About Dr. James Hartley

<div class="pg-3005-about-intro">
  <div class="pg-3005-credentials">
    <p class="pg-3005-role">Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist</p>
    <p class="pg-3005-specialty">Herding Instinct & Working Drive Specialist</p>
    <p class="pg-3005-location">Edinburgh, Scotland</p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="pg-3005-bio-full">
  <h2 class="pg-3005-section-title">My Journey Into Herding Behavior</h2>
  <p class="pg-3005-text">I grew up on a sheep farm in the Scottish Borders, where working dogs were simply part of the landscape. It wasn't until my undergraduate studies that I began to question what seemed so ordinary: how does a ten-week-old pup know to circle rather than chase directly? Why does a good dog stop when the sheep stop? These questions led me to the University of Edinburgh, where my doctoral research attempted to untangle the genetic and environmental factors that produce a working Border Collie.</p>

  <p class="pg-3005-text">Twenty years later, I'm still asking questions. The more I learn, the more the complexity reveals itself. What looks like simple instinct turns out to be an intricate dance between inherited motor patterns, developmental experiences, and the feedback loop between dog and livestock that no amount of laboratory study can fully capture.</p>

  <h2 class="pg-3005-section-title">Credentials and Affiliations</h2>
  <ul>
    <li>PhD in Animal Behavior, University of Edinburgh</li>
    <li>Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB)</li>
    <li>Member, Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB)</li>
    <li>Contributing Editor, International Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science</li>
    <li>Author of three books on pastoral dog behavior</li>
    <li>Consultant to International Sheep Dog Society breeding programs</li>
  </ul>

  <h2 class="pg-3005-section-title">Areas of Research</h2>
  <div class="pg-3005-expertise-grid">
    <div class="pg-3005-expertise-item">
      <h3>Herding Instinct Assessment</h3>
      <p>Developing standardized protocols for evaluating herding potential and predicting working ability in young dogs.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-expertise-item">
      <h3>Prey Drive Management</h3>
      <p>Understanding the relationship between predatory motor sequences and their modification in pastoral breeds.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-expertise-item">
      <h3>Critical Period Development</h3>
      <p>Identifying the developmental windows crucial for expressing herding behavior and proper livestock introduction.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-expertise-item">
      <h3>Working Dog Selection</h3>
      <p>Advising breeding programs on behavioral criteria for maintaining working ability across generations.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-expertise-item">
      <h3>Breed-Specific Behavior</h3>
      <p>Comparing herding styles and motor patterns across different pastoral breeds and landrace populations.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-expertise-item">
      <h3>Instinct Channeling</h3>
      <p>Helping pet owners redirect herding behaviors into appropriate outlets when working livestock isn't available.</p>
    </div>
  </div>

  <h2 class="pg-3005-section-title">Research Philosophy</h2>
  <p class="pg-3005-text">I believe that understanding animal behavior requires both controlled research and extensive field observation. A laboratory can tell you what's possible; only time in the field tells you what actually happens. My work bridges these worlds, testing hypotheses developed from watching dogs work under real conditions, then returning to those conditions to validate what we think we've learned.</p>

  <p class="pg-3005-text">Too much of what passes for behavioral expertise comes from people who've read about herding dogs but never spent a cold morning watching one gather scattered ewes from a Highland hillside. Theory without observation is empty. Observation without theory is blind. Good science requires both.</p>
</div>