Pets & Their People Dog Training, LLC
melissa
(from the APDT website)
"There is no required certification or licensing to become a professional dog trainer or behavior counselor.
Certification, while not mandatory, does however imply that a trainer takes his or her profession seriously and is dedicated to continuing their professional growth and education for the benefit of their human and canine clients. Be aware that not all certifications are the same."
Click HERE to learn more.
The following list of articles are provided to help you in the important task of choosing a dog trainer or behavior consultant for your pet.
Click HERE to read more about each topic.
Using Food When Training
Common Myths About Dog Training
Can I Train My Dog Just Like They Do on TV
What to Expect When Working with a Trainer or Attending a Group Class
Understanding Training Equipment Options – Collars, Leashes and Crates
Dominance and Dog Training
Dominance Myths and Dog Training Realities
(from the APDT website)
"Dog training has rapidly evolved over the past few decades and it can be confusing for a dog owner new to training to figure out how to hire a dog trainer. The following section is designed to discuss the various methodologies found in dog training today and provide you with information on how to make an informed decision."
Click HERE to learn more
Why Giving an Animal as a Holiday Gift can be a Bad Idea
As a trainer and behavior consultant, one the busiest times of the year for me is during January and February. We’ve all seen the commercials and ads that show a joyous moment when little Timmy and little Suzy open up the big box under the tree and out pops a puppy or a kitten.
For folks that are contemplating giving a pet as a present this year (or if you know of someone pondering this), I ask that serious consideration of the following before a decision is made:
The Excitement of the Holidays – Impulse Buys
Holiday gift giving can often trigger spur-of-the-moment decisions to surprise children. Many animals are already stressed by being separated from their parents and littermates. Added to the mix of the holiday season (guests, travel, decorations, entertaining, etc.) and the result can be an overwhelmed pet. If the gift is completely unexpected, the result can also include an overwhelmed human. Most animal shelters estimate that 50% of the pets that are adopted at the holidays end up in back in the shelters.
Commitment of Time, Money, and Other Resources
Giving an animal as a gift is not a good idea unless the recipient is an adult and understands the obligations involved. If someone receives a pet they are not ready to take care of (for the duration of that animal’s life), that animal could end up abused, neglected or abandoned.
If the intended recipient is a child, the spontaneous excitement can soon wear off. Children may also see the new pet as more of a toy than an animal that has special needs and considerations. Parents should plan to assume full responsibility of taking care of the new pet, especially if the child is young. Older children often find their friends more exiting, again leaving the pet to the parents to take care of.
Financial commitment to healthcare needs, proper and appropriate nutritional care, shelter, training/education, a stable environment, and a basic understanding of animal behavior will be required throughout the life of the animal.
Alternatives to Giving an Animal as a Gift
Consider adopting an animal at your local zoo. During the holidays, adoption packages are often sold as gifts. I purchased one such package last year for my niece and nephew. They received a large holiday gift box (directly from the zoo) filled with an official adoption certificate with their names on it, a plush version of the critter they adopted (in this case, a meerkat), and age appropriate educational material about their adopted animal. The package also included passes to the zoo so they could visit their adopted animal.
Consider volunteering to help socialize new litters at the local shelter or with rescue groups in your area. Shelters can be inundated with new litters, and good shelters will often spend time working with these young animals on developing social skills with humans of all ages as well as other dogs and cats. Positive experiences at this critical time of develop can help ensure a smooth transition when the animal gets place in their new home. This can also help an adult/parent gauge a child’s level of interest and attention to a pet. If the child gets bored after the first five minutes, or does not seem willing to be gentle, careful, and follow direction, it can be a pretty strong indicator of what might happen at home. This also helps the shelter/rescue staff assess the animal’s response towards children/new experiences.
Consider giving a gift certificate for a new pet. By giving a gift certificate, you can wait for the holiday craziness to subside and then work together on planning and preparing for a new pet. The decision should not be rushed and an honest assessment of the commitment requirements (as outlined above) should be reviewed.
When You Are Ready
Where the animal comes from is just as important and needs serious consideration as well. I strongly suggest avoiding pet stores (including farmer’s markets and flea markets), the paper (newspaper classifieds), parking lots, and postings (Craig’s List).
For purebred puppies, reconsider any breeder that has no home visit or reference process, no health guarantee, is willing to ship an animal sight unseen, and has no return policy. These are often puppy mills or kitten mills. Contact your local purebreed rescue group instead. They may have the perfect fit for you and your family and if they don’t, they can direct you to a list of reputable and responsible breeders.
And finally, consider working with a behavior consultant to help determine what type of pet will work best in your family dynamic. They can then help find the right age, temperament, and breed and help ensure a successful match for both the animal and the human.
(from the website)
"The alpha myth is everywhere. Google “alpha dog” on the Internet and you get more than 85 million hits. Really. While not all the sites are about dominating your dog, there are literally millions of resources out there – websites, books, blogs, television shows, veterinarians, trainers and behavior professionals – instructing you to use force and intimidation to overpower your dog into submission. They say that you, the human, must be the alpha. They’re all wrong. Every single one of them."
Click HERE to read more about this interesting and informative article.
I'd like to see a study of not necessarily dog behavior, but dog TRAINERS behavior :-).
As a trainer, I visit many websites, am a part of several discussion groups, and attend as many conferences, seminars, and continuing education classes as I can.
No matter when, no matter where, if one hint of criticism (subjective, constructive, direct, etc.) of techniques seen on television, the conversation inevitably turns into a nasty debate over which technique is right and which is wrong.
From what I’ve seen, most (not all) aversive training supporters seem to get fairly hostile. Why is that? As a witness to these discussions that appear over and over again in many different chat groups (including professional groups), there seems to be a lot of calm rationale on the side of the folks that prefer to apply scientifically-based training techniques that happen to *not* incorporate pain/fear techniques, versus folks that think otherwise and defend the use of aversives.
In some situations, aversives work; <intimidation, physical punishment, confinement, deprivation, etc.> have been used on thousands of dogs (thousands and thousands of animals, including humans) throughout time. And there may be a time and place to use these types of training techniques in the hands of an experienced professional, but the fundamental fact is that there IS a *less painful*, *less frightening*, *less forceful* way to go about teaching another living creature to do something.
The use of aversives often backfire because, in the hands of a novice trainer or a pet parent, the techniques are not used correctly. What stinks about this is then the animal is subjected to repeat pain, repeat fear, repeat pressure, etc. until the human can get it right.
Trainers have a choice. A good trainer, in my opinion, is one who studies all techniques, clearly understands the fundamentals behind each one, and can make the determination FOR THE DOG which needs to be applied and when. No trainer should work with blinders on and insist on only one way of training.
In order to have a HEALTHY discussion regarding training techniques, please make sure you bring your facts to the table and have a firm understanding of where you are coming from. It's good to have a discussion such as this, but the point you are making loses its punch when you are unable to keep it respectful and keep an open mind.
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Last month we helped our last two senior pets, Pepper and Star, cross over.
As a trainer and pet services professional, I often hear from clients and colleagues when their pet has died. I share their tears and do my best to offer support and comfort in their time of sadness.
When your own pet dies, it can profoundly effect your life in ways you may not expect or have the skills to deal with. While Pepper and Star were both senior citizens, and I knew that our time together was drawing to a close, it still has been very hard to accept and the absence of their physical presence has been difficult to work through.
That said, I've been blessed with countless cards and emails from friends, clients, and colleagues from across the country. We are bound by the love we feel for our pets and the undeniable loss we feel when they cross over.
Below is an essay forwarded by a colleague that I find comfort in.
Respect For The Passage
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on a very difficult topic - death. Each one of us pet owners will be faced with the loss of our companion.
It is not unusual for our personal views regarding our own mortality to become involved in the decisions we make for our pets. Some owners are unable to let go of their animal companions and cling to every last shred of hope. These people need confident direction and understanding to allow their pets to die with peace and dignity. I have long ago realized, it is my place to let these owners know it is time to stop hoping and allow their friend to pass on peacefully. We need to take care of them in their dying. Because of the shorter life span of animals, I will outlive most of my patients. I see them born and I see them through their death. This is very different from human medical practitioners who still insist on treating death as a disease, rarely seeing a patient's life cycle in its entirety.
Owners often ask me how I can be sure it is time for their friend to die. In Chinese medicine it is believed dying is associated with the loss of "shen", the vital life force that is seen in a patient's eyes. Having stared into many dying
eyes, I have come to believe this is true. I also understand the physiological changes a patient experiences from life threatening diseases – pain, weakness, nausea, respiratory distress, numbness, and unrest. I also spend time talking to
my owners who will give me a clear picture of their friend's quality of life and his priorities in life. This is different for each patient – some dogs need to take that daily excursion to the mailbox while others are content to curl up on the couch with a view of Mom and Dad getting the mail. Your cat may find it very important to make the upstairs trek to the litterbox, while others will accept you moving it to the kitchen, underfoot and all. Each one with special needs and
individual personalities, your pet will try to make these decisions very clear.
And if you can't understand or see clearly through your tears, we are here to guide you through this process.
There are some premises which all of us must respect. Animals do not fear death and that is not because of ignorant bliss, but rather an appreciation of the power of nature and her continuous cycles: the planets revolving around the sun, the moon revolving around the earth, the change of the seasons, night turning to day, water to vapor then back again as rain, and on and on and on. They are still connected to the laws of nature and know no fear; they just accept what they cannot change.
Sometimes my patients are anxious, whining and restless, but I have come to realize they are worried about their people! Their Mom and Dad are crying, afraid, and unsure. Is it not the pet's job to lick their tears away and wag their tail so hard that their parents will start to smile? But they can't, they are dying and it seems like their parents need them more than ever. It is important for owners to know they need to let their friend move on; his duty of bringing unconditional love and joy has been fulfilled.
A second premise must be mentioned. Our friends do not wish to live forever. They are not looking for quantity, only a quality of life. They have a purpose here; they are temporary gifts which must be returned. Our pets take away our pain, suffering, loneliness, selfishness, anger and misfortune. With a warm purr or happy woof, they try to teach each of us how to live as better human beings.
If we listen to their quiet yet profound message, then a pet's life will be eternal and meaningful. We need to live our lives as well, sharing the simple unconditional love and acceptance we have enjoyed from our furry companions.
Donna M. Raditic, DVM, CVA Integrative Medicine Service Resident in Nutrition Veterinary Teaching Hospital The University of Tennessee
Pets & Their People Dog Training, LLC
melissa