ABOUT

I have always adored animals. In my childhood, I would breed snails and caterpillars in a small box, which would crawl on my hands, much to my mother's horror. I would occasionally care for hedgehogs, turtles, and rabbits that I managed to catch, while cats and dogs were always my best friends. My Zoology notebook, filled with cutouts from the "Young Naturalist" magazine, was three times thicker than when it was first born, making it the best in the class. And I dreamt of a life with a Newfoundland dog. I have always loved science, but I didn't pursue a biology degree because, based on my reconnaissance, they dissected mice and frogs.

Life introduced some changes to my plans, notably, a Newfoundland materialized as a Schipperke :) And through thorns and stars (meaning thtrough degrees in astronomy and psychology), across countries and continents, I eventually found my calling – working with dogs. 

Besides universities, I studied at the School of Applied Ethology and the Karen Pryor Academy. I am a member of PPG (CP) and a PDTE-friend. In 2022, I founded the Dog Science Club with the goal of exchanging knowledge and experience among specialists from various fields united by one passion – love for dogs.

Evidence-Based Methods for Stress Reduction in Dogs: Contemporary Knowledge, Discoveries, and Prospects.

At the core of all truly problematic canine behaviors lies a deviation in stress levels from the optimal range, resulting from the failure to meet one or more of their needs. However, even if we succeed in meeting all of a dog's needs and utilizing known training techniques, an immediate reduction in stress levels is unlikely. In this presentation, we will provide a concise overview of stress theory and delve into evidence-based techniques recognized by contemporary science for optimizing stress levels and enhancing stress resilience. Furthermore, we will explore games and environmental enrichment strategies that are the most effective for stress optimization from the perspective of a trainer, with the anticipation of obtaining scientific validation in the near future. Special attention will be given to activities related to sniffing and those aimed at improving the dog-human bond. We also discuss the new prospectives for study relation between different types of activities and the level of stress in dogs.