Erica Feuerbacher, PhD, CAAB, CPDT-KA, BCBA-D

I am an Associate Professor of Applied Animal Welfare and Behavior in the School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech. I teach students about learning, behavior, and welfare of animals, especially focusing on dogs and horses. Within the the Center for Applied Animal Research & Education, my lab’s research focuses on what maintains the human-dog relationship, how animals learn, and how best we can train them.

I earned my Ph.D. in Psychology (Behavior Analysis) at the University of Florida, in the Canine Cognition & Behavior Lab, under the tutelage of Dr. Clive Wynne. My dissertation focused on dogs’ preferences for types of human interaction, the special relationship between owners and their dogs, and what human interactions function as reinforcers for dog behavior.

I earned my Masters in Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas under the guidance of Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and his lab the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals. My thesis investigated concept formation in domestic dogs in the natural environment.

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and have worked as an animal behaviorist at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA in San Mateo, CA. 

I share my home with my two dogs, Leica (Belgian malinois) and Hawks Hunt Iorek (German shepherd); four cats: Banksy, Calamity Jane, Stokely, & Perique; and ** chickens, Ruth and her sisters. I also have a clicker-trained Appaloosa/Percheron horse, Magic.