Using slides, examples from her case files, and dozens of videos, Dr. Karen London discusses both dog-dog and dog-human play.She also discusses the relationship between aggression and play. Since aggression and play are so closely linked, considering them together provides great insight into both areas of canine behavior. Dr. London talks about recent scientific developments about play that are relevant to anybody who is interested in or spends a lot of time with dogs.

This seminar goes over the reasons play can escalate into aggression, how to tell if dogs playing together are acting appropriately or are headed for trouble, the signs of excessive arousal that often occur when dogs play, and includes a discussion of dogs’ play signals. Dr. London explains how following simple rules can prevent the escalation of play into aggression, the one unbreakable rule of dog-dog play, the benefits and risks of common games people play with their dogs, why play is such an important part of the relationship between people and dogs, and how play can be used to treat certain aggression cases.


Run Time: 3 hrs 54 min

Karen B. London, Ph.D. received her B.S. in Biology from UCLA and her Doctorate in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin. Her research and scholarly publications cover such diverse topics as interactions between species that live together, defensive and aggressive behavior, evolution of social behavior, communication within and between species, learning, and parental investment.

Dr. London is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and a Certified Pet Dog Trainer whose clinical work focuses on the evaluation and treatment of serious behavioral problems in dogs. Dr. London was trained by Dr. Patricia McConnell and worked with her for four years as a Behaviorist and Trainer before moving to New Hampshire to turn her long-distance marriage into a short-distance one. She then worked as the Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and taught training classes at the Upper Valley Humane Society.