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Chat & Chuckle with Suzanne Clothier About the Functional Assessment Tracking (FAT) App


Watch Niki Tudge and Judy Luther chat and chuckle with Suzanne Clothier about the Functional Assessment Tracking (FAT) app. The recording is FREE to all! See below for the link to register. Read on for more information about the FAT app FAT (Functional Assessment Tracking) is an online assessment tool that views the dog as a functional being across these dimensions: Functional behaviors are the behaviors of daily life necessary for a dog’s well-being. Functional behaviors contribute to the animal’s quality of life and are important to health and well-being,… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with Beth Adelman About Shifting Perspectives About Cat Behavior


Change can be good, especially when it comes to understanding cats better! Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Beth Adelman about shifting people’s perspectives about cat behavior. Beth Adelman, MS, is a Cat Behavior Consultant in Brooklyn, New York. Beth is currrently on the executive committee of the Pet Professional Guild’s Feline Division, and was a founding member of the Cat Division of the IAABC. She is the former editor in chief of Cats magazine and DogWorld and former cat columnist for the New York Post. She currently is a… Continued

Ten Tips to Help Your New Dog Decompress


You’ve brought home a new dog! Congratulations! Let’s look at some important things to help keep your new dog safe, emotionally and physically, in the first few weeks. Over the next several weeks and months, you will really start to see his personality blossom as he starts to bond with you, gets comfortable, and settles into your home and your routine. That’s when the fun really happens! Good luck and congratulations!  About the Author Kate LaSala, CTC, CBCC-KA, PCBC-A, CSAT, FFCP-E is a certified, professional behavior consultant and trainer, who specializes in helping fearful,… Continued

UK Residents: Urgent Action Needed to Make a Kinder World for Pets


We have less than six months for UK citizens to get 100,000 signatures on this petition to ban electric shock collars for dogs and cats. Your signature attests, “I petition for the ban of electric shock collars due to the harmful effects they can have.” Five Reasons to Act Now: Inflicting Pain on Animals is Unlawful Let’s explore European Animal Welfare laws, specifically the UK Animal Welfare Act of 2006, and its Five Freedoms, which are: Advocates believe the use of electric shock collars on dogs is inconsistent with animal… Continued

UK Residents: Urgent Action Needed to Make a Kinder World for Pets


We have less than six months for UK citizens to get 100,000 signatures on this petition to ban electric shock collars for dogs and cats. Your signature attests, “I petition for the ban of electric shock collars due to the harmful effects they can have.” Five Reasons to Act Now: Inflicting Pain on Animals Is Unlawful Let’s explore European Animal Welfare laws, specifically the UK Animal Welfare Act of 2006, and its Five Freedoms, which are: Advocates believe the use of electric shock collars on dogs is inconsistent with animal… Continued

Best Practices

Best Practices At PPG, we encourage professional autonomy within the confines of our mutually agreed principles.  Written by Debra Millikan, Dip.ABST, Dip.DTBC, PABC As members of PPG and in accordance with PPG’s Guiding Principles, “Members understand force-free to mean, no shock, no pain, no fear, no physical force, no compulsion-based methods are employed to train or care for a pet.” It is also the belief that experienced trainers must begin their behavior change programs with the least invasive and least aversive training protocols necessary to change the problematic behavior. Education is one… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with Kate Benjamin About Environmental Enrichment for Cats


You’ll feel enriched after listening to Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison chat and chuckle with the incredible Kate Benjamin about environmental enrichment for cats! Founder of the cat style brand Hauspanther, Kate has been writing about cats and design since 2007. Her website ⁠hauspanther.com⁠ is the top online resource for design-conscious cat lovers. She has been interviewed as a cat style expert by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, NY Daily News, CBS Sunday Morning, O, The Oprah Magazine and many other media outlets.  Kate co-authored with cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy two New York… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with Mary Stevens About How Cat Consultants Can Build Relationships with Veterinary Practices


Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Mary Stevens about how cat consultants can build relationships with veterinary practices. Shortly after Mary graduated from Villa Julie College with a degree in biology, she fell upon a job in veterinary medicine. She has now been a veterinary technician for almost two decades, and in 2022 she began her journey into feline behavior. Mary studied the basics of feline behavior and training through Animal Behavior College, receiving her certificate in December 2022. She began her mentorship with… Continued

Reasons to Join

  Professional Membership Benefits When you join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) as a professional member, you enjoy proud affiliation with the only international membership association for pet professionals who subscribe to the view that aversive methods should never be used—or even deemed necessary—in the training, care or behavior modification of any animal. PPG is a prestigious, recognized membership organization with international reach throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Southern Africa. It is an organization that stands up for what you believe in and backs it up with the latest… Continued

Ask a Trainer: When Will My Puppy Stop Biting Me?!


Q. Is there a time when I can stop training my puppy? He’s 12 weeks old now. When will he stop biting me? –– via Facebook Messenger A. It’s great that you’re seeking guidance on training your puppy! Puppy Biting At 12 weeks old, your puppy is still in the early stages of development. Puppy biting is a common behavior at this age, as they explore their environments and learn about their surroundings through their mouths. Puppy biting is a natural part of their teething process and social development, but… Continued

Tabby’s Transformation at the Shelter


  by Tom Candy Tabby was a 3-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat who came to the shelter following a period of straying. Nothing else was known about her history. At the shelter, she was kept in an individual cat pen that measured 5 feet by 30 inches and was 30 inches high with a cover over the top. A raised bed was inside the pen, and food and water were located near the bed area. A litter tray was located on the far side of the cattery with a… Continued

Fungi Facts for You and Your Four-Legged Loved Ones (Part Two)


In this series we continue to identify and discuss the top ten mushrooms that are poisonous to dogs and what to do if your dog decides to take a bite. While we like to think that our dogs would know better than to snack on some fungi (some show no interest) being aware of – and able to identify – certain strains of poisonous mushroom could save us animal lovers a costly trip to the ER and even Buddy’s life! Let’s take a closer look at a few more mushrooms… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with T Hamboyan Harrison About Strategies for Handling Fearful Cats


Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with T. Hamboyan Harrison of A Cat’s Purrspective about strategies for handling fearful cats. T Hamboyan Harrison is a cat behavior consultant at A Cat’s Purrspective, LLC. As a disabled person, T especially enjoys helping cats with chronic medical conditions. T has spent over a decade volunteering with cats in local rescues and shelters, and has several cats of their own at home. T has certifications through IAABC (CCBC, ACSB-C) and Fear Free Pets (FFCP, animal trainer) and is… Continued

Industry News: Update on the U.K. “American XL Bully” Ban


The following update is from Cooper & Co. Solicitors, which specializes in criminal and civil cases involving dogs in England and Wales: The ban is being introduced in stages. The first thing to know is that you should STOP any plans you may have for breeding from an XL Bully, as by the time the puppies are born it will be illegal to sell the puppies (or even give them away). DEFRA has published what it says is the “Official definition of an XL Bully dog” and it summarizes what they… Continued

Fungi Facts for You and Your Four-Legged Loved Ones (Part One)


In this series we will identify and discuss the top ten mushrooms that are poisonous to dogs and what to do if your dog decides to take a bite. There are few things more rewarding than the wagging tails and happy faces of our dear dogs when stimulating their senses and taking in new information. For the most part, a walk down the street or in the woods with Buddy is a stimulating, enjoyable, and safe experience, however as much as we adore and love to see those curious tails… Continued

Halloween Tips for People with Pets


Halloween can be very scary for our pets and very dangerous. It is that time of year when many children and even some adults like to dress up in costumes that make them look different and often scary. They may also take on the stilted walk or the pseudo-terrifying vocalizations of the character they portray. Think about Halloween and all the shenanigans it entails from your pet’s perspective. Was your dog ever socialized/habituated to anything remotely like Halloween? Is it likely that they will find groups of people behaving weirdly… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with Tabitha Kucera About Cooperative Care for Cats


Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Tabitha Kucera, RVT, VTS (Behavior), about cooperative care for cats—an important topic since significantly fewer cats than dogs see a veterinarian every year, and cooperative care can make vet visits less stressful and more comprehensive for cats!  Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, VTS (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training… Continued

What Do You Do When You’re the Only Force-Free Professional in Town?


  by the Pet Professional Guild Advocacy Panel This article was excerpted and edited from the PPG Advocacy Panel discussion on January 18, 2023. Moderator: Don Hanson: Chair of the PPG Advocacy Division and Shock-Free Coalition, board member of the Pet Professional Guild, and owner of Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, Maine Panelists: Niki Tudge: President and founder of the Pet Professional Guild Debbie Sheridan: Owner of Debbie’s 4 Dogs in West Hartford, Connecticut Sue Kocher: Owner of Hendo Dogs in Hendersonville, North Carolina Kim Silver: Owner of Building… Continued

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Call to Action! Please Speak Out Against Abusive Dog Training Methods


It is extremely unusual for PPG to name individuals we disagree with. Normally, we speak to methods, philosophy and approach using facts. THIS IS DIFFERENT. Augusto DeOliveira (aka “the Dog Daddy”) is not training pets—he is inflicting pain and fear. This is not dog training; this is abuse. Some of the abusive practices the Dog Daddy exhibits in his videos are: Since its inception, PPG’s mission has been to combat cruel and abusive dog training methods like those used by the Dog Daddy, while simultaneously promoting its Guiding Principles and… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with Katenna Jones About Working with Dogs and Cats Together


Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Katenna Jones of ⁠Jones Animal Behavior⁠ about working with dogs and cats together. Animal behavior is not a new field for Katenna, nor a hobby turned into a career—it’s all she’s ever done. She became a shelter volunteer in 1998 while earning a Bachelor’s degree in biology, then went on to earn a Master’s in psychology with a focus on animal behavior from Brown University. Katenna is Rhode Island’s only Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Cat Behavior Consultant,… Continued

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