Samen met het bestuur van de VDWE hebben we Giacomo Riggio uitgenodigd voor een interessant tweedaags seminar over honden! Dit seminar is exclusief voor de leden van de VDG en de VDWE.

Dit gaat door op 23 en 24 mei 2025. Je kan ervoor kiezen om je in te schrijven voor afzonderlijke dagen of de volle twee dagen.

Programma

Dag 1: The science of attachment: a journey into the dog-human affective bond

•⁠ ⁠⁠Attachment theory: from humans to dogs
•⁠ ⁠The attachment bond in the interspecific relationship between dog and owner
•⁠ ⁠Differences between secure and insecure attachment
•⁠ ⁠Conceptual and scientific limitations of attachment theory applied to the dog species
•⁠ ⁠Preventive and therapeutic interventions on the attachment bond between dog and owner
•⁠ ⁠⁠Relationship between attachment styles and separation disorders

Dag 2: Desperately lonely: understanding and treating separation related disorders in dogs

•⁠ ⁠⁠Separation disorders: the state of the art of the diagnostic classification
•⁠ ⁠The emotional substrate of separation disorders: anxiety, panic or frustration
•⁠ ⁠Epidemiology and risk factors of separation disorders
•⁠ ⁠The role of the Western social system in the onset and maintenance of separation disorders in dogs
•⁠ ⁠Symptomatology of separation disorders (focus on the anxiety state)
•⁠ ⁠Rehabilitative options in separation disorders
•⁠ ⁠The role of the owner in the rehabilitation process
•⁠ ⁠How to build a safe haven and how to use it
•⁠ ⁠Mock departures
•⁠ ⁠Collateral interventions
•⁠ ⁠What NOT to do
•⁠ ⁠When to request the intervention of an MVEC to complement the intervention with psychotropic therapy
•⁠ ⁠Clinical cases

About the speaker

Dr Giacomo Riggio graduated in 2014 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Perugia with a thesis exploring the bond between dogs and handlers during avalanche search and rescue operations.

Eager to deepen his understanding of animal behaviour, he moved to Davis, California, immediately after graduation, where he completed an internship under the mentorship of renowned veterinary behaviourist Dr Sophia Yin.

In 2017, he earned an MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health from the University of Edinburgh, focusing his dissertation on the link between animal welfare and conservation education for captive wolves. A year later, he completed a second MSc in Veterinary Clinical Ethology at the University of Pisa, researching the effects of sensory stimulation on shelter dogs.

In 2023, he obtained a PhD in Veterinary Science with a research project investigating the endocrine and clinical-ethological correlates of attachment styles between dogs and their owners. That same year, he completed his Residency at the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (Behavioural Medicine subspecialty).

In 2024, Dr Riggio spent six months in Uganda coordinating research within a One Health humanitarian project led by the University of Perugia and Italian NGOs. The project focused on improving the welfare of farm animals and supporting rural communities in the Karamoja region.

He is the author and co-author of multiple peer-reviewed publications and has spoken at both national and international conferences. He is a lecturer in the Master’s programme in Veterinary Clinical Ethology and teaches dog training in the course on Animal Breeding Techniques and Dog Training at the University of Pisa. He also works internationally as a freelance veterinary behaviourist for dogs and cats.

Praktische informatie

Datum: 23 & 24 mei 2025
Locatie: Van der Valk Mechelen
1 dag: 130 euro
2 dagen: 250 euro
Inclusief volledig vegetarisch en heerlijk ontbijt, lunch, 2 pauzes met versnaperingen + drank

Accomodatie: Met code MEC-GF10040 krijg je 10% korting bij Van der Valk Mechelen indien je boekt via info@hotel-mechelen.be
Parking: Keerdok, dagprijs = 10 euro. Je kan dat rechtstreeks betalen aan de automaat of voor de overnachters, kan je dat mee op de factuur laten zetten. 

Je kan optioneel op 23 mei ’s avonds ook mee dineren. Voeg dat toe aan je winkelmandje en geef in de opmerkingen door of je vlees, vis of veggie wilt. Vegan is mogelijk op aanvraag. In de formule zitten 3 gangen en drank.

Kies hieronder wat je wilt toevoegen: