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

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  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

Leadership Team

Volunteer Committee Chairs Laura Cassiday  – Feline Division Michelle Martiya  – Equid Division Don Hanson –  Advocacy Task Force Judy Luther – Canine Division  Debra Millikan –  Education Division  Lorena Patti –  Inclusivity Division Holden Svirsky –  Shelter & Rescue Division Christina de Juan – Assistance Animal Division  Dayle Pierce, Nathan Watson & Tom Candy– British Isles Chapter  Tersha Bateman – Republic of South Africa Chapter  Guild Publications Paula Garber – Editor BARKS from the Guild Dr. Pam Shultz – Editor Pets & Their People Administration Niki Tudge – Executive Director… Continued

Founder & President

Niki Tudge – M.B.A, PCBC-A, PCT-A, Six Sigma Black Belt, HCITB TS1, TS2 & TS3 Niki was born and raised in England but at an early age set out to fulfill her dream of seeing the world. Her career in hotel executive management from London to the West Indies, the Middle East and Africa, not only provided her with the means to work and live in many different countries, but it also gave her real-world business experience. In addition to business degrees from Oxford University, Niki is also a qualified… Continued

PPG Professional Membership

Which Membership Is Right for You? Here are some tips to help you determine which PPG professional membership suits you. Behavior & Training Professionals If you are a pet behavior or training professional, choose the Behavior and Training Professional membership. You can indicate which species you work with and what services you provide during your application process. During the application process for each member, you will be prompted to select the species you work with and the services you offer. Choose a yearly or monthly membership, then click “Sign Up.” Pet… Continued

Meet Kim Silver: A Dog Trainer Who Dabbles in Training Parrots

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“Dogs are misunderstood, and our cultural ideas about them are hurting them. Dogs need a voice, and often it’s their dog trainer who is speaking up for them. I love being that person for a dog.” —Kim Silver Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into animal training, and what you are doing now? I have been a professional dog trainer for 12 years. My interest in dog training was born from a compulsion-based dog training class I attended with my dog Eve in 1997. I learned… Continued

Continued Education Policies

CEUs and the Credential Application and Transfer Process If you earned CEUs that were issued from one of the organizations on the PPAB Credential Transfer Matrix, you may apply those CEUs to a PPAB credential, whether you are applying for a new PPAB credential or transferring an existing credential to a PPAB credential. The following guidelines will apply: Core Subject Areas Below are the subject matter areas for which CEUs are issued. These are the critical skill and knowledge categories for which PPAB assesses competency across all levels. Applying for… Continued

Pet Professional Accreditation Board

Stand Up for What You Believe In! Do You Already Carry a Well-Earned Credential? Click below to learn how to transfer your current credential to the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. It’s easier than you think! Competency Is Mission Critical What is professional competence, and how does the concept of competence impact the work of professional pet trainers and pet care providers? Professional competence is the “broad professional knowledge, attitude, and skills required to work in a specialized area or profession. Disciplinary knowledge and the application of concepts, processes, and skills… Continued

Doggone Safe Member Area

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Doggone Safe Programs

Once you are a Doggone safe individual member or a Pet Professional Guild member and can access the membership resources, you can upgrade your membership to either/or Be a Tree Member or the Dog Bite Prevention Educator. These two enhanced memberships require you to complete an educational program and adhere to the PPG Guiding Principles. You will find discount codes for both programs in your member area. If you currently have a Be a Tree Kit or carry the Dog Bite Prevention Educator Certification, you may join at those levels now. Educational Tools A… Continued

Join Doggone Safe

If you want to join Doggone safe, you have three options. The individual membership level is available to everyone. Once you are a member and can access the membership resources, you can upgrade your membership to either/or Be a Tree Member or the Dog Bite Prevention Educator. These two enhanced memberships require you to complete an educational program and adhere to the PPG Guiding Principles. You will find discount codes for both programs in your member area. If you currently have a Be a Tree Kit or carry the Dog Bite Prevention Educator Certification, you may… Continued

Doggone Safe

The Doggone safe Mission Statement To promote education initiatives for dog bite prevention and increased child safety around dogs. To provide tools and resources to professional dog trainers, behavior consultants and pet care professionals to support dog bite prevention education.  Doggone safe Mandate Provide: Dogs are amazing animals. They love us unconditionally. They protect our homes. They find lost children. They fetch the newspaper. They swim. They rest by the fire. They pull sleds in the snow. They predict seizures and sniff out cancer cells. They lead the blind. They… Continued

Pet Care Division

Niki Tudge Your divisional chair and founder of PPG. Email Niki Join PPG Today and Enjoy 25% Discount Off These Great Certification Programs For Pet Professionals Supporting pets and their owners is a shared function of all pet professionals, including pet groomers, pet sitters, dog walkers and canine enrichment technicians. If you are interested in joining our divisional team and giving a voice to pet care providers, please join PPG today then log in to your PPG member account and fill out the volunteer form. With your help, we can… Continued

Eligibility and Pricing

Credential Levels The Pet Professional Accreditation Board currently offers three credential levels: Each credential level consists of The Professional Behavior Consultant credential requires written case studies in addition to the above. The study guide for each level describes the assessment elements in detail. Study guides are available for download on the application pages for the credential levels (linked in the right sidebar.) Consumers draw inferences from certifications that a professional has met a specific standard of competency and/or carries a particular body or depth of pertinent knowledge. —Niki Tudge Guiding… Continued

Study, Find a Mentor, Don’t Quit Learning—Sage Advice From Dog Training Professional Angel Rowe

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  Pet Professional Guild member Angel Rowe shares how he became a force-free dog training and behavior professional, and offers tips and advice to those starting out in the field.   Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into animal behavior/training, and what you are doing now? Growing up I always had a dog. I loved being around the dogs more than people and really wanted to be a vet. However, as I got older life led me down the path of training. I started… Continued

Welcome K. Holden Svirsky, New Chair of the Shelter & Rescue Division

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K. Holden Svirsky of HoldenK9 LLC has stepped up as chair of PPG’s Shelter & Rescue Division. Holden is a dog behavior consultant with a certificate in training and counseling from the Academy for Dog Trainers. She is also a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer through Malena DeMartini’s certification program. She has been with PPG’s Shelter & Rescue Division since 2019 and helped author and develop the Pet Rescue Resource, an online toolkit for shelters and rescues to improve the adoption and retention rates of homeless pets, launched by the division in 2020. Read the full news… Continued

Why Not Debate Somebody in Real Time?

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  by Niki Tudge Two years ago, I was asked to debate a controversial figure on a podcast, and for several reasons, I turned it down. I was asked repeatedly, bordering on harassment, even though I gave what I believed to be a sufficient answer. Politely, I answered no. The first part of my answer was that I have limited bandwidth, and I place my efforts where I feel I have the most impact. The other part of my reasoning was based on the following. Going onto a podcast, Zoom… Continued

Dog Bite Prevention Week!

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As a certified dog bite prevention educator, I can tell you that dog bites do not just happen out of the blue as many seem to believe.   Behavior is Communication All behavior is designed to access something, avoid, or escape something. In applied behavior analysis we talk about behavior being anything we can observe that can be measured. The problem, when it comes to dog behavior, is a lack of human comprehension. Our understanding is limited and we miss the details, the communication signals. If humans could ask WHY… Continued

What is a “Positive” Dog Trainer?

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Let’s say you want to find a great trainer for your dog and so you do a web search. The search results in several web links and you check them out, seeking the best result for your beloved pet.  What might you find? Lack of Industry Regulation and Oversight First, understand that among about 50,000 dog “trainers” in the United States, there is no standard, regulation or oversight.  Any single person who wishes to call themselves a “dog trainer” is…voila, a “dog trainer.”  There is no need for qualification or… Continued

Common Stumbling Blocks to Behavioral Recovery for Dogs and How to Overcome Them

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  by Diane Garrod In response to a survey of more than 1,000 pet parents in the United States by Kinship Partners (2021), 62% said their top priority is their pets’ happiness, and 80% said their pets deserve more of their time. Seventy-one percent said they could not have survived the pandemic without their pets. (A link to the full results of the survey and infographics can be found in the references.) Even so, pet parents often have unrealistic expectations of their dogs, and when addressing a behavior problem, these… Continued

Advocating Together—The Mission, Vision and Values of the Pet Professional Guild

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by Niki Tudge Each of us wants to bring about change in our industry. We yearn for a day when pain and fear are no longer used in the training and care of pets. We have a mammoth job ahead of us, and it most certainly is not a sprint but a marathon. It is possible to hold professional autonomy and support your choice of humane hierarchy while also taking a stand and position against the use and application of tools designed with one purpose: to inflict pain or fear.… Continued

Tips for Ensuring Safe and Happy Holidays for People and Dogs

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By Niki Tudge All behaviors that dogs exhibit are designed either to access pleasurable situations and desirable objects or to avoid and escape unpleasant situations and undesirable objects. (Note: This is based on what each individual dog considers to pleasant or unpleasant, not the human, and it is important to be aware that the canine and human opinions may differ in any given situation!) A dog’s communication systems are greatly ritualized, and have evolved specifically to avoid or cut off conflict. This has made dogs, as a species, very successful… Continued

What Is Enrichment for Animals?

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  by Diane Garrod When the term “enrichment” is verbalized, its meaning is often not clearly understood. When I’ve asked clients, “What enrichment does your dog get?” I’ve gotten answers like ball play or a walk, or a long pause of nothing because the client is not sure what enrichment is or means. This got me thinking about the differing categories of enrichment for animals and led me to dig deeper into the science and definition of enrichment. Is it the same for dogs as it is for horses and… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with Sandra Grossmann of The Feline Consultant

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Join PPG Feline Division Chair Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison, also with the PPG Feline Division, as they chat and chuckle with Sandra Grossmann of The Feline Consultant about feline nutrition and feeding cats. Listen to the Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded on November 18, 2022.   Sandra Grossmann is a certified feline training and behavior specialist (CFTBS) through the Animal Behavior Institute and a Cat-Friendly certified veterinary assistant. Prior to working as a feline behavior and nutrition consultant, she worked… Continued

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