Companion Animal Behaviour Problems

Rachel is Director of Canine Behaviour and Research at Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog charity. She is a RCVS and an EBVS® European Veterinary Specialist in Behavioural Medicine and an EBVS® European Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare, Science, Ethics and Law. She has research interests in canine welfare science, including identification of risk factors for undesired behaviours. Rachel also oversees community programmes aimed at preventing behaviour problems, and the behavioural rehabilitation of dogs in rehoming centres.

Sarah is both an RCVS and an EBVS® European Veterinary Specialist in Behavioural Medicine, as well as a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist. She was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in recognition of her work in establishing behavioural medicine as a veterinary discipline.

Helen is a veterinarian, a Diplomat of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (BM) and a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Recognised Specialist in Behavioural Medicine. She is currently the Head of Professional Development in Canine Behaviour at Dogs Trust where she has responsibility for staff education and professional development in dog behaviour and training. She is also a Visiting Fellow in the School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK and an Honorary Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, UK. Helen worked in a range of areas of veterinary medicine before moving into companion animal behaviour in 1998. She has lectured on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and co-developed the University of Lincoln MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour, a programme that she led for a number of years. She has spent many years consulting for pet owners and engaging with research across a range of areas in animal behaviour, learning and cognition. She is a speaker at national and international events, has authored books and book chapters as well as scientific articles and was instrumental in developing the Life Skills for Puppies programme. Over the years Helen has participated and competed in a range of dog sports, although currently she and her dogs prefer more leisurely countryside rambles.

Anne McBride has a Psychology degree and PhD in animal behaviour from University College London. She has had a few cat teachers, notably Corky, named for her corkscrew shaped tail that had been broken in several places. A small, black non-pedigree unwanted kitten brought to the vets to be euthanised, where a young Anne was working as a Saturday helper. Instead, Corky found a home for the next 14 years! An Animal Behaviour and Training Council Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist, she has been practising since 1987, and developed and ran for 20 years the first postgraduate course in this field at the University of Southampton. She continues to teach about Human-Animal Interactions at Southampton, and elsewhere, including teaching some of Bjarne's students about animal learning and training - with sessions to help them practice their skills by training new behaviours to cows! Her degree, experience as a clinician, and generally of life and people and her strong interest in the 'hows and whys' are central to her main goal in life. Namely, to help others become creative, yet critical thinkers in respect of animal (and human) behaviour and welfare. Her second goal is to grow older whilst never truly growing up, by continuing to learn, and laugh all the way to the end! As an aside, you will find Anne has books and papers published as Anne McBride, and as E. Anne McBride

Trudi Atkinson qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1986 and attained the advanced diploma in companion animal behaviour therapy from the University of Southampton in 1999. In July of the same year she was accepted as a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) and in 2000 left veterinary practice to start her own behaviour referral practice covering the South West of England. In 2003, she achieved accreditation as a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB) under the scheme run by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB). Although initially accredited as a clinical behaviourist for both dogs and cats. Cats have always been her preferred interest, and in early 2016 she started to specialise solely in feline behaviour. Trudi has presented talks on feline behaviour and companion animal behaviour in general for organisations including: the APBC, the British Veterinary Behaviour Association (BVBA), British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) and the Centre for Animal Welfare (CAW). She is a founder member of the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians (FABC) and served on the main committee during that organisation's formation and launch. In 2021 Trudi retired from all clinical and committee work and now concentrates solely on writing. Also, Trudi works with International Cat Care, and their veterinary division the International Society for Feline Medicine (ISFM), on their feline behaviour courses and the behaviour sections of their feline nursing courses. Trudi is the author of Practical Feline Behaviour, 2nd Edition and House Soiling Problems in Domestic Cats part of a series on Domestic Cat Behaviour Problems. She is a key contributor to books including Companion Animal Behaviour Problems all published by CABI.