The Neurobiology of Canine Trauma: Why It Is Important and What You Need to Know with Dr. Laura Donaldson

This webinar session was broadcast as part of the Brain Train event – November 2025

Use the membership discount code you can find in your member area

On-Demand Webinar: Watch as soon as you register

Webinar Description

“The Body Keeps the Score”: Unprocessed trauma for both dogs and humans resides first and foremost in the survivor’s body where it can exert devastating effects days, months and even years into the future. My presentation will focus on helping anyone who lives and works with dogs understand in practical, non-specialized terms the daily effects of traumatic stress on their dog’s well-being.

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will receive a basic knowledge of how trauma works and an overview of both complex as well as acute trauma.
2. My presentation will explain why the neurobiology of trauma yields profoundly important reasons why traumatized dogs deserve compassion rather than toxic labels like “naughty,” “stubborn,” “untrainable” and “unlovable.” Canine survivors of trauma are not “misbehaving”—they are instead struggling to survive using whatever coping strategies they have developed to deal with the physical as well as emotional dysregulation activated by traumatic stress.
3. I pay particular attention to how trauma affects dogs’ ability to process information from the environment accurately, which plays a significant role in trauma-motivated dysregulation.
4. The goal is to help everyone recognize the signals of trauma in dogs. It will also help attendees gain a greater understanding of and empathy with any dog struggling with the fallout from traumatic experience.