The Resilient Canid: Urban Coyote Ecology and Its Impact on
Dog Training

Thursday, January 18, 2024
6:00-7:30 pm EST (USA and Canada)

For millions of years, coyotes (Canis latrans) were historically limited to open habitats like the deserts and prairies of central and western North America. But since the 1950s, coyotes have undergone an unprecedented range and habitat expansion despite persistent efforts to eradicate them by humans. This resilient canid now occupies almost all of North and Central America and is thriving in completely new biomes, including every major city in North America.
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The webinar is suitable for pet owners, veterinary professionals, animal trainers, animal behaviorists, pet guardians, shelter and rescue staff and volunteers, and anyone with an interest in evidence-based behavior and training.

1.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available:
CPDT
IAABC
KPA
PPAG

In this Webinar: 

New York City is home to a thriving coyote population living amongst its 8 million people in the urban jungle. Where do they live? What do they eat? How does a medium-sized wild canid remain largely undetected by the City's residents? Can city slickers and coyotes coexist safely? These are some of the questions that researchers at the Gotham Coyote Project have set out to answer.

I have been following coyotes in NYC since 2012 and inevitably compared their behavior to the domestic dogs work with in my day job as a canine behavior consultant. Urban coyotes have developed unique adaptations to take advantage of the urban environment compared to their more rural cousins. Yet, many dogs I interact with struggle to adapt to an urban lifestyle despite socialization, training, and thousands of years of domestication. A revelation occurred while watching a family of coyotes scramble across a Bronx golf course. Almost by accident, understanding the behavioral ecology of urban coyotes provided new insight into the behavior of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris).

This is an exclusive opportunity to peek into the secret lives of NYC's urban coyotes and hear intimate stories of their survival and resilience. Along the way, you will learn how my approach to dog behavior training has evolved due to lessons learned from my coyote teachers. You may never look at a coyote or your dog in the same way again.

Tuition:
  • General Admission Tickets – after December 18: $39
  • Early Bird Tickets – before December 18: $29

 
Shelter/Rescue/Vet Student/Vet Tech Tickets - no expiration date: 30% off general admission ticket (discount code is SDFWBV)

Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more - please contact Webinars@BehaviorVets.com for more information.

Cancellation policy: No refunds
Meet the instructor

Ferdie Yau

Ferdie Yau (CPDT-KA) has an MA in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and a BS in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan. He has studied jaguars in Belize and urban coyotes in New York City. As an ecologist with New York City, he planted forests along the Bronx River, installed a fish ladder, and restored an oyster reef in the East River. He has been a citizen scientist with the Gotham Coyote Project since 2012 and his dog Scout is a retired coyote scat detection dog.

Ferdie has been training animals since 2002, starting at the Central Park and Bronx Zoos where he trained dozens of exotic species including California sea lions, river otters, Arctic foxes, and polar bears. He is a Behavior Consultant and the Director of Shelter and Community Outreach at Behavior Vets.
Patrick Jones - Course author