Ivan Balabanov

All right, everybody, welcome to Training Without Conflict, podcast number 59. Today we're going to have a conversation that I think is very important for the dog training and veterinary behavior communities. And it's kind of overdue. There is a lot of confusion, a lot of strong opinions, and frankly, a lot of marketing surrounding the use of psychiatric medications in dogs, especially the SSRIs.

All right, everybody, welcome to Training Without Conflict, podcast number 59. Today we're going to have a conversation that I think is very important for the dog training and veterinary behavior communities. And it's kind of overdue. There is a lot of confusion, a lot of strong opinions, and frankly, a lot of marketing surrounding the use of psychiatric medications in dogs, especially the SSRIs.

My guest today is someone who has been very vocal on the other side of this conversation. And I think it's important to give both perspectives a real chance to be heard and challenged. I'm joined by Dr. Ori Stoller, also known as Dr. Orion on YouTube. He's a veterinarian and veterinary behavior specialist, a diplomat of American College, a veterinary behaviorist.

My guest today is someone who has been very vocal on the other side of this conversation. And I think it's important to give both perspectives a real chance to be heard and challenged. I'm joined by Dr. Ori Stoller, also known as Dr. Orion on YouTube. He's a veterinarian and veterinary behavior specialist, a diplomat of American College, a veterinary behaviorist.

We connected after I posted some critiques about the overuse of SSRI in dogs and how they actually work. Ori responded publicly and to his credit. He agreed to come and have a direct and respectful conversation. So first of all, Ori, thank you for being here.

We connected after I posted some critiques about the overuse of SSRI in dogs and how they actually work. Ori responded publicly and to his credit. He agreed to come and have a direct and respectful conversation. So first of all, Ori, thank you for being here.

Before we jump into the meat of the conversation, can you give the audience a little bit about your background, how you became into the veterinary behaviors and what got you in dogs and all that good stuff?

Before we jump into the meat of the conversation, can you give the audience a little bit about your background, how you became into the veterinary behaviors and what got you in dogs and all that good stuff?

Great. Great. Man, we have so much to talk and you're right. It's not the other side of the aisle. We just have different takes. We see things, we have disagreements and some are pretty strong. I highly doubt that we're going to convince each other today of anything. Yeah, probably not. Correct. But what we can do is we can at least present

Great. Great. Man, we have so much to talk and you're right. It's not the other side of the aisle. We just have different takes. We see things, we have disagreements and some are pretty strong. I highly doubt that we're going to convince each other today of anything. Yeah, probably not. Correct. But what we can do is we can at least present

the different sides and allow people to make their choices and hopefully do some research on their own. And if that's of interest, right? Because it's not everybody's dish. So how do you see, what is the connection between dog training and veterinary behaviorists?

the different sides and allow people to make their choices and hopefully do some research on their own. And if that's of interest, right? Because it's not everybody's dish. So how do you see, what is the connection between dog training and veterinary behaviorists?

Oh, even a dog trainer was just going to say that.

Oh, even a dog trainer was just going to say that.

To some extent.

To some extent.

No, that was we were just trying to kind of differentiate between the different levels of who calls themselves behaviorist and the different degrees of knowledge, year spent and so on. And clearly, at least in the United States, the top of the As far as you can go, that would be the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.

No, that was we were just trying to kind of differentiate between the different levels of who calls themselves behaviorist and the different degrees of knowledge, year spent and so on. And clearly, at least in the United States, the top of the As far as you can go, that would be the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.

And you have much, much more. I mean, like in your, and that kind of sounds almost... wrong to say, but just for the sake of conversation, like your basic veterinary school, probably what, like you have like a lecture or five on dogs? There is nothing really in depth.

And you have much, much more. I mean, like in your, and that kind of sounds almost... wrong to say, but just for the sake of conversation, like your basic veterinary school, probably what, like you have like a lecture or five on dogs? There is nothing really in depth.