Please join us on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 11am PT/2pm ET for a conversation with @Christine Calder, DVM DACVB. Dr. Calder will give us practical, in-the-moment applications of Low Stress Handling® of dogs for shelter veterinary exams: reading the canine communication signaling, applying the 3-second rule and the least-restraint principle, adjusting the examination approach to the individual, and creating a low stress environment.
This webcast has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. It has also been approved for CAWA and NACA continuing education credit. All registrants will receive an email a day after the webcast with information on on how to access a certificate of attendance.
Register for Community Conversations here!
Learning Objectives:
• Understand species-specific canine behavior and communication signaling and set up the environment to
support a low stress experience.
• Apply the 3-second rule and least-restraint principle for dogs, adjusting handling techniques to the individual
dog.
• Decide when to proceed with, adjust, or defer the examination based on the individual dog, incorporating food
distraction and pharmacologic support where the shelter setting permits.
This session is ideal for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, shelter medicine staff, animal care staff, and rescue/foster volunteers - an anyone who wants to learn more. Content is calibrated for a mixed audience: hands-on techniques and shelter-floor practicality for the animal care team, with clinical notes on pharmacology and case selection for the DVMs in the room.
Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be awarding up to $10,000 in grants each month! Each time you attend a call or watch the recording on demand during the month, take a moment to complete this monthly grant awards entry form.
About our speaker:
Christine D. Calder DVM DACVB
Dr. Calder has spent many years practicing veterinary medicine in both New Jersey and Maine. Over the course of her career, she has worked in general practice, served on the behavior service at the San Francisco SPCA, and taught in community practice settings at several veterinary schools. Her deep interest in animal behavior led her to pursue a residency with the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, and she became a Diplomate with the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in 2017.
Today, Dr. Calder runs her own veterinary behavior consultation practice and serves as the Director of Behavior Educational Content at the Veterinary Information Network®, Inc. She is the co-author and editor of Low Stress Handling® and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats (second edition) and Low Stress Handling®: A Practical Guide to Cooperative Care, Training, and Behavior Modification. Alongside her clinical and editorial work, Dr. Calder contributes to educational programs at VIN® and is especially passionate about helping veterinary students feel confident and prepared for that behavior case on their first day in practice and beyond.
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Alison Gibson
Media Projects Manager
Maddie’s Fund
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