)’s Executive Leadership Development Program.
Dr. Solacito is passionate about animal welfare, and she believes that veterinarians play an important role in its advocacy and in the societal change it inspires. She is an advocate for shared leadership amongst veterinarians and non-medical decision-makers in animal sheltering operations. She has been sought out to speak at conferences on animal welfare, veterinary leadership, shared leadership and animal sheltering.
Cooking is one of Dr. Solacito’s many talents, and she loves preparing meals for family and friends. Her other interests include listening to acoustic guitar music and watching Hayao Miyazaki movies. She and her husband share their home with HipHop (cat) and Cookie and Ben (dogs) who were all adopted from the Lancaster shelter.
Dr. Kristina Spaulding, CAAB
Dr. Spaulding has a PhD in Biopsychology and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist through the Animal Behavior Society. As a graduate student, she acquired extensive experience in teaching the science of behavior and received an award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student. Prior to receiving her PhD, Dr. Spaulding earned her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In college, she volunteered and then worked at the local humane society. During her time at the animal shelter, she and a coworker established a training program for shelter dogs. She also served as an assistant trainer at Dog’s Best Friend which was owned at that time by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell. In 2001, Dr. Spaulding moved upstate New York and opened Smart Dog Training and Behavior LLC, where she continues to conduct private lessons for basic training and a wide variety of behavior problems.
In addition to working with clients, Dr. Spaulding regularly offers educational opportunities on the science of animal behavior at training and behavior conferences and online. She has a particular interest in increasing the flow of information between academia and those in the field to improve the quality of both research and applied work. She is a long-standing member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT) Education Committee and in 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the APDT’s Member of the Year Award. She is also a member of the Fear Free Advisory Group and an authorized Speaker for Fear Free which advocates for minimizing fear, anxiety and stress for pets around the country. She chairs two task forces for Meeting of the Minds, a coalition of top dog professionals across the country charged with improving quality of life for our dogs. She also regularly conducts staff training on dog behavior for local veterinary clinics and animal shelters.
Nancy Tucker
Nancy is a certified trainer with the CCPDT, and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the IAABC. She teaches seminars, webinars, and workshops on dog training, dog behavior, and the business end of training throughout Canada, the US, and Europe. She has presented at conferences for the Pet Professional Guild, the IAABC, the Dog Event in France, and the WOOF! conference in the UK.
She is an instructor for Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, where she teaches popular courses focusing on various topics including how to treat separation anxiety, how to use desensitization and counter-conditioning to treat fearful behaviours, and how to tackle other common behaviour issues. She also offers virtual consultation services to other professional dog trainers.
Nancy has written numerous articles on dog behaviour and is a regular contributor to the Whole Dog Journal. She is a founding member of the Regroupement Québécois des Intervenants en Éducation Canine (RQIEC), a Quebec-based association of trainers and behaviour consultants.
She shares her home in Quebec, Canada with her husband Tom and their Border Terrier, Bennigan.
Dr. Valarie Tynes
Dr. Valarie Tynes is a native Texan and received her DVM from Texas A&M University. She worked in private practice for 14 years before returning to academia to pursue a residency in clinical animal behavior at the University of California at Davis in 2000. She has been a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists since 2003 and is currently Immediate Past President of the College. She is also Board Certified in Animal Welfare. Her special interests are the behavior and welfare of pet pigs, exotic pets and zoo animals. She is a frequent speaker at veterinary meetings around the country and author of numerous articles and textbook chapters. She joined Ceva in October of 2014 as a veterinary services specialist but continues to provide consulting services to zoos.
Ali Waszmer
Ali Waszmer is the Behavior Division Manager for the Department of Animal Care and Control responsible for development and oversight of training and enrichment programs for pets at Los Angeles County Animal Care Centers Currently, she is also serving as the interim Care Center Manager at the Baldwin Park Care Center.
Ali’s passion for canine behavior and training began during her senior year in college when she started volunteering at her local animal shelter. Striving to become an accomplished dog trainer, Ali earned multiple certifications after attending the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers. After completing the SF SPCA Shelter Internship, she returned to New York to accept a position at the SPCA of Westchester creating and overseeing all functions of the behavior department, as well as training for volunteer dog companions.
Later she went on to become the Shelter Manager at the Westchester Humane Society where Ali oversaw field, shelter, and program operations. After her tenure at the Westchester Humane Society, Ali worked at Animal Care Centers of New York City (NYCACC) for two and a half years, first as the Volunteer Manager then as the Enrichment and Staff Training Supervisor, In November 2015 she accepted the position of Director of Program Development for Dogs Playing for Life. In this position, Ali functioned as a primary mentor to leadership and staff at shelters implementing DPFL programming, in addition to collecting data to refine programmatic objectives and approach.