Surviving the Storm
By Gail Radtke Looking back to March-April time, it seems like the entire dog training business as we know it pretty much crashed overnight. As COVID-19 started to take hold, decisions had to be made fast – especially for those of us who run a business at a physical location that is under a lease who realized we were not going to earn any income at that venue for the foreseeable future. Of course, we had all heard about the coronavirus and what was happening overseas but had no idea… Continued
Everything Was Fine Until…
By Suzanne Clothier Does this sound familiar? “Everything was fine until… [fill in months, age, event].” It’s a statement that is common, and sometimes accepted without much thought. For example, a client might tell us that their puppy was a saint until he turned 7 months old. Or that there were no problems until Grandma Tilley came to stay for a week. Perhaps a new neighbor was bitten, or the owner was nearly pulled into the street when the dog spotted a squirrel. Whatever the precipitating event(s) that brought the… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Karolina Westlund of Illis Animal Behavior Consulting: June 12, 2020
Every Friday, PPG President Niki Tudge hosts a Facebook Live session for PPG members in the PPG Member group. In the Friday June 12, 2020 session, we talked punishment with Dr. Karolina Westlund of Illis Animal Behavior Consulting, as well as the ethics construct as a side model to science, the humane hierarchy and so much more. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Conversations with Dr. Westlund are always science based and animal welfare centered. Dr. Westlund represents her business Illis ABC where… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Kristina Spaulding of Smart Dog Training and Behavior: June 5, 2020
Every Friday, PPG President Niki Tudge hosts a Facebook Live session for PPG members. We were privileged on Friday June 5, 2020 to host Dr. Kristina Spaulding of Smart Dog Training and Behavior where we explored and discussed stress! We can all benefit from knowledge about stress and how this impacts our four-legged family members and it’s our goal at PPG to spread the word and help provide education to pet professionals and pet owners. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Dr.… Continued
Phoenix Blog Competition: Where Hope Lives
By Heddie Leger Hope comes in many ways, shapes and forms. We are encouraged in life to never give up Hope. It was a rainy stormy day. A medium sized, white dog was spotted wandering the school yard going from door to door. Every once in while she could be seen sitting by a certain door. She did not appear frightened or scared and most folks thought she had just wandered from her home and was looking for a child in her family. After several hours passed, a kind woman… Continued
Tell Us What You Really Think
By Susan Nilson and Angelica Steinker Amongst dog trainers and enthusiasts, Dr. Gregory Berns is probably best known for his pioneering work that specializes in the use of brain imaging technologies to gain a greater understanding of canine motivation and decision-making. For the last three years, Berns’ team at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia have used positive reinforcement to train a group of volunteer dogs to remain still during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)*. As the dogs are awake during the entire fMRI process, Berns and his colleagues are provided… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Zazie Todd of Companion Animal Psychology: April 28, 2020
Niki Tudge chats to Dr. Zazie Todd about her new book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. Dr. Todd is well-known among pet professionals for her blog Companion Animal Psychology, but she is also a featured blogger on Psychology Today. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Zazie Todd Ph.D. (psychology, University of Nottingham, England) MFA (creative writing, University of British Columbia, Canada) graduated with honors from Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers and has a Certificate of Feline Behaviour with… Continued
Message Received!
By Suzanne Clothier At the heart of any relationship is communication. On so many levels, how effectively we communicate plays a huge role in the quality, tenor and overall success of a relationship. As psychologist and family therapist pioneer Virginia Satir (1998) states: “Communication is to . . . relationships . . . as breathing is to life.” As a trainer, my goal is to find the communication approach that serves the human, the dog, and the relationship. I need to recognize what works well for that specific team, and… Continued
Tips to Help Your Reactive Dog
As a certified canine behavior consultant I enjoy working with “reactive” dogs. Yes, I said enjoy. Helping a dog and their guardian overcome this common behavioral issue is truly joyful for everyone involved. This is a long post…entire books have been written on this topic after all. I want to give you some virtual help during the global pandemic which has us sheltering at home. So feel free to get a cup of coffee or tea and then continue reading. What “reactive” means This refers to canine behavior in which a… Continued
Building a Shock-Free World for Pets
By Don Hanson Trainers, behavior consultants and pet professionals, the Shock-Free Coalition needs your help! Specifically, we need your help in educating your clients, colleagues, friends, and family members about the benefits of using reward-based training and the dangers of using a shock collar as a training tool. Our goal is to prepare you so that you can ask pet owners and pet care professionals, especially veterinarians and their staff, animal shelters and rescues, and other dog trainers to sign the Shock-Free Pledge. Pledge Drive The Shock-Free Coalition will be… Continued
Financial Management During Challenging Times
By Niki Tudge Keeping and maintaining accurate and timely business books is always an important function of owning your own business but this responsibility becomes especially critical during challenging times for several reasons. Operating your business without accurate GAAP financial records (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles – all modern financial bookkeeping software uses these principles or the UK equivalent) is like being in the middle of the wilderness without a map (or GPS): 1. What you measure is what you can improve so knowing what your income is and where it… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Veronica Sanchez of Cooperative Paws Service Dog Coach™: March 25, 2020
Guest: Veronica Sanchez M.Ed. CABC, CPDT-KA, founder, Cooperative Paws Service Dog Coach™ Topic: The role of service dogs; service dog training; instructor certification programs, and much more! Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Veronica is known for her expertise in service dogs. She has developed a certificate program for professional dog trainers in service dog coaching and authored the book, Service Dog Coaching: A Guide for Pet Dog Trainers. Be sure to listen all the way to the end or you will miss… Continued
Business Contingency Planning – Need Help?
By Niki Tudge Join us on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 to discuss all these important points and more with the experts at dog*biz. Click here to register for this interactive webinar hosted by PPG president Niki Tudge. By now, we are all well aware of the impact of the coronavirus. Things are changing rapidly, on a daily, if not hourly, basis. First off, let’s not panic! But let’s also recognize that it may get a little rough and rocky for a while. No one knows for how long, but in… Continued
Dogs in the Zone
By Barb Levenson Have you ever seen that look in your dog’s eyes? He looks at you and it feels like he truly loves you. Well, you are probably right. Scientists are discovering that we may actually be correct. Our dogs are indeed expressing their love for us. Several weeks ago I was working with my eight-month-old border collie puppy, Classy. I wanted to shape the behavior of him putting his head down while he was in his bed. In this situation I used a clicker as my marker so… Continued
Shock-Free Coalition Launches Pledge Drive to Educate Pet Professionals and Guardians on the Risks of Using Shock as a Training Tool
Initiative will offer an array of educational prizes as incentive for participants to share their knowledge with fellow professionals, clients and pet owners and recruit signees TAMPA, Fla. – March 2, 2020 – PRLog — The Shock-Free Coalition, a global advocacy program spearheaded by the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) to end the practice of using electric shock to train, manage, and care for pets, has announced the launch of a 61-Day Pledge Drive to educate consumers and pet professionals about the benefits of using reward-based training as opposed to the risks associated with using shock… Continued
Guess What – That Dog Video Is Probably Fake!
By Eileen Anderson Many of us are beguiled by videos where dogs appear to be doing something very human or beyond what we usually consider to be their intelligence level, and some creators of dog videos exploit this tendency to get clicks. They make it appear that the dog is doing something he is not, or attribute some pretend, human-centric motivation or interest. And there are people who are willing to alter videos or create mashups so one of these things appears to be happening. Innocent Misrepresentation of Dogs Some… Continued
Fetch More Dollars: Like Peas in a Pod
By John D. Visconti In a previous article (see Fetch More Dollars: Selling Is Helping, BARKS from the Guild, June 2014, p.59), I discussed the negative association many trainers have with the words ‘selling’ and ‘salesperson.’ Additionally, I pointed out that a professional salesperson is in the business of helping people, not exploiting them. Hopefully, because you embraced these concepts and now possess a different perspective on what it means to be a salesperson, you will never experience beads of sweat forming on your brow should someone ask, “Are you… Continued
“I Will Never Use the Shock Collar Again!”
By Eileen Anderson This is a story from a client of one of my professional trainer friends. Let’s call my friend “Phoebe.” My friend had met the client for some coaching for her young, exuberant dog, Raven. But it was a very long distance for the client to come. My friend received this email after she hadn’t heard from the client in a while. Some details were altered for privacy, but I’ve left the email essentially as the client wrote it because she tells the story so eloquently. I am… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Sally Williams: November 19, 2019
Guest: Sally Williams, cat behavior consultant, owner of The Contented Cat, founding director of The Brodie Fund, founder of The Feline Fine Project and ‘mom’ to Marlinthebuddhacat Topic: Pet cancer and its impact on family members. The diagnosis of cancer in a pet can not only be financially challenging, but causes anxiety, depression and can lead to feelings of isolation. The Brodie Fund can provide financial support and also offers counseling and a safe space so that those coping with the cancer of their pets know they are not alone.… Continued
On the Danger of Dog Collars
By Karolina Westlund Ph.D. of PPG corporate partner Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting There’s a debate raging in Sweden about whether choke collars are potentially dangerous to dogs. Pros and cons of choke collars? Photo: Elf, Wikipedia Several influential dog coaches on TV use and recommend them, other experienced dog professionals argue against them. It’s currently causing all kinds of shock waves to ripple across social media, which inspired me for a blog post. I’m not a dog owner – I’ve never owned a dog. I’m guessing that in some people’s eyes, this… Continued
The Pet Professional Guild Position Statement on Cat Declawing
Introduction The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) believes that all cats have an intrinsic right to be treated humanely, to have each of their individual needs met, and to live in safe, enriched environments free from pain, force, and fear. Scratching is a natural feline behavior. Declawing cats for owner convenience or in an attempt to protect property, people, and other pets is both inhumane and unnecessary given that there are highly effective alternatives available to manage the behavior more appropriately and less intrusively. Studies have also shown that declawing a… Continued
Case Study: Puppy Joyfulness Lost, Tail Between Legs, Acts Cautious
Hettie is an adorable Cockerpoo puppy who is now 16 weeks old. For the first four weeks that Hettie was with them (8 to 12 weeks old), she was a typical confident, happy and energetic puppy. She would fly around in puppy joyfulness, grab things and cause the usual puppy chaos. Why, then, has she now lost her puppy joyfulness? Before getting Hettie, her owners had already booked their vacation. While they were away, they left her in what they believed was the best place possible. This was a well… Continued
Prehistoric Dogs and Humans
Dogs and humans have a long history of living and working together, unique among species on this planet. In the modern age dogs wear many hats…companions, herders, protectors, search and rescue, guides for the blind, bomb and drug sniffers…just to name a few. During prehistoric times dogs served our ancestors as well. In “The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction” Pat Shipman, a retired Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, chronicled in exquisite scientific detail the alliance between the two predator species. That alliance conveyed… Continued
Animal Trainers: Take Animal Emotions into Consideration!
By Karolina Westlund Ph.D. of PPG corporate partner Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting Is the dog fearful, or crouching? Does it matter, when you’re training? The world of animal trainers is divided, and I find that some trainers avoid the subject of animal emotions altogether. “There’s no need to factor in and understand emotions, just deal with the observable behaviour”, is the gist of what some trainers and animal professionals say. No doubt their unwillingness to consider emotions stems from the Father of Behaviourism, influential to this day. Skinner said: “The ‘emotions’ are excellent examples… Continued