Veterinarians and vet nurses play a crucial role in helping newly adopted pets transition successfully into their homes. This lecture explores common challenges faced by adopted animals, including stress, fear, and medical concerns, and provides evidence-based strategies for supporting both pets and adopters.
Key topics include:
1. Shelter Experience & Stress Responses – How shelter environments shape behaviour, common post-adoption stress signs, and the importance of decompression.
2. Early Behavioural Screening – Identifying fear, anxiety, and stress in clinical settings and providing proactive intervention strategies.
3. Owner Guidance on Adjustment & Training – Educating adopters on realistic expectations, structured introductions, enrichment, and positive reinforcement techniques.
4. Improving Veterinary Experiences
By equipping veterinarians and vet nurses with behaviour-focused strategies, we can improve adoption success and strengthen the human-animal bond.
This webinar is sponsored by Stress Free Pets
Recorded 27 March 2025
Speaker:
Dr Liam Clay, B. App. Sc. (Vet tech) VTS (Behavior) B. App. Sc.(Hons)
Dr. Liam Clay studied at the University of Queensland (UQ), from which he holds a Doctorate in Canine Behaviour Assessment, Behavioural Problems and Adoption
suitability in Australian shelters. Through UQ, Liam has also completed his honours in Stress and Behavioural Problems and became the first VTS specialist in Behaviour in 2020 in Australia.
Dr Clay is the Director of Future Proof Training Academy, treating complex behaviour problems (Severe sensory sensitivities, aggression, fear and anxiety) by
pioneering new and innovative scientific breakthroughs in animal behaviour therapy. Dr Clay is the director of Applied Animal Behaviour Consultants for industry
consulting, research and education through the veterinary industry. He is an adjunct lecturer and researcher with the University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Science.
He currently researches and supervises students in the areas of canine behaviour problems, shelter behaviour, behaviour assessments, one health and behaviour therapy.
