BARKS from the Guild July 2016

Empathy andSeparation Anxiety

The Whys of Submissive Urination

Gorillas, Alligators...and Treibball for Dogs

CANINEObedience vs. Well-Behaved

Creating Mutual Trust

Handling at the Vet andForce-Free Grooming

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Why Growing up with a Pet Feline is a Good Thing

Issue No. 19 / July 2016

from the Guildwww.BARKSmagazine.com

BARKS

Scratching in theRight Places

TRAINING

FELINE

PET CARE

EQUINE

PUPPIES

CONSULTING

A Force-Free Publication from the Pet Professional Guild: By the Members for the Members

Cats, Babies and Children...

Every great partnershipstarts with a handshake.

We o�er professional discounts, wholesale rates, custom branded items, and more.

www.sitstay.com

BARKS from the Guild/July 2016

It’s about time we had a cat on the cover again, so here we are!Our cover story this month looks into some of the common

perceptions (and misperceptions) surrounding cats, pregnantwomen, babies and children and, while dispelling most of themyths, highlights the fact that growing up with a cat (or any petfor that matter) can help children with a host of benefits, includ-ing increasing self-esteem and self-confidence, developing trustingrelationships with others, and assisting with the development ofnon-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy.

Still with cats, we have a feature on scratching, somethingcommonly reported by owners as a problem when it comes totheir prized sofa, and how straightforward it can be to redirectthe behavior to a more appropriate setting.

Dogs may not be on the cover of this issue, but they still fea-ture heavily. Our Canine section includes topics such as the obe-dient vs. the well-behaved dog, a practical approach to dealing withleash reactivity, the potential pitfalls of puppy socialization, andsubmissive urination and/or deference. We also have plenty moreon for the canine enthusiasts in our Training and Consulting sec-tions, which highlight ways to empathize with clients who aredealing with canine separation anxiety, playing consent testinggames with dogs and children, how to mark the exact behavior intraining to build up distance and duration, and the burgeoning ca-nine sport of Treibball, which looks like a lot of fun and justabout any dog can play.

We are pleased to include in this issue a section on Pet Carewith articles covering recommendations to ensure a more posi-tive visit to the veterinarian, and how to approach groomingfrom a force-free perspective. With the establishment of thecommittee for pet care professionals and the inaugural Virtual PetCare Summit taking place on August 11-12 this year, pet care is afield of the industry that PPG will be paying close attention to inthe future to ensure the needs of those professionals are met.

As has been our tendency of late, we once again branch outinto the fascinating field of exotics and feature two more trainingarticles, the positive way of course. The first details working witha pair of American alligators to target and station - with theeventual goal of being able to conduct various veterinary proce-dures - and the other is written from the perspective of a gorillatrainer who, amongst other things, trained a 450 pound gorilla topresent his thigh for injections (and, if need be, sedation for amore thorough veterinary check up). Elsewhere, our Equine sec-tion is back again and this time we discuss force-free teaching inhorses and the fact that “crossing over” may not be as difficult assome trainers might think.

We close out the issue with another insightful business arti-cle which anyone who needs assistance marketing their smallbusiness must read. Last but not least, we have full updates on allPPG’s ongoing projects, including Pet Dog Ambassador, ProjectTrade, the PPG Summit, the Virtual Pet Care Summit as well asreports on the recent PPG pet care technician workshop andPPG Australia’s activities at the Melbourne Dog Lovers Show.Enjoy!

Susan Nilson

From the Editor

Published by the Pet Professional Guild9122 Kenton Road, Wesley Chapel, Florida 33545, USA

Tel: +1-41 Dog-Train (+1-413-648-7246) PetProfessionalGuild.com

petprofessionalguild.com/BARKSfromtheGuildfacebook.com/BARKSfromtheGuild

Editor-in-ChiefSusan Nilson

[email protected]

Images © Can Stock Photo: canstockphoto.com

(unless otherwise credited; uncredited images belong to PPG)

The Guild Steering CommitteeMary Jean Alsina, Kelly Fahey, Rebekah King, Debra Millikan,

Susan Nilson, Louise Stapleton-Frappell, Angelica Steinker, Niki Tudge

BARKS from the GuildPublished bi-monthly, BARKS from the Guild presents a

collection of valuable business and technical articles as well as reviews and news stories pertinent to our industry. BARKS is

the official publication of the Pet Professional Guild.

SubmissionsBARKS encourages the submission of original written materials. Please contact the Editor-in-Chief for contributor guidelines prior to

sending manuscripts or see: PetProfessionalGuild.com/Forcefreeindustrypublication

Please submit all contributions via our submission form at: PetProfessionalGuild.com/BFTGcontent

Letters to the EditorTo comment on an author’s work, or to let PPG know what topics youwould like to see more of, contact the Editor-in-Chief via email putting

BARKS in the subject line of your email. BARKS reserves the right to editfor length, grammar and clarity.

Subscriptions and DistributionPlease contact Rebekah King at [email protected]

for all subscription and distribution-related enquiries.

AdvertisingPlease contact Niki Tudge at [email protected] to obtaina copy of rates, ad specifications, format requirements and deadlines.

Advertising information is also available at:PetProfessionalGuild.com/AdvertisinginBARKS

PPG does not endorse or guarantee any products, services or vendorsmentioned in BARKS, nor can it be responsible for problems with vendorsor their products and services. PPG reserves the right to reject, at its

discretion, any advertising.

The Pet Professional Guild is a membership business league representing pet industry professionals who are committed to

force-free training and pet care philosophies, practices and methods. Pet Professional Guild members understand force-free to mean:

No Shock, No Pain, No Choke, No Prong, No Fear, No Physical Force, NoPhysical Molding and No Compulsion-Based Methods.

BARKSfrom the Guild

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206 NEWS

Virtual Pet Care Summit, PPGBI Mini Summit, PPG World Service,PPG member webinars

10 EVENTS- Steph McColl of PPG Australia reports on the Melbourne Dog Lovers Show

- PPG Summit 2016 presenters14 EDUCATION

- Louise Stapleton-Frappell reports on PPG’s Pet Care Certification workshop

- Upcoming PPG workshops18 PROJECTS

- Pet Dog Ambassador- Project Trade

20 ITÊS A GOODTHINGJane Ehrlich reports on some of the common perceptions (and misperceptions) surrounding cats, babies, and children

25 SCRATCH HERE, NOTTHEREPatience Fisher explains how simple it is to train a cat to use scratching posts and pads rather than the furniture

27 A WELL-BEHAVED DOGBarbara Wright wonders who really cares about obedience

30 THE UNFAMILIAR BECOMES THE FAMILIARCecelia Sumner explains how she educates her clients on handling the issue of leash reactive dogs

32 THE LANGUAGE OF DEFERENCECarolyn Kocman discusses submissive urination in dogs

34 THE NEEDTO BE SPECIFICKama Brown delves into the murky waters that can be puppy socialization

36 FEAR-FREEVETVISITS: THEWAYTO GOJill Breitner takes charge when her anxious dog goes to the vet, and tells you how you can, too

38 GROOMING RESTRAINTSMichelle Martiya explains how less can be more when it comes to keeping dogs under control in the salon

40 WHEN PANIC BECOMES PEACEJennifer Pratt explains how consultants can find the empathy and compassion to aid clients dealing with separation anxiety

43 THE BEST PLAYAngelica Steinker explains how to play the small dog consent testing game with children

46 KEEP ON PUSHINGDiane Garrod provides an insight to the increasingly popular canine sport of Treibball

50 ITÊSALL IN THETIMINGLouise Stapleton-Frappell explains how to mark the behavior you want during training

52 HOWTOTRAINYOUR DRAGONLara Joseph explains the ongoing process of training a pair of American alligators to target and station

54 LIVING IN A HUMANWORLD

April Bove-Rothwell shares her experiences training gorillas via positive reinforcement

57 CREATING MUTUALTRUSTKathie Gregory presents a guide to force-free teaching in horses

60 THE FOUR PÊSNiki Tudge highlights some of the tools available to pet professionals across the marketing mix

62 PROFILE: THE FELINE CONNECTIONFeaturing Jane Ehrlich of Cattitude Feline Behavior in Phoenix, Arizona

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6 BARKS from the Guild/July 2016

N E W S

PPG has announced its first-everVirtual Summit for Pet Care

Professionals taking place onThursday, August 11- Friday, August12, 2016. The event will feature 26hours of virtual webinars coveringa range of pet care topics such ashealth and force-free handling forcats and dogs, how to walk dogspositively and manage multiple dogs, canine and feline behaviorand social communication, appropriate canine play, how animalslearn, dog bite safety, managing a dog day care facility, and a hostof business and marketing options for small business owners.

The inception of the Virtual Pet Care Summit reflects thegrowing numbers of PPG members who work in the field of petcare, including kennel technicians, groomers, pet sitters, dogwalkers, day care operators, veterinary assistants, student dogtrainers, animal shelter employees, and dog trainers. Virtual sum-mit webinars will run from 9 a.m. (EDT) till approximately 7:30p.m. (EDT) over the two- day period with ample time in theschedule for lunch and breaks. Participants will be able to selectwebinars from two tracks and all webinars will be recorded andavailable for purchase after the event.

Open to all, the Virtual Pet Care Summit features two regis-tration options: The basic package includes 13 hours of live webi-nars over the two-day period at a cost per hour of $9 for PPGmembers and $12 for non-members, while the premium packageincludes 13 hours of live webinars over the two-day period at acost per hour of $8 for PPG members and $9 for non-members.Premium package purchasers will also have access to over 24hours of recordings and PDF handouts of each webinar.

“PPG has launched the Virtual Pet Care Summit in direct re-sponse to the growing numbers of pet care professionals joiningthe organization to ensure we provide them with access to thebest educational resources possible,” said PPG founder and pres-ident, Niki Tudge. “There is also a great need in the market for arange of force-free educational options to increase awarenessamongst those working in the field of pet care - as well as petowners themselves - that there are kinder, more effective alter-natives to restraint or aversive handling techniques.”

“Grooming, for example, can be a very stressful experiencefor many dogs,” added professional groomer and PPG memberMichelle Martiya, who will be presenting on the do’s and don’tsof dog grooming at the event. “The combination of loud dryers,buzzing clippers, and being physically manipulated by a strangercan be difficult for a dog to accept. Restraint is often necessary,even on a well-trained dog, but how we introduce and use re-straints can be the difference between a stressful, scary experi-ence (which makes the dog more uncooperative for the nextgrooming visit), or a mildly unpleasant but temporary experiencethat the dog can quickly get past.”

Registration for the Virtual Pet Care Summit is now open. For more details see

www.petprofessionalguild.com/Virtual-Pet-Care-Summit.

PPG Announces Inaugural Virtual Pet Care Summit

N E W S

7

PPG Summit 2016: Overall Keynote Address Topic Finalized


PPG’s second educational Summit is takingplace at the Sheraton Tampa East hotel on

Monday, November 7 - Friday, November 11,2016 and, back by popular demand, is keynotespeaker Dr. Karen Overall who will, once again,be presenting the keynote address. Part One istitled From Leashes to Neurons: Myths Debunked -Why You Know Less than You Need to about 'Domi-nance,' Thyroid Hormones and Alternative Therapies; and Part Two istitled From Leashes to Neurons: Neuromolecular Learning and Cogni-

tive Therapy for Dogs.Dr. Overall will be fol-

lowed by guest speaker Dr.Marty Becker, whose pres-entation is titled Creating aFear FreeSM Environment forPets: Taking the Pet out ofPetrified...Puts Pets Back intoPractices.

A host of other expertswill also be presenting atthe event, including VictoriaStilwell, Chirag Patel, KenRamirez and Dr. Soraya

Juarbe-Diaz, who will be conducting the general ses-sions before the schedule breaks down into smallergroups conducted by a host of talented presenters ona wide variety of topics (see also pages 12-13).

The Sheraton Tampa East is offering a special dis-counted rate of $126 for Summit attendees but oncethe rooms are full at that rate, it will increase quitesubstantially so we recommend booking as soon as

possible. You can reserve directly at www.starwoodmeeting.com/events/start.action?id =1512180838&key=30186160. For moreinformation on pricing and packages, see www.petprofessionalguild.com/Packages-and-pricing. For the full Sum-mit presenter schedule, see www.petprofessionalguild.com/Summit-Schedule.

If you would like to promote your business at Summit 2016,why not provide a flyer or leaflet for the official SWAG Bag? Thatway you can get your message out to every attendee and pre-senter for just $300 (actual value $700). Benefits include:

• Your business logo in the Official Summit Guide. • Your logo on the Summit website. • Your logo on the Summit “Sponsor Thank You” poster.

Areminder for PPG members who have signed upfor Project Trade: the end of the previous month

has now passed, which means you get to show off allthe gear you collected.

To submit your monthly claim form and photo-graphs, please follow these simple steps:

1. When a client swaps a piece of equipment for adiscount, have them sign your monthly Project TradeClient SWAP Form.

2. Give the equipment a number and log the num-ber on this form.

3. At the end of the month, simply scan the Proj-ect Trade Client SWAP Form and upload it to theMonthly Trade Report, www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/eHdjfdl2E81C5t, with a photograph ofthe equipment you have collected. (If you have nogear then please disregard the submission process,and the PPG advocacy committee wishes you successin the month ahead.)

GET FEATURED IN BARKS!BARKS from the Guild is always looking for member profiles to feature in the Profile

section. If you would like us to shine the spotlight on you, all you have to do is fill out this brief form:

www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/4K20TaXhYd84DN03pf5s

Dr. KarenOverall willpresent ‘FromLeashes toNeurons’ intwo parts atPPG’s 2016Summit

Project Trade: Time to Submit Your Gear!

For more details on Project Trade, see www.projecttrade.org and page 19.

See advertisement on page 26 and www.petprofessionalguild.com/Sponsorship-Opportunities

for more details.


N E W S

As previously announced, PPG British Isles’s(PPGBI) first-ever educational Mini Summit

is taking place in Leeds, England on the week-end of September 10-11, 2016.

Registration numbers are building up and theevent is sure to provide the ideal opportunityto learn new things, get new ideas, as well asmeet PPG and PPGBI members and steeringcommittee members. Registration is open toboth members and non-members at the bar-gain prices of just £10 ($14) and £20 respec-tively. A package price is also available thatincludes a group lunch and refreshments.The total price for thefull two days is just £55 for members and £65 for non-members.

The Mini Summit boasts an impressive line-up of speakers including PPG founder and presi-dent Niki Tudge, PPG steering committeemember Angelica Steinker, PPGBI membershipmanager Louise Stapleton-Frappell, as well aslocal expert presenters Helen Phillips, CarolynMenteith and Susan Winter. See below for detailsof the schedule, and also www.ppgbi.com/2016-Workshop.The Official Mini Summit Guide is available atwww./issuu.com/petprofessionalguild/docs/ppgbi_mini_summit_guide_2016. To register,

see www.ppgbi.com/Register-Today. You can also join the event onFacebook, www.facebook.com /events/1689562604661747.

PPG British Isles Mini Summit

We are always on the lookout for interesting features, member profiles, casestudies and training tips to feature in

BARKS from the Guild and BLOGS from theGuild. If you’d like to join the growing bandof member contributors, please get in touch.

WRITE FOR PPG!

PPGBI Mini Summit Schedule

www.ppgbi.com

8

Email: [email protected]


N E W S

9

Live WebinarsLearn How to Train your Easily Frustrated Dog

with Alexandra SantosSunday, July 10, 2016 - 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. (EDT)

Get Up and Running with QuickBooks – Your QBQuick Start Guide with Rick Ingram

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 - 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. (EDT)Psychological Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Dis-

order in Dogs with Dr. Franklin McMillanThursday, July 14, 2016 - 12 p.m.

- 1 p.m. (EDT)Does Canine Hypothyroidism Really Affect Behavior? with

Lisa RadostaThursday, September 1, 2016 - 10 a.m.

- 11 a.m. (EDT)

Cat WebinarsIntroductions: Dogs to Resident Cats; Cats to

Resident Dogs with Lennea BowerAugust, 2016 (date/time TBC)

Food Enrichment for Adult, Senior and Geriatric catswith Amy Martin

October, 2016 (date/time TBC)Low Stress Cat Handling for Veterinarians, Shelter

Staff and Cat Owners with Paula Garber Wednesday, December 7, 2016 - 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. (EST)

Online Course via WebinarTrickMeister - Your Force-Free FUN Dog Training

Program with Louise Stapleton-FrappellTuesday, Mar 1, 2016 - 1 p.m. (EST) -

Monday, August 1, 2016 - 2:30 p.m. (EDT)

The PPG Radio Show, www.petprofessionalguild.com/PPG-Broadcast, takes place on the first Sunday of every month at

Noon (EDT). There is always an incredible line-up of guests andthe show is educational and fun. Here is the current line-up (note:subject to change):

PPG World Service Radio Show ScheduleDog Reactivity.Register at: www.attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5479723333316217858

WorkshopsThe Gift of a Gray Muzzle: Active Care for SeniorDogs (Tampa, Florida) with Kathy Sdao and

Lori StevensSaturday, February 18, 2017 - 8:30 a.m. (EST) -Sunday, February 19, 2017 - 4:30 p.m. (EST)

Details of all upcoming webinars can be found at:www.petprofessionalguild.com/GuildScheduledEvents

A recording is made available within 48 hours of all PPG webinars.

Details of all upcoming workshops can be found at: www.petprofessionalguild.com/Workshops.

Workshops and Webinars

Sunday, July 3, 2016 - Noon (EDT)Judy Luther: Bond Based Training.Tristan Flynn:Assessing and Working with Reactive Dogs.Register at:www.attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7832495697791785229

Wednesday, July 20, 2016 - Noon (EDT)Grisha Stewart: Behavior Adjustment Training.Register at: www.attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8332634951684198660

Sunday, August 7, 2016 - Noon (EDT)Sarah Richter: The Conscientious Equestrian. Lara Joseph:Training Exotics.Register at: www.attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6981185625842786818

Sunday, August 7, 2016 - Noon (EDT)Dr. Deborah Weir:What Animals Teach Us about Life and Getting Along with Each Other.Debbie Revell:The Emotional Roller-Coaster of Dog-

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You can submit a question for any of the guests here: www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/m37XVZeJ2cL3p0e7lD


E V E N T S

10

Steph McColl reports on PPG Australia’s participation in the huge Victoria event

The fourth annual Melbourne Dog Lovers Show took place inthe Victorian capital, Australia from April 29 to May 1, 2016during which time around 28,000 dog enthusiasts visited theevent held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The show fea-tured over 250 exhibitors and around 500 dogs, not to mentiondozens of canine experts who were on hand to entertain andeducate the huge, dog-loving crowds.Attending the show for the first time, Pet Professional Guild

Australia (PPGA) had a prime position as hosts of the Ask ATrainer stand. Victorian member Chiara Perri was the show coordinator

for PPGA, and she and her team did a marvellous job creating avery professional environment. A full wall backdrop for thedemonstration area provided insight into how force-free trainingworks, and a huge map of Victoria with a flag representing eachPPGA professional member informed the general public thatforce-free trainers can be found just about everywhere. ThePPGA representatives all wore polo shirts emblazoned with thePPGA logo, and a speech-bubble with Ask-A-Trainer on the back.As such they could be easily identified by anyone who wanted toask about dog training. The demo dogs meanwhile all wore yel-low bandanas with the PPGA logo embroidered on them, makingthem easily identifiable (and looking very cute!)A group of 12 PPGA professional member trainers and their

students conducted demonstrations, answered questions, pro-vided information on force-free training, and showed that posi-tive reinforcement training holds up even under the noise andcrowds that surrounded the dogs in the show environment. Lit-erally thousands of people went home with PPG postcards thathad pet and emergency contact information on one side and thePPGA logo and website on the other.The PPGA members on the Ask A Trainer stand were thrilled

to hear over and over again that the general public was highlyimpressed with the happy demeanor displayed by the demo dogs,as well as their willingness and enthusiasm to participate in train-ing sessions even after three very long days.

Demo dogs weredecked out inyellow PPGA

bandanas

PPGA member Peta Clarke was the MC for the main arenaevents, and she made sure she missed no opportunity to pro-mote force-free training and direct people to the PPGA standand activities. This was the first time the force-free movementhas had representation at such a high level at the Dog LoversShow, and it certainly will not be the last. The show organizerswere delighted with PPGA’s contribution, and said they had re-ceived very positive feedback on our presentations from showattendees.The PPGA steering committee was thrilled with the re-

sponse from the public, and the fact that the PPGA name and theforce-free ethos are much more widely-known and appreciatedthroughout Victoria as a result of the hard work put in by theteam. This marks just the beginning of a very exciting journey forthe force-free movement in Australia. n

The PPGA ‘Ask ATrainer’ stand

PPGA’s force-freetraining demosattracted great

interest fromshow attendees

PPGA Takes a Stand at theMelbourne Dog Lovers Show

E V E N T S

BARKS from the Guild/July 2016 11

Steph McColl PCT-A andpresident of PPG Australia isoriginally from New Zealandand started her dog trainingcareer in 1972 when, sadly,the only methods availablewere aversive. Following hermigration to Australia in1981, she concentrated onhorses until 1996, when shegot her first border collieand moved into positive re-inforcement training. Shethen completed CertificateIV in Behavioral Dog Train-ing with the Delta SocietyAustralia, and began com-peting in obedience, Nose-Work and RallyO with hertwo current border collies.She combines private one-to-one dog-training and be-havior consults with herrole as chief instructor atTelarah Dog Training,www.telarahdogtraininginc.com, as well as owning andrunning a bookkeeping busi-ness.

SUPPORT SYSTEMS TO HELP ON YOUR PATHWAY TO ACCREDITATION

If you are an applicant in the system and on the road toaccreditation, PPAB is here to help you be successful!

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TOOLS AT YOUR DISPOSAL:

s The Examination Study Guide:www.credentialingboard.com/Study-Guide

s The Case Study Template:www.credentialingboard.com/Case-Study-Information

s The Video Review Form:www.credentialingboard.com/page-18095

s The Facebook Applicant Support Group - To join, email:[email protected] ABA Dictionary:

www.credentialingboard.com/Dictionary

Positive reinforcementtraining wasthe order ofthe day at thePPG ‘Ask ATrainer’ stand in Melbourne

Show visitors wereimpressed at thecalm demeanor of the PPGA demo dogs

PPGA was able toreach thousandsof dog owners at

the show

Show organizersreceived a greatdeal of positivefeedback from

the general publicregarding PPGA’s

contribution

A Five-Day Interactive, Educational Event

Monday, November 7, 2016 12 p.m. (EST) -

Friday, November 11, 2016 1 p.m. (EST)

Sheraton Tampa East Hotel in Tampa, Florida

#PPGSummit 2016

Introducing the Keynote Presenter...

ALL THE DETAILS: www.ForceFreeSummit.com

USEFUL LINKSPresenters and Schedule: www.petprofessionalguild.com/Summit-Schedule Hotel and Facilities: www.petprofessionalguild.com/Summit-2016-locationSpecial Hotel Rate: www.starwoodmeeting.com/events/start.action?id=1512180838&key=30186160Meals and Entertainment: www.petprofessionalguild.com/Meals-&-EntertainmentPackages and Pricing: www.petprofessionalguild.com/Packages-and-pricingRegistration: www.petprofessionalguild.com/Summit-2016-RegistrationSponsor an Event/Include Your Marketing Collateral in the Summit Swag Bag: www.petprofessionalguild.com/Sponsorship-Opportunities

KeynoteSpeaker

Introducing the

Guest Presenters...

E D U C A T I O N


Essential Skills for Pet ProfessionalsLouise Stapleton-Frappell reports on PPG’s Certified Pet Care Technician workshop

Towards the end of May, PPG held a four-day workshop cover-ing all the necessary skills needed to become a Certified Pet

Care Technician (CPCT). Professional pet care requires knowl-edge, skills, individual competency and a high level of responsibil-ity, and the event, which took place at PPG’s Wesley Chapel,Florida headquarters, was designed to provide just that.

The workshop was opened by PPG founder and presidentNiki Tudge presenting on Caring for Pets – Protocols and Proceduresand one of the topics she discussed was the importance ofshared meaning: Does the pet care technician have the same un-derstanding as the client? Does the owner identify a behavior orperhaps an illness in the same way a pet care technician does? Ithought this was a crucial take-home point as we all need tomake sure that the questions we ask provide us with the infor-mation that we need. Tudge cited the example of an elderly dogwho may have a problem with teeth, arthritis, eyes, or chronicpain. If we, as professionals ask, “Does your dog have any ongoingmedical concerns?” the owner may answer, “No, he doesn’t.”However, if we ask, “Do you have to administer any medicationto your dog?” the owner may answer, “Yes, I do.” We are thenable to follow up and ask why medication is required. The ques-tions we ask should elicit a response that draws out the informa-tion we require.

Tudge also discussed the importance of examining pets ontheir arrival in a pet care facility, not, of course, as a veterinaryexamination but pet care technicians do need to be able tocheck the general condition of the fur and coat, the eyes andears for signs of parasites, fleas and ticks, and look for wounds,cuts or scrapes. If technicians find anything of concern, they donot diagnose but inform the owner and recommend that the petbe taken to the veterinarian for a complete exam.

I was also on the agenda presenting on the topic of How PetsLearn. One key point I discussed was the importance of empow-ering our canine clients and what our strategy should be for

CPCT workshop participants. Back row(left to right): Michelle Satchell, JC Drake(Tawzer Dog), Neil Hennessey, Sally Saxton,Kody Kirby (Tawzer Dog); front row (left toright): Louise Stapleton-Frappell, RachelWilliams, Chloe the Labrador, RebekahKing, Michelle Harmon

Louise Stapleton-

Frappell (right)demonstratesconditioningequipment to

ensure a positive

emotional response

Make a loop with a piece of gauze (or a nylon leash) using asimple knot as if you were tying a shoe lace. Place the loopover the dog's nose with the 'knot' under the chin. Pull toclose, making sure the dog's tongue is inside the mouth! Bringthe two lengths of gauze up behind the head and tie in a bow

(for quick release). If theknot is placed on thetop of the muzzle thetwo lengths will gostraight over the eyeswhen you fasten aroundthe head. The materialor your nails could inad-vertently scratch thedog’s eyes (plus the dogwould not be able tosee).

Applying an Emergency Muzzle

Sally Saxton (left)practices placing anemergency muzzleunder the guidance

of presenter Rebekah King

Michelle Satchell (right) demonstratesthe correct way to pick up a small dogunder the tutelage of Rebekah King


E D U C A T I O N

15

conditioning this. The answer is that we build up a history of pos-itive reinforcement and teach the dog he can operate safelywithin his environment. We develop a safe and trusting relation-ship, share fun experiences, and ensure all physical and mentalneeds are met through an enriched environment and physical ac-tivity. We avoid frustration, aversives and punishment, and usesafety signals to minimize stress.

I also presented a discussion of Pet Care Tools, Equipment andToys where I focused on the importance of always endeavoring tocreate a positive conditioned emotional response to any newtools or toys a pet is introduced to. I included an overview ofseveral pet toys and highlighted the many benefits of using a tar-get stick, especially for moving or positioning a pet and also as agame and an excellent way to strengthen the bond with a pet,both for owners and professionals.

PPG steering committee member Angelica Steinker was an-other presenter at the event and her focus was on Canine Com-munication and Social Behavior. Steinker discussed distancedecreasing play behavior which functions to access pleasure insocial encounters. Her papillon, Mo was photographed demon-strating a beautiful play bow – a distance decreasing signal, butSteinker pointed out that pictures can be misleading. One couldlabel a behavior as aggressive when in fact it might be playful.

“A photograph is just a second in time and often does notaccurately portray the animal’s emotions or actions,” saidSteinker. “Make sure you look at the whole context. Don’t justlook at one part of the body, look at the whole of the animal’sbody and the context of the behavior.”

Steinker also invited workshop attendees to demonstratesome of the signals a dog might use to increase or decrease dis-tance between himself and another dog or person.

“It’s important to practice reading dogs as much as possibleto understand the range of behaviors and understand the individ-ual in front of you,” she said.

Elsewhere, PPG membership manager Rebekah King providedan excellent overview of animal body structure, systems and func-tions in her Introduction to Canine and Feline Anatomy and Physiology.King’s presentation covered everything from the lymphatic systemto the circulatory and endocrine systems.

King also presented Canine and Feline Health and Handling dur-ing which she carefully explained the procedure for lifting a cat, asmall dog, a medium dog and a large dog. King also demonstratedhow to administer oral medication to both cats and dogs usingsyringes, peanut butter, cream cheese, Pill Pockets®, or, if neces-sary, to the back of the throat. This is something many peoplestruggle with so her tips were appreciated by everyone present.

The final day of the workshop featured King presenting thePPG Pet First Aid course. She started out by explaining exactlywhat pet first aid is and how one should handle an animal duringan emergency. Amongst other things, it is essential to make sureeveryone is safe and King deftly demonstrated how to apply anemergency muzzle. Attendees then had the opportunity to prac-tice this skill using a piece of gauze as an emergency muzzle. Kingstressed the need to make sure that the knot of the emergencymuzzle is placed under the dog’s chin and not on top of the muz-zle, as that would mean that the straps going around the dog’sneck could inadvertently scratch the dog’s eyes (see box, bottomleft, page 14).

Overall this workshop was an excellent learning opportunity withattendees learning a host of skills and techniques invaluable – and po-tentially life-saving - to anyone working or living with animals. n

RachelWilliams’ dogChloe takes a

break fromproceedings

Louise Stapleton-Frappell BA (Hons) PCT-A CTDI CAP3DN-FSG is a super trainer clicker trainer who has performedas a dog trick instructor at In The Doghouse DTC. She workshard to promote a positive image of the "bully" breeds and ad-vocate against Breed Specific Legislation. Her Staffordshire bullterrier, Jambo, www.facebook.com/StaffyChampion?fref=ts, is atrick dog champion. She is also the proud author and instruc-tor of the TrickMeister training program, www.dognosticselearning.com/TrickMeister, membership managerat PPGBI and regional coordinator of Doggone Safe in Spain.

- Approaching a dog.- Using food to distract.- Picking up a leash or itemfrom the floor.- Attaching a leash.- Safe crate exit.- Seven branded items.- Lure forwards.- Lure backwards.- Lure onto a mat.- Lure under an object.- Lure into a crate.- Six distance decreasing behaviors.- Six distance increasing behaviors.- Six aggressive signals.- Six conflicted body languagesignals.- Design a slow greeting protocol.- Design customized ethogramencompassing six signs ofstress and six signs of joy.- Consent test.- Preference test.- Infect your dog with a happyemotional state.

- Association of equipment.- Applying a harness.- Applying a leash to a collar.- Play tug.- Target stick.- Move a dog.- Hand target.- Checking dog’s skin.- Checking dog’s ears.- Checking dog’s teeth.- Checking respiratory rate.- Chin target.- Lifting a small dog.- Lifting a medium to largedog.- Lifting a cat.- Checking dogs’ nails.- Administering eye medication.- Administering a pill.- Administering liquid medication.- Body condition check.- Emergency muzzle.- Capillary refill time check.- Bandage.- Femoral pulse.- CPR demonstration.

Skills Covered at the CPCT Workshop:

E D U C A T I O N


The Pet First Aid Certification Program is a three-partrecorded educational webinar that will teach you all the nec-essary skills you will need to manage a pet emergency. The pro-gram includes three webinars hosted by Bethany Jordan, certifiedveterinarian technician, CPDT-KA. Each webinar lasts one hour.

When you register for this program you will receive:

sThe links to all three recorded webinars.s Links to the 10 supplemental skill videos.s Information about the online test and video certification program.

Upon completion you will receive:

sYour pet first aid notebook.sA certificate of competency.

First AidThe Pet First Aid program covers topics from heatstroke tosnake bites, CPR and wound management, as well as how tosafely transport a pet to the care of a veterinary professional.It should be remembered that first aid is literally that: aid or

management that is rendered as soon as a problem is identifiedat the scene of an accident or injury, and as a bridge betweenthose first to respond to a problem until the time when profes-sional care is provided.Many people confuse first aid with specific treatment for an

illness or injury. This often results in proper care never being re-ceived or care being delayed to such an extent as to compoundthe problem.

CertificationTo receive your PPG Pet First Aid Certification you will have tocomplete and pass an open-book online certification test com-prised of 50 questions.

You will also be required to provide four short 30 secondvideos to demonstrate hands on competency. Full details are ex-plained in the presentation.

Learning Objectivess Understand your role in pet first aid.sWhat first aid is and what it is not.s How to effectively and safely be a pet first aid responder.s Learn how to manage the most common pet emergencies untilthe pet is transferred to a veterinarian.

Program Contentss First aid assessment and management.sAnimal handling during an emergency.s Initial assessment stages, CPR and bleeding.s Shock management.

Common Emergencies Covereds Heatstrokes Lacerationss ZoonosessWound cares Hot spotss Broken toenailss Bandagings Burnss Corneal abrasionss Prolapsed eyess Fracturess Luxationss Hypoglycemias Diabetess Chokings GastrointestinalsToxicitiess Insect bites and stingss DehydrationsVomiting and diarrheas Seizuress Feline fatty liver diseases Dog breed medication sensitivitys CPR and triagesThe pet first aid kit

Pet First Aid Certification ProgramA Three-Part Recorded Webinar

with Bethany JordanTuesday, January 01, 2016, 1:00 p.m. (EST) - Saturday, December 31, 2016, 2:30 p.m. (EST)

CEUs: PPG 3/CCPDT 3/IAABC 3 More information and online registration:

www.petprofessionalguild.com/First-Aid-Event

Know what to doin a pet-relatedemergency with

this online certification

course



E D U C A T I O N

17

The Gift of a Gray Muzzle: Active Care for Senior Dogs

A Two-Day Workshop in Tampa, Florida (Working and Auditor Spots Available)

with Kathy Sdao and Lori StevensSaturday, February 18, 2017 8:30 a.m. (EST) - Sunday, Feburary 19, 2017 4:30 p.m. (EST)

CEUs: PPAB 12/CCPDT 12 More information and online registration:

www.petprofessionalguild.com/event-2076133

Kathy Sdao, associate certified applied animal behaviorist,and Lori Stevens, CPDT-KA, SAMP and senior TellingtonTTouch® training practitioner, share a deep love for seniordogs and have combined their decades of animal care andtraining expertise to teach this heartfelt and practical work-shop. Their goal is to empower you to joyfully and actively en-gage with and support your aging dog. They will share severalmethods to keep your dog’s mind and body agile and strongand will also discuss many ideas for making everyday life easierfor your senior dog. The result is a dog who is more compe-tent and confident in the face of physical and cognitive chal-lenges, and who has additional opportunities for staying healthyand active.

Who Should Attend?s People who live with aging dogs, including both senior and"peri-senior" dogs.s Professionals who have an interest in helping their clients withaging dogs.sAnyone interested in dogs and how to support them duringthe aging process.

Workshop Agendas Defining and observing seniorhood.s Kindle the spark of life.s Everyday life with seniors.s Maximize emotional resilience.sTouching and wrapping.s Expect changes in compliance.s Movement and conditioning.s Keep them eating.s Let us play.sThoughts on life’s final transition.s Discussion/Q & A.

What You Will Learns Effects of aging and what you can expect.sVarious healthcare options that complement mainstream vet-erinary care.sTTouch® bodywork and wrapping techniques, including leg andbody wraps.s Strategies for minimizing age-related anxiety and maximizingemotional resilience.s Methods for modifying cues to accommodate sensory limitations.s Movement and conditioning exercises that benefit aging dogs.s Games to keep mind and body active.s Help for senior dogs who have difficulty standing up or climb-ing stairs.sTips for dealing with loss of appetite.s Considerations regarding end-of-life decisions.

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The workshop will covermaking life easier forsenior pet dogs

www.tawzerdog.com

P R O J E C T S

PPG has launched its PetDog Ambassador (PDA)program worldwide fol-

lowing successful completion ofthe pilot program. PDA is aprogram whereby dog ownerscan test their knowledge, skillsand ability to manage their ca-nine companion(s) in real lifesettings. PPG members can signup to be instructors and/or as-sessors, as well as get theirclients involved in the programto earn certification (and amedallion for their dog) as theywork through each level.

Program Benefits Aimto:

s Improve the relationshipbetween pet dogs and their guardians.

s Help guardians gain a better appreciation of force-free dogtraining and its applications to everyday living.

s Improve the knowledge of socially responsible petguardians.

s Increase guardians’ knowledge and understanding of locallaws.

s Equip dogs and guardians with the skills to be out in thewider community in settings such as cafes and outdoor eatingareas, off-leash areas, busy streets and beaches.

s Demonstrate to the public the advantages of a well-traineddog.

Assessment Levels:The PDA program is a five-level program. Each level builds on theprevious one to strengthen the knowledge, skills and abilities ofdogs and their guardians. The levels are:

Level 1 (Puppy): Dogs, like people, learn best when they areyoung. That is why we love to see puppies (4 to 9 months old)reach their first pet dog training goal early. Qualified assessorsassess puppies in class. This can be the class teacher (if PPG qual-ified to assess) or an assessor brought into class for the purposeof assessing the work done by participants.

Level 2 (any dog over the age of 6 months old): This levelbuilds on the work undertaken at Level 1. It is also at a levelwhere those who did not undertake Level 1 (because they didnot fit the age bracket) can still have an easy entry into the pro-gram. This level is also assessed in a class situation.


Level 3 and Level 4: These levels build further on the dogs’and guardians’ skills, knowledge and ability and culminate in as-sessments both in real life settings and in the class situation.

Level 5 (Championship): This level is where everything thedog and guardian have learned is put to the test in real life set-tings. n

For more information, see www.petdogambassador.com.

Pet Dog Ambassador

The Pet Guardians’ Guide isa comprehensive, 38-

page document that com-prises everything dogowners need to know aboutthe program. This includes ahost of information and re-sources to assist owners inthe online open book quizthey are required to take(prior to commencing theprogram)s in order to checktheir knowledge on dogsand their needs.

Pet Guardians’ Guide Now Available

View/download a copy of the Pet Guardians’ Guide at www.issuu.com/petprofessionalguild/docs/pda_guide_-

_pet_dog_guardians

P R O J E C T S

19BARKS from the Guild/July 2016

Project Trade

Project Trade is the Pet Professional Guild's (PPG) inter-national advocacy program that promotes the use offorce-free pet equipment by asking pet guardians to

swap choke, prong and shock collars (and any other devicesthat are designed to change behavior or care for pets throughpain or fear). PPG members may opt in to the program and, indoing so, agree to provide incentives for their clients toswitch to more appropriate training and pet care tools by giv-ing them professional educational support at discounts of 10-15 percent.

PPG members who participate in Project Trade will beable to display a unique badge on their business website andhave access to personalized marketing collateral at cost. Theywill also be listed in an online directory that will be marketedto the pet owning public. Further promotion will occur withregular updates, photographs, reports, and success stories fea-tured across PPG's platform of publications. In addition, eachmonth, the member who has collected the most equipmentwill be recognized with a certificate and featured on PPG'swebsite. Finally, every October, PPG's advocacy committeewill determine which participant has submitted the mostequipment, and the winner will receive an all-expenses paidtrip to PPG's educational Summit, taking place this year inTampa, Florida on November 7-11, plus a plaque and a $5,000prize.

You can opt in to Project Trade by filling out this onlineform: www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/1n41beFf3j.

Learn more about Project Trade in this brief video,www.youtu.be/I9J9yrlioNc, featuring quotes from respectedcanine experts Jean Donaldson, Dr. Soraya Juarbe-Diaz andDr. Jean Dodds. n

For more information, see www.projecttrade.org

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It’s a Good Thing

C O V E R S T O R Y

Jane Ehrlich reports on some

of the common perceptions

(and misperceptions)

surrounding cats, babies, and

children, and highlights some

of the many reasons why

growing up with a pet cat is

beneficial to everyone

It’s summertime once again, a time when many mothers arebringing their new babies home for the first time. At the sametime, the worries and the questions increase regarding the

family cat(s), as does the advice - wanted or not. Some of thatadvice is wise while some, shall we say, is ‘old school’ and ratherbased on myth.

In my many years of experience as a feline behavior consult-ant, I have actually heard from clients that their doctors have ad-vised them to give up their cats. When pressed for the reasonsthey have generally received comments about “added responsibil-ity” and “possible allergies,” despite such concerns being com-pletely unfounded.

As a matter of fact, raising your child with animals can mean astrengthened immune system. In a study by Wegienka, Johnson,Havstad, Ownby, Nicholas, and Zoratti published in Clinical & Ex-perimental Allergy (2011), the researchers looked at the associa-tion between lifetime dog and cat exposure and allergies in over550 boys and girls from Detroit, Michigan, who were followedfrom birth until they were 18 years old, at which point they weretested for an allergic response to dogs and cats. The resultsshowed that being exposed to dogs and cats during the first yearof the child’s life proved to be the crucial factor that resulted in“reduced risk of allergic sensitization to that specific animal laterin life, compared to those that did not have an indoor pet in thefirst year.” A blunt statement from the American Academy of Al-lergy Asthma and Immunology (n.d.) states that “recent researchseems to show that early exposure to animals (cats and dogs in

particular) may actually protect children from developing thesediseases.”

Another example: doctors are still telling their pregnant pa-tients not to scoop the litter box. “Toxoplasmosis,” they mutterdarkly, as if you’re likely to be struck down by the plague withone errant spoonful of the used stuff.

You can kill that one, too. It is highly unlikely that your cat willgive you toxoplasmosis. According to the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (2013), "people are more likely to get itfrom eating raw meat or from gardening." Toxoplasmosis is rarein the US. According to the Humane Society of the United States(HSUS) (n.d.), it is “difficult for cats to transmit toxoplasmosis di-rectly to their care givers.”

The HSUS states that there are several factors that con-tribute to keeping the chance of such transmission low:

• Only cats who ingest tissue cysts get infected. This wouldbe limited to outdoor cats who hunt and eat rodents, as well ascats who are fed raw meat by their owners.

• Typically a cat only excretes oocystis when she is first ex-posed to the parasite, Toxoplasmosis gondii (or T. gondii), and thisgoes on for only two weeks. An outdoor hunting cat is often ex-posed to the disease as a kitten and is, therefore, less likely totransmit the infection as she ages.

• Because oocysts only become infective after one to fivedays, exposure to the disease is unlikely as long as you clean thecat's litter box daily.

• Since oocysts are transmitted by ingestion, in order to


Studies indicate that petscan help children benefitfrom increased self-esteemand self-confidence, andaid in the development of compassion and empathy

C O V E R S T O R Y

ing her. Familiarity is everything.• Play the cat a recording of a crying baby. You can easily find

one on the internet. Start with a low volume and a short dura-tion and work up to more realistic levels. Again, use treats andpraise to get that positive association.

• Have baby-toting friends and family visit for short, thenlonger periods. Let Noodles walk around and get used to it all.

• Cats love routine remember, so do not change your cat’seating, eliminating and playing times and places. Predictability re-duces stress—on your part and on the cat’s.

The NurseryWhile preparing the nursery, have the painting, carpeting and fur-niture-moving done in easy stages (but the whole thing donefairly quickly) for less disturbance. This will help Noodles getused to the differences in the house. Set up the crib long in ad-vance of baby's homecoming. Get the cat involved; let her comein and see each change you make and see and smell all the babytoys but don't let her claim anything as hers. If she drags off atoy, get it back gently and hide it in a drawer. Get a few new cattoys too, ones that do not look like baby toys. It is understand-able the cat may think she can play with the baby's toys but pro-viding her with an attractive alternative will help greatly.

If the cat is hesitant to enter the room, use a treat to lureher in and let her know she is welcome in the nursery when youare there. Let her get her curiosity out while keeping up yourdaily play sessions. Your pet cat is a part of all this, not an out-sider.

In the meantime you are not establishing an off-limits zone tothe cat, so it is not especially tempting to her after the initialnovelty has worn off. Before bringing baby home, let Noodlesalso get familiar with the crib, the rattles and hanging toys and


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Studies have shown thatchildren who grow up withcats can have a reducedrisk of allergic sensitizationto that specific animal later in life

contract toxoplasmosis a woman would have to make contactwith contaminated feces in the litter box and then, withoutwashing her hands, touch her mouth or otherwise transmit thecontaminated fecal matter to her digestive system. (Humane So-ciety of the United States, n.d.).

In other words, keep scooping, sistahs.Another myth—and this is one I keep seeing on websites

supposedly responsible for good cat care: keep the cat away fromthe crib. I do not believe anyone truly thinks a cat can suck thebreath from a baby. However, sometimes people are convinced acat can suffocate a baby by lying across his or her mouth. In my28 years’ experience—and in the experience of every behavioristand veterinarian I have ever spoken with about this—it has nothappened. Cats do not dislike babies but often seem to sensevulnerability and are instinctively gentle with them. From thechild’s perspective, caring for a pet means learning about respon-sibility. It means learning empathy and compassion. The child alsohas a companion, someone non-human to love. It is a win-win.

And no, declawing is not necessary. All pet owners need todo is make sure they take their cat to the veterinarian for regu-lar health checks, and keep her up-to-date on any flea or de-worming treatments if necessary. It goes without saying that thecat should be spayed or neutered.

Coming HomeThe preparation for bringing the baby home to your resident catbegins before the bundle leaves the hospital and, as a matter offact, before he or she is even born. The keys to getting your petcat to accept a jolt to her routine with open paws are, first,soften the blow and second, make the changes gradual ones. Re-member, she was your first “baby.”

Here are some useful steps:• Get the cat used to baby smells and sounds. Long before

the big day, wear the baby lotions and powders, and use the babybody/baby room cleaners and wipes. Let the cat sniff and getpositive associations with those new smells by praising and treat-

C O V E R S T O R Y

such. These things will all lose their novelty for her weeks beforethe baby arrives. After some sniffing and initial investigation, shewill most likely decide it is not that interesting. Be aware that catscan leave the box with litter on their feet, fur or in between theirtoes. Babies put everything in their mouths, so keep litter away.

There is no need to punish a cat, ever. A cat can lick the babysafely, and there is no reason why she cannot be in the sameroom. Some cats love to sleep in the baby’s crib or bassinet.Rather than banish her, consider buying a crib net or bassinetcover. Shooing the cat from this newly found nest may not workwhen you are not there to shoo so prevention is the key at leastuntil the cat gets the message.

Personally I do not see the need to make the crib and chang-ing table uninviting to a cat. The cat will most likely lose interestregardless. If you really feel the need to do something, you mightconsider laying a lemon-scented cloth in there. A screen door ortall removable gate might also be used if you really must. This stillallows your cat see and hear what is going on so she will feel lessisolated from the fun and will be more comfortable with thesounds made by baby.

In the HospitalWhile at the hospital, have a family member bring home some-thing soft with baby's (and your) scent, so your cat can get usedto it before baby comes home. Praise and treat her when shesniffs it and lay the baby-scented things in a place she frequents.Ensure too that the cat is being properly cared for by someoneyou trust while you are away. Noodles has to feel loved and com-fortable in the whole home.

Back HomeYour view: “I can’t wait for them to meet. I love them both. Canwe all be part of the same happy family? How do I keep my childsafe? And my cat happy?”

The cat’s view: “Oh. No. This is new. I hate new. This is change.I hate change. What is this? Oh my goodness it’s loud and it takesall her attention away! What about me??”

Noodles may demand your attention of course. Have some-one take the baby into another room while you give your cat aloving welcome. She has (probably) missed you so pay attentionto her. Keep treats handy then encourage her to sit with younear the baby. Reward good behavior. Remember, you want thecat to associate good things with the baby.

Ideally, since someone trusted has fed and played with yourcat just before baby's arrival home, she will be relaxed. When in-troducing the baby to Noodles, don't hold or restrain the cat. In-stead let her explore the baby at her own pace. Don’t be tenseas she will pick up on that, and there is no need to be tense inany case. Gently let the cat know baby is not a threat. If eitherone is upset, take a break and try again later. Talk with your catwhile you are holding the baby.

There is a good chance Noodles will show mild curiosity andthen wander off. If there is any sign of hissing, growling, swatting,or any other avoidance- or aggressive-type behavior, stop, pick upthe baby and quietly walk away. Stop the good attention she getsfrom you and then resume when she calms down. Good behav-ior means good attention, which means no stress. Animals do notbehave “badly” intentionally. We have a tendency to projecthuman feelings onto our animals but there is some evidence that


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Being involved in thecare of the family

cat can help childrento bond with her;

children are knownto talk to and

confide in their pets

C O V E R S T O R Y


suggests dogs may feel jeal-ousy (Harris and Prouvost,2014) and many cat ownerswill attest to the same in theircats. Our goal is to attend tothat with love, attention andremoving any threat.

If the cat is gently lickingthe baby’s face this is fine (aslong as it does not upset thebaby of course). Cats learn bysmell and taste. Be relaxedand act happy when cat isnear the baby. If you act anx-ious or fearful, your cat mayassume the role of protectingyou against this thing who iscausing you this concern.Know that it is extremely rarefor a well-loved cat to sud-denly strike out at a baby. If the cat is bonded to the newmother, then another family member should also be able to de-velop a closer relationship with her.

Guests and SafetyNot only do you have that tiny newcomer, you may have lots ofvisitors too. This, no surprise, can mean stress for your cat so re-spect his feelings and have that quiet room to which he can es-cape and calm down. You could even plug in a Feliway diffuser

(contains scentless synthetic catpheromones which can have acalming effect) to help reduce herstress. A room like this also meansthe cat will not zoom out thefront door (in case someoneleaves it open in all the commo-tion).

Of course, you are concernedwith keeping everyone safe—yourbaby, the cat, everybody. That justmeans a bit of thinking ahead.When the now-mobile baby iswheeled around in a toddler’schair, Noodles will have to learnthe art of self-defense. That usuallymeans finding an inaccessible place(for children) to relax on or es-cape to. These may be closets, orunder the bed or sofa - you might

have learned the hideaways by now. Cats need safe spots. Theyalso need a large, tall scratching post which children cannotclimb. Perhaps a couple of gated areas across one quiet roominto which cats can hop over but children cannot would be agood option. That area might also serve as another place for a lit-ter box - the cat might need another one so he will not feel hisprivacy has been disturbed, even unwittingly.

Remember that, as the baby/toddler grows, wee hands yank,poke, grab, squeeze and knock a cat unintentionally. Babies and

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23

Pets can play many different roles for children, including:• They can be safe recipients of secrets and privatethoughts-children often talk to their pets, like they do theirstuffed animals.• They provide lessons about life; reproduction, birth,illnesses, accidents, death, and bereavement.• They can help develop responsible behavior in thechildren who care for them.• They provide a connection to nature.• They can teach respect for other living things.Other physical and emotional needs fulfilled by pet owner-ship include:• Physical activity.• Comfort contact.• Love, loyalty, and affection.• Experience with loss if a pet is lost or dies.

Source: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Pets and Children

Cat owners canprepare their petfeline for a newbaby’s arrivalmany months inadvance


C O V E R S T O R Y

24

References American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. (n.d.).Prevention of Allergies and Asthma in Children. Retrieved May9, 2016, from www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/at-a-glance/prevention-of-allergies-and-asthma-in-childrenAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2013).Pets and Children. Retrieved May 9, 2016 from,www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Pets-And-Children-075.aspxCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Toxoplas-mosis Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved May 9, 2016,from www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/gen_info/faqs.htmlHarris, C., & Prouvost, C. (2014, July). Jealousy in Dogs. PLOSOne. doi: www.dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0094597Hartwell, S. (2009). Cat Communication - Body Language. Re-trieved May 9, 2016, from www.messybeast.com/cat_talk2.htmHumane Society of the United States. (n.d.). Pregnancy and Tox-oplasmosis. Retrieved May 9, 2016, from www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/toxoplasmosis.htmlWegienka, G., Johnson, C. C., Havstad, S., Ownby, D. R.,Nicholas, C., & Zoratti, E. M. (2011). Lifetime dog and cat expo-sure and dog- and cat-specific sensitization at age 18 years. Clin-ical & Experimental Allergy (41) 979–986. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2011.03747.x

Jane Ehrlich is an accredited feline behaviorist with over 27years experience. She spent 18 years volunteering with theRSPCA in both clinical and behavior work and has her ownconsulting business Cattitude Feline Behavior, www.cattitude-behavior.com, in Phoenix, Arizona, although her clients are lo-cated worldwide.toddlers do not understand that cats, even with their claws and

teeth, are fragile. If Noodles is afraid that the now toddler willwhack or bother her, she will avoid him and be defensive. Ratherthan this, you want the two of them to be respectful to eachother and be good friends. This means no teasing and no roughplay. Teach the child as early as possible to handle Noodles gentlyand correctly: Cats do not generally like being picked up, andshould always be approached from the front, never from the rear– especially the tail. Absolutely do not tie toys onto the cat’s tail,push the cat into the stroller, dress him up, or try to make himdrink from the sippy cup, and so on. Show the toddler that this isall stressful and/or hurts. Also, teach your child not to shriek—that puts everyone off, especially cats with their very sensitivehearing. The more a child know about a cat’s body language thebetter. The sooner the child helps with the feeding of and caringfor the cat the better, and the more they will be able to bond.

It is possible, but it does not by any means have to be proba-ble, that the cat may get stressed at some point during thisprocess. We know that elimination habits can be the first to go…If so, be watchful about litter box use. Cats urinating on babyitems or their piles of clothes means an immediate chat withyour vet about anxiety—and, especially, some sleuthing aboutmaking relationships between the cat and all of the resident hu-mans as fruitful as possible. Changes in the home (and evenchanges in a cat’s schedule) can create problems with a cat’semotional state. Feliway, perhaps, can be used plus much lovingattention and play are two of the best stress-busters there are!

Patience, PatienceIt is important to always bear in mind that your cat may needtime to adjust to this new situation. A new human may be trau-matic for her. If you have done your preparatory work, then shehas heard baby sounds and smelled baby smells before, but nowthere is an actual baby and there are changes, different activitiesand, possibly, diverted attention too. Owners must make sure thecat does not feel pushed aside. Also, despite all the chaos, do notforget those daily sessions of one-on-one quality time and thatcrucial routine, whether it is snuggling, grooming, playing or talk-ing to your cat. They all work wonders and can help relax youtoo.

Baby, then infant, then toddler, then child can all get hugepleasure from their pet cats. According to the American Academyof Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children raised with pets andwho have positive feelings about them show a host of benefits(see box on previous page). These include increasing self-esteemand self-confidence, developing trusting relationships with others,and assisting with the development of non-verbal communica-tion, compassion, and empathy.

In the process of all this your child has become a firm animallover, a wonderful quality to have! Could you be a better parentto either? n

Children must betaught to treat animalswith respect, includinggentle handling ©

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Scratch Here, Not TherePatience Fisher explains how simple it is to train a cat to use scratching posts and pads

rather than the furniture

Cats are almost as easy to train to use a scratching post asthey are to use a litter box. The biggest obstacle to theirtraining is not providing adequate posts and pads from

the moment they arrive in their new home. A new cat ownerwould not dream of not supplying a litter box, but many do notpurchase a tall, sturdy post before bringing their cat or kittenhome. Just as feces and urine leave scent messages behind, sodoes scratching. The pads of a cat’s feet contain scent glands, andthe deposition of this scent is self-soothing. It also encouragesfurther scratching in that same spot. So the first step to trainingyour cat to use a scratching post is to buy one!

Cats need to scratch for physical, mental, and social reasons.Scratching enables cats to shed the outer sheath of their claws,to maintain claw health. Sinking the claws in and stretching is alsobeneficial for the cat’s muscles. Scratching is a natural way for acat to maintain mental health, especially during stressful timesand is a way for a cat to help herself relax. As already mentioned,a cat’s paws have scent glands so when a catscratches she leaves her mark and herscent. This reassures her that this is her ter-ritory. Scratching is also a cat’s way ofshowing others - and reassuring herself -that she is part of the family. As such, it is atype of communication. For all of these rea-sons, indoor cats must be provided with ap-propriate places to scratch.

The stretching that accompanies thescratching, as well as the scent depositionand actual scratching are all needed for thecat’s mental and physical well-being. Eachcat in the household needs to have a tall,sturdy post made of material the cat cansink her claws into and give a good tug. A 3-foot tall sisal-wound post with a weightedbottom that keeps the post steady whenthe cat scratches and tugs is perfect. (Avoidposts made of carpet—you don’t want toget the cat into the habit of scratching car-pet.)

Scratching is done in core areas of acat’s territory, so placement is also impor-tant. A scratching post should be in the room where the familyspends a lot of time. Cats scratch objects when they are excited,so a post somewhat in the vicinity of the doorway where familymembers enter the house is also important. Cats often scratchafter a nap, so provide one near good napping spots. Horizontalor inclined pads are handy for places where a post won’t fit.These pads can be of sisal or cardboard.

Scratching is an integral part of thefeline behavioralrepertoire and owners are well-advised to provideattractive scratchingposts in appealinglocations so theirpets will not resort to using the furniture

© Can Stock Photo Inc./ysbrandcosijn

Ideally, you should have a post or padin every room the cat will use. If you havea large family room and multiple cats, havea post on each end of the room, or a poston one end and a pad on the other.

Often, just providing the proper postsand pads and placing them correctly isenough to convince the cat to scratchwhere you would like. But why take anychances?

When you first bring your cat home,confine her to a room with her litter boxand her tall, sturdy scratching post. If sheis not afraid of you, play with her near thepost, to encourage her to scratch it. Awand toy is ideal for this; you can evenmake the wand touch the post, so the catgets the feel of it while she is playing.Praise her and give her a treat when she

does so. If she is shy, give her time to get used to you by spend-ing quiet time in her room, ignoring her. Let her observe you, seeyou are safe, and approach you. Be cool when she does so—toomuch enthusiasm is scary to a cat.

After the cat has used the scratching post, it has her scent onit. If there are no other pets in the house and she trusts you,open the door and let her explore. (If there are other pets,

© Can Stock Photo Inc./Marcogovel

Stretchingis essentialfor a cat’s

physicalwell-being

proper in-troductionsare a must(see SlowlyDoes It,BARKS fromthe Guild,September2015). En-courage herto use theother postsand pads bywaving thewand toy onand nearthem. If sheis over ayear old, youcan alsosprinkle cat-nip on theposts or

pads, which may encourage their use. (Kittens have not yet devel-oped the catnip reaction.)

Do not take hold of her feet and rub them on the post! Thisis counterproductive. However, you may scratch the post your-self, since the scratching sound can elicit scratching.

Watch your cat during her first time exploring the house.Sofas and upholstered chairs can look like fine scratching spotsto a cat, especially if she had used them this way in her previoushome. If the cat has been conditioned to the use of sisal andcardboard, and there are many of these posts and pads available,your furniture is likely to go unnoticed. If the cat does get intothe scratching position on your furniture, entice her away and tothe scratching post using a wand toy or a treat. If you do nothave a scratching post located near the furniture the cat was at-tracted to, you need to put one there!

Praise her and give her a treat when she uses the post. Donot ever scold, much less yell or hit the cat for scratching thefurniture. Excitement, whether born of play or fear, may lead toobject scratching.

If the cat seems focused on using the furniture and she isnew to your home, you can keep her in one room with all of hersupplies (litter box, scratching post, bed, toys) when you do nothave time to supervise her. Do not do this to a cat who has livedin the house for a time and considers your entire house her ter-ritory; it will be too stressful, and when she finally gets out ofconfinement she might alleviate her stress by scratching andmarking her territory. In these cases, you must temporarily coveryour furniture. Use double-sided tape if she is just scratching thecorners; use a thin plastic shower curtain if she is scratchingother parts. Offer proper scratching surfaces right next to thefurniture she is scratching.

After eliminating the furniture as a choice, she will becomehabituated to using the posts and pads and they will acquire her

F E L I N E


Patience Fisher BS DipFBST CVA BSBIO is a certified vet-erinary assistant and owner of Patience, www.patiencefor-cats.com, a feline behavior consulting service located inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She volunteered at shelters for fouryears, helping with cat adoptions and specializing in fosteringcats with behavioral problems, and is also an academic free-lance editor.

ReferencesFisher, P. (2015, September). Slowly Does It. BARKS from theGuild (14) 44-46. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from www.issuu.com /petprofessionalguild/docs/bftg_september_2015_online_version/44

#PPGSummit

scent. Both of these will lead to her wanting to use them as herexclusive scratching spots. You can now uncover the furniturewhen you are watching. After many successful times, you may un-cover it for good. Remember to praise the cat whenever sheuses the pads and posts.

As you can see, if you provide the proper posts and padsfrom the start, and place them correctly, you may not have to doany training at all. A tall, sisal-wound post can be purchased on-line for under $100. Sisal or cardboard inclined planes or padsare less than $50. Just as the litter box can be the most appealingspot to eliminate, you can make the posts and pads the most ap-pealing spots to scratch.

Finally, when it is time to replace old, worn-out posts or pads,put the new one right next to the old one. Leave both of themthere until the cat has been using the new one for several days. n

Scratching helps catsmaintain claw health,

relieve stress, mark territory and spread

their scent

© C

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27

A Well-Behaved DogBarbara Wright asks – and endeavors to answer - the question: ‘Who cares about

obedience? All I want is a well-behaved dog!’

Said the client: "Bonnie is getting us to point where we aren’tsure we can live with her any more. It is hard to believe that only18 months ago we adopted this little bundle of joy with visions of

a long life together, full of love and fun. Now we find ourselves consid-ering that life without her would just be easier. It isn't that we haven’ttaken time and effort to train her. We knew we had to put a lot oftime in early on to train a dog that would be a great family pet. We at-tended the puppy class the vet had recommended. When we finishedthat we joined the local obedience club. To be frank, the problem is nother obedience. She generally will follow our instructions and do thingswe ask her. We are surprised, in fact, by how many cues she knows.Throughout the classes we taught her tricks we’d never even thoughtof.

“So, you might ask, why are we finding it so hard to live with her?It’s the things she does when we aren't interacting with her. It is thethings she chooses to do. The easiest way to explain it is: she is just notwell-behaved. Let me give you some examples: every time someonemoves in the room she gets unsettled and comes to be in the middleof the action. She steals things from counters and tables when we arenot watching. She barks if she hears things at night and barks to getattention from us. We know that we shouldn’t react so that we don’tmistakenly reinforce, but how can we ignore her getting on the counteror, even worse, the barking? We have already had a neighbor com-plain.”

The other issue is that she absolutely loses it when we can’t allowsomething she wants. Due to the counter surfing, we tried to place herin her crate or tether her to prevent behaviors we don’t like when we

are not watching. Well, our dog, who usually enjoyswandering into the crate and resting there, would howl

and bark as if she was being tortured. “If she sees another dog while on a leash,

we will, if we were lucky to notice the dog be-fore she does, be able to ask her to heel

and then reinforce with high value treats.But if we get too close without spottingthe dog before she does, she barks

and lunges. She looks so aggressive,even though all she wants to re-ally do is play. No food is good

enough to get her to fo-cused back on us.

“Oh, and then lately,she has started to notcome back at the endof our off-leash walks.We call her while we

are at the park and wegive her a reward and play

with her when she does, like we were told in puppy class, but sheknows when we are heading back to the car and it is like someonehas flicked a switch, she will not come and play chase with us. We nowhave to trick her and ask other people to fetch her, otherwise we willnever get home.

“The problem really is the way she deals with life and making herown decisions. It is a personality problem!"

As I was listening to my clients’ tales about Bonnie, I couldn’thelp but remember so many other calls like this one. Well-mean-ing people, who had gone the extra mile to train and look aftertheir pet, but who somehow had still ended up with a problem.

Over the 12 years that I have helped family dog owners, thedebate about a well-behaved dog vs. an obedient dog has grownin significance. As I have questioned many of my clients aboutwhat they want to achieve, I have come to see a correlation thatthe average pet owner believes that most, if not all, the followingcharacteristics make a REALLY good pet dog. Going forward inthis article, the term well-behaved dog will mean a dog thatmeets these three characteristics:

sThe dog does not choose to do unwanted behaviors whennot interacted with.

sThe dog does not ‘throw a tantrum’ when he cannot dowhatever he wants.

sThe dog comes when called, even at the end of the play.When the average pet owner gets a family dog, they generally

want to achieve the above three criteria without:s Studying for a master’s in applied animal behavior. s Getting contradictory advice from everywhere. s Dedicating every minute of the day to training the dog.

Well-meaningowners often goto great lengths

to train and socialize their

new puppy, yetmay still end upwith a behavior

problem

© Can Stock Photo/sommail

The average petowner does not want

to study for a master’sin applied animal

behavior; they just want a “well-

behaved” dog

© Can Stock Pho

to/adogslifepho

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Quite simple reallythen! Pet owners are look-ing for a well-behaved dog,not a genius in followingcues or a trick star. Nobodyever mentioned to me thatthey were desperate fortheir dog to know how toeven sit or lie down. Let’sface it, if you have a dogthat is well-behaved, mean-ing he makes the rightchoices in everyday life onhis own, obedience is reallynot that important.

When I first startednoticing this discrepancywith my clients, I looked upthe meaning of the twowords:

Well-behaved = behaving in a polite or correct way.Obedient = willing to do what someone tells you to do or to

follow a law, rule, etc., submissive to the restraint or command ofauthority: willing to obey.

There is a big misconception amongst some pet dog ownersthat canine obedience training will create a well-behaved dog. Inorder to help these owners with their dogs it is important, as atrainer, to understand and focus on their goal. In order toachieve this, the focus needs to be on:

s Developing strong frustration control and tolerance.sTeaching the dog to be able to disengage and relax. s Creating strong stimulus control in real world scenarios.There has been lots of talk within the professional dog world

about trainers and behavior consultants overshooting client ex-pectations. The challenge is how to ensure we meet our clients’goals with their dogs and not project our own goals. I think it isextremely important to improve our communication to ourclients. However, in many cases, there is this belief that trainingthe dog behaviors we trainers want to teach is harder than help-ing the owners get what they want. I cringe at this as I know, asan experienced trainer, that improving behaviors and cues as wellas improving communication with the dog is not particularly diffi-cult, when comparing to the complex personality skills thatseems to be the ideal, well-behaved pet.

While researching “the ultimate, well-behaved dog” I analyzedsuccessful case studies of dogs within both my peers and clients.I was looking for dogs that fit the above bill and would be con-sidered well-behaved pet dogs. Needless to say, it was not sur-prising that more of my peers’ dogs fit this bill than clients,’ but Ialso noticed that some of my very “training obsessed” trainingpeers did in fact not have “well-behaved dogs” at all. Some ofthese dogs, while extremely successful at being obedient andlearning behaviors, still consistently made poor choices when leftto their own devices. I conclude that well-behaved has more todo with the education and parenting the dog receives than withthe training experience of the owner.

No book has a defi-nition of what a well-be-haved dog is, and theexpectation of how adream dog should be-have will vary from fam-ily to family. However,from the informationcollected over the yearsfrom my clients, the re-quirements as outlinedabove seem to be com-mon ground. The follow-ing is a list of factorsthat, in my experience,can contribute to train-ing a well-behaved dogsuccessfully:

s Genetics - makingan educated choice

about which dog/puppy to get should be done in consultationwith independent behavior consultant if possible.

s Interactions with mom and sibling puppies, especially withmom enforcing rules.

s Ideally large litters - you learn to deal with frustration iffrom day one you do not always eat first or get as much as youwant.

s Living room rearing – the more young puppies can spendtime within a family set up (highly managed), the calmer andmore relaxed the dog is likely to be.

s Natural weaning process. sTight consistent rules that are followed from the get go, in-

cluding responsible crate training, alone training, and “four on thefloor.”

sA holistic parenting approach to living with the dog (pre-vent unwanted behavior by reinforcing what you like and ignor-ing what you do not).

s Living room living – puppies spending time around humansbut not necessarily being interacted with, in fact often being ig-nored.

sWork on extensive stimulus control exercises and apply inas many real world situations as possible.

s Develop a strong positive association with returning to theowner.

sA safe, preventative physical set up, including restriction (re-sponsible crate training).

sAn extensive socialization program.s Socialization experiences are kept calm without letting the

puppy be the center of attention.s Repetition and positive reinforcement of wanted behaviors,

especially when behavior occurs unprompted. sTeaching a disengagement cue, e.g. “enough.” s Extensive management (leash, tethers, crates, gates etc.) to

prevent and avoid the dog learning unwanted behavior, while stillexposing him to a variety of situations. These “boundaries” alsointroduce and, used responsibly, can improve frustration control.

Pet professionals musttry to ensure they meet

their clients’ goals fortheir dogs rather than

project their own © C

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ResourcesAbramson, J. (2012). The Puppy Diaries: Living with a dognamed Scout. London, UK: Two RoadsCoren, S. (2010). Born to Bark: My Adventures with an Irre-pressible and Unforgettable Dog. New York, NY: Free PressDonaldson, J. (1996). The Culture Clash. Berkeley, CA: James &Kenneth Dunbar, I. (2003). Dr. Dunbar's Good Little Dog Book. Berke-ley, CA: James & KennethDunbar, I., & Ramos, B. P. (2006). Un Cachorro en Casa: ¡NoHay Tiempo que Perder!: Etapas Cri ́ticas en el Desarrollo yAprendizaje. Santiago de Compostela, Spain: KNSKoontz, D. R. (2009). A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog.New York, NY: HyperionMcConnell, P. B. (2002). The Other End of the Leash: Why WeDo What We Do around Dogs. New York, NY: BallantineBooksMiller, P. (2001). The Power of Positive Dog Training. New York,NY: Howell Book HouseNovak, M. M. (2012). Die mit dem Hund Tanzt. Munich, Ger-many: Wilhelm Goldmann VerlagWarren, C. (2015). What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, andthe Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World. New York, NY:Touchstone Zulch, H., & Mills, D. S. (2012). Life Skills for Puppies: Laying theFoundation for a Loving, Lasting Relationship. Dorchester, UK:Hubble & Hattie

s Prevent predictable routines and condition disappointmentto become a cause for good things and to further enhance so-cialization to unpredictable events.

s Dedicated client commitment and compliance to followtheir trainer’s advice.

Dogs are being euthanized in alarming numbers around theworld often because they are simply not well-behaved, ratherthan not obedient! The argument so-called traditional trainersoften bring forward about a positive approach is that positivelytrained dogs often lack the ability follow rules, deal with bound-aries and behave in a way that is acceptable in most commonfamily homes. As positive trainers, we can prove instead that pain-and force-free does not mean out of control or badly behaved. n

Barbara Wright is an honors graduate of the Academy forDog Trainers at the San Francisco SPCA with Jean Donald-son who recently moved from Sydney, Australia to Singaporeand has joined PPG Singapore’s steering committee. She hascompleted the Certificate of Excellence – Living and Learn-ing with Animals with psychology professor Susan Friedman,and the Life Skills for Puppies course at Lincoln University,England in 2014. In 2005 she founded Positive Puppies in Syd-ney, directed the company until 2015 and for whom she nowis a consultant. In Singapore, Wright has recently joined thevolunteer team of Animal Concerns Research & EducationSociety, www.acres.org.sg, and has started to contribute tolocal blogs and magazines in her venture to educate theSoutheast Asian region about force-free training.

Redstone Media Group, in partnership with thePet Professional Guild (PPG) is delighted to announce that all PPG members are now

eligible for 50% OFF ($12 for six issues) a one-year subscription to Animal Wellness

or Equine Wellnessmagazines.

“We all want our dogs to enjoy a long healthylife,” says Animal Wellness Publisher Tim Hock-ley, and Animal Wellnessmagazine is the #1publication devoted to this cause. Learn aboutthe vital four pillars to wellness, discover thesecrets to longevity, revitalize your bond and

learn from the world’s leading natural health experts.

Your subscription code can be picked up in themember area of the PPG website,

www.PetProfessionalGuild.com/benefitinformation. Please be sure to log in first.

For people who are serious about their dogs!

29

The Unfamiliar Becomes the Familiar

Isee more and more dogs in mypractice these days that are reac-tive when they are walked on a

leash. Some of these dogs are fine inday care or dog parks, others not somuch. Either way, the restraint of theleash can cause them to put on an ag-gressive display. I have a two-part ap-proach to help my clients handle andovercome this problem.

The first part is management. Weneed to prevent the dog from re-hearsing his inappropriate behavior.Every time he reacts, cortisol is re-leased in his body and it can take sev-eral weeks for this cortisol todisperse. If the dog keeps practicinghis unwanted behavior, cortisol con-tinues to be released and the dog can-not return to normal. Instead, thearousal rate stays high and is likely to continue. To allow the dogto return to normal, the process might initially mean the ownershave to stop walking in their neighborhood, cover the windowsor start a crating program to reduce or remove unwanted be-havior.

Included in management is effective, humane equipment. Mytool of choice is a front attachment harness. I find these devicesprovide more control and are readily accepted by most dogs.This increases the likelihood of owner compliance. If the dog'sbehavior might cause the owner to lose control of the dog (or

fall over) and the front attachment harness does not provideenough control, I suggest a head collar. I also recommend a 4-foot or 6-foot leash that feels comfortable in the owner's hand.In my experience, once the owner's anxiety about being able tocontrol the dog is relieved they find it easier to follow a behaviormodification program.

Once we have the proper tools, I then give clients relaxationexercises to practice daily. These are introduced indoors in anarea where the dog is comfortable. Once the dog can relax on amat, the team can move to more exciting areas in the home. Asthe dog becomes more proficient at relaxing, new locations willbecome easier. The goal is to achieve a positive conditioned emo-tional response to the mat. The dog will feel calm just by lyingdown on it.

Much of this information can be given to clients before thefirst meeting. I have some videos as well as informational web-sites detailing counterconditioning and desensitization and I pro-vide my clients details of these in advance. This allows me toreview the fit of the equipment, and check the details and com-prehension of the relaxation exercises at our first meeting. Whiledog trainers and behavior consultants understand that behaviormodification takes time, clients are not always very patient. Anexchange of expectations and information ahead of time helpsget to the main body of the program.

I prefer to do the first several meetings at a neutral location.In the dog’s home environment there is usually a component oflearned reactive behavior. By selecting a neutral location I canavoid this as well as the other distractions that may be inherent


C A N I N E

Author Cecelia Sumner withRio, one of her assistants inDS/CC programs for leash-reactive dogs

Cecelia Sumner explains how she educates her clients on handling the issue of

leash reactive dogs

30

© Can Stock Photo/mariaity

Being restrained by a leashcan cause dogs to behave

differently to when theyare off-leash

C A N I N E

in the client's home. Cell phones are turned off and interruptionsare minimized to help both the dog and the handler stay focused.Additionally, I choose locations where I can control the environ-ment. This allows me to avoid any nosy neighbors and suddenchanges in the environment that can inhibit our first crucial ses-sions.

The second part of the program involves the actual processof desensitization and counterconditioning. This is where the artof dog training comes to the forefront. It can take some trial anderror to find out how to best expose the client’s dog to thestimulus. I know some trainers use an imitation dog for the firstsession. I have been fortunate enough to have neutral dogs avail-able for this and prefer to use them. Both are good options. Thisis just my personal choice and convenience of availability.

I generally start with my client's dog resting on his mat. I startby exposing him at a distance to the decoy dog. I like to start 50or 60 yards away. The client, with help from me or an assistant,rewards several times and then the decoy disappears. After 30seconds or so, the decoy reappears. If the reactive dog stayscalm, the decoy comes a step closer. Again, the owner rewardsseveral times and the decoy disappears. This process is repeatedwith the distance slowly closing. Depending on the reactivitylevel of the dog, it may take multiple sessions to close the dis-tance to 10 or so feet.

Some reactive dogs progress more easily if they move backand forth while the neutral dog lies on a mat. The process is thesame, move forward and retreat, always being careful to keep the

Cecelia Sumner CBCC-KA CPDT-KSA PCT-A is animalbehavior manager at the Humane Society of Vero Beach,www.hsvb.org, and Indian River County. She also owns BestBehavior Dog Training, www.bestbehaviordogtraining.org, inVero Beach, Florida and is dedicated to fostering understand-ing and communication between dogs and their people.

reactive dog under threshold. Again, this can take several ses-sions. There is no timeline for behavior modification. All the par-ties involved have to be patient and move at the speed dictatedby the reactive dogs and the skill of the trainer and handler. Thisis a classic case of taking it slowly leading to faster results.

Once the dogs can be calm at a distance of about 10 feet I in-troduce parallel walking, still using desensitization and counter-conditioning to keep the reactive dog under threshold. If all isgoing smoothly, the dogs are allowed to drift closer. If they be-come aroused or simply too interested, we drift apart. Thisavoids face-to-face meetings and gives the dogs an opportunityto become comfortable without a large amount of social pres-sure. Again, each step of the process must be taken slowly and ata speed and intensity whereby the learner can succeed.

What I have found is once the reactive dog is comfortablewith one dog, I can pair the familiar with the unfamiliar. The firstfriend thus helps smooth the way to the second friend or evento a more stressful environment. Slowly, as the reactive dog be-comes more comfortable, I use the first neutral dog to create abridge to more dogs and more locations. n

The Language of Deference

Submissive urination primarily occurs upon approaching thedog but can happen in a variety of other situations. Such behav-ior is often the bane of the pet owner’s existence. The constantclean up, embarrassment, and inconvenience can wear on thenerves of even the most loyal dog owner. Dog owners are per-plexed when their well-mannered, well-trained dog cannot con-trol herself. Fortunately for some owners, puppies can oftenoutgrow this behavior on their own (Landsberg, Hunthausen, andAckerman, 2008).

What about DAP?There have been some studies on the matter which may be ofsignificance as we consider the subject. One such study was doneby Denenberg and Landsberg (2008). This study considered theeffects of dog appeasing pheromones (DAP) on the puppy ex-pressing submissive urination behaviors. Denenberg and Lands-berg (2008) stated that “[t]he purpose of the study reportedhere was to evaluate the effectiveness of the current, commer-cially available DAP collar in reducing fear and anxiety in puppiesand its effects on socialization and training.” While this study in-dicated that such pheromones do have a positive effect on thetraining of the puppy, specifically with regard to submissive urina-tion, it should be noted that training was considered integral inthe treatment. While one may choose to supplement their dog’straining with DAP collars, the bottom line is that the dog will stillneed behavioral techniques employed in order to succeed.

What to Do:1. Identify: It is important to identify the circumstances, situa-tions, and stimuli that trigger this behavior in the pet. Does itonly happen with certain individuals? Does the dog submissivelyurinate when approached with a hand out? Does it happenwhenever she is looked in the eye or spoken to?

2. Stop what you are doing!: Landsberg, Hunthausen, andAckerman (2008) put it this way: “…the owner must do what-ever is necessary to discontinue those movements and interac-tions…” in order to eliminate the stimuli that is triggering thebehavior. Thus, if the behavior occurs whenever the dog is ap-

proached by a human,do not approach thedog but rather let thedog approach you. Itshould be noted that amore benign greeting of

a dog involves such actions ascrouching down into a kneeling

or squatting position, avoiding di-

C A N I N E

Carolyn Kocman discusses submissive urination in dogs, what it is and what pet owners

can do about it

Submissive urination has been definedby Overall as an animal “exhibitingspecies-specific postures associated

with deferential behavior”


32

Let me start out with something of a disclaimer. Submissiveurination, in this author’s opinion, is a bit of a misnomer. AsI see it, the canine social system is actually based more on

deference than on the concept of dominance and submission. Infact, it can be noted in more recent studies on wolf packs thatthe hierarchy in the pack is actually fluid, meaning it changes fromsituation to situation. The dominance theory that was oncethought to be the case implied a more coerced form of submis-sion. However, it is most natural for dogs to follow a fluid hierar-chy where submission is not forced, but is expressed indeference to a context or situation. As such, this author wouldprefer to call this behavior deference urination, as it seems amore appropriate term.

What Is Submissive Urination?Having said all that, we often still hear the term “submissive uri-nation” batted around, but what does it refer to? Submissive uri-nation is defined by Overall (1997) as “urination that occurs inan otherwise housebroken animal only when the animal is ex-hibiting species-specific postures associated with deferential be-havior.” In other words, the dog urinates when she is expressingher deference to an individual who exceeds her position in thesocial hierarchy.Submissive urination is most commonly seen in young pup-

pies and smaller female dogs (Landsberg, Hunthausen, and Acker-man, 2008), but it is also seen in dogs that have been kenneled,have lived in abusive environments, or have been subjected to re-peated and inappropriate correction for their behaviors. Such sit-uations can cause the dog to assume a submissive position whenapproached and result in urination.Deferential body language in a dog comes in a variety of forms:

sitting or lowering the back end, head hanging, rolling over to ex-pose the underside, tucking the tail between the legs, flatteningof the ears, horizontal lip retraction, avoidance of eye contact,and more. Often, such postures come complete with urinationand/or salivation (Overall, 1997). This posturing is actually normalfor a dog that perceives herself to be in a situation where defer-ence to the higher hierarchical rank is to be expressed. The per-ception on the part of the animal is often triggered by theapproach of the human and/or reaching behavior on the part ofthe human.


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rect eye contact, and using a soft voice when speaking to the pet.If reaching out to pet the dog, a human should not reach overthe dog from atop the head or body but reach instead to thechest and upper front limb area when it is safe to do so. Thesemethods should elicit a higher threshold for interaction.

3. Reinforce the good: Clicker training and other positive rein-forcement methods are always preferred. These methods providerewards for appropriate behavior rather than punishment for theunwanted behavior. Punishment methods must be avoided for avariety of reasons, some of which include the potential to elicit amore aggressive response, the potential for physical and psycho-logical harm, and the potential to strengthen the unwanted be-havior.

4. Distract: This tool can be extremely helpful. Distractions canprovide a “way out” for the pet, so that she does not need toperform the unwanted urination behavior. For example, Peppytends to perform submissive urination when her mom comeshome from work, so her mom throws her a ball to distract herfrom performing this behavior. How does this work? If Peppy en-joys chasing balls, she will most likely run after the ball ratherthan come over to mom, roll over, and urinate. She cannot doboth behaviors at the same time and she will choose the mostrewarding behavior – which in this case is chasing the ball.

Next StepDesensitization is a word that often gets thrown around in be-havioral circles, but what does it mean? Most of us know theroot of the word (desensitize) to mean making something lesssensitive. For example, if one were having a tooth pulled, thedentist might inject Novocain at the site in order to desensitizethat area of the mouth during the procedure. Often people willapply calamine lotion to a bug bite to desensitize the skin to theitching sensation. In behavioral circles, desensitization is a behav-ioral technique that is designed to do the much the same thing.So how might one desensitize a dog to stimuli that invokes

the deferential reaction? This behavioral technique involves expo-sure to the stimulus under controlled conditions. Desensitizationis systematic in this method. In other words, the animal is verygradually introduced to the stimulus. But desensitization is alsoused hand in hand with a counterconditioning process in whichthe aversive stimulus is paired with a positive experience. Thus,in counterconditioning a dog that is in a highly emotive state, thedesensitization process of gradual introduction of the reactioninducing stimulus is paired with a relaxed state in the pet. Thedog will then begin to learn that the stimulus can be a more re-laxing and enjoyable experience.Behavior professionals can provide a step by step plan for a

dog that is providing submissive urination responses. Serpell(1995) gives the following guidelines:

1. Do not reinforce expressions of submissive urination:It is most effective to withhold reinforcement when the dog uri-nates in deference, but this should also done when any deferen-tial body language is shown (rolling over, tail between legs, etc.). If

ReferencesDenenberg, S., & Landsberg, G. M. (2008). Effects of dog-appeas-ing pheromones on anxiety and fear in puppies during trainingand on long-term socialization. Journal of the American VeterinaryMedical Association, 233(12), 1874-1882. Retrieved May 17, 2016 from, www.researchgate.net/publication/23653505_Effects_of_dog-appeasing_pheromones_on_anxiety_and_fear_in_puppies_during_training_and_long-term_socializationLandsberg, G. M., Hunthausen, W. L., & Ackerman, L. J. (2008).Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat (2nd edn). Philadelphia,PA: Saunders/Elsevier Overall, K. (1997). Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Ani-mals. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Inc.Serpell, James. (1995). The domestic dog: its evolution, behav-iour and interactions with people. Cambridge, UK: CambridgeUniversity Press

the dog does not urinate, but still tucks her tail and flattens herears, it is wise not to acknowledge her behavior in any way.

2. Watch behaviors closely and provide positive rein-forcement of differential expressions: This means that whenthe dog expresses deference to the human in appropriate waysthat are not consistent with submissive urination, he should berewarded. Thus, if a dog can engage in alternative activities andnot express submissive urination, he should be rewarded and en-couraged in those activities. Overall (1997) suggests appropriateencouragement for the dog when performing obedience exer-cises without submissively urinating, for example.

3. Lower levels of stimulation should be chosen whiledog is in a relaxed state; increase stimulation levels grad-ually: For example, if the presenting behavioral anomaly is trig-gered by an individual approaching within 10 feet, ask individualsto stop and allow the dog to approach them. Once this task isaccomplished successfully without submissive urination, have theperson approach until they reach an 8-foot distance. Graduallydecrease this distance as the dog tolerates it without performingthe submissive behaviors and resulting urination.With the help of a behavior professional, most owners

should be able to achieve their goal in eliminating the inappropri-ate elimination. The most important tool that the owner canhave in dealing with their dog’s behavioral issues is the tool ofknowledge. Behavior professionals are well-versed in providingowners with this tool and many others so that pets and theirowners can live happily ever after. n

Carolyn Kocman decided to pursue her passion of workingwith animals after many years in the business world. She iscurrently a graduate student pursuing an MS in companionanimal behavior analysis and counseling at the American Col-lege of Applied Science, which she has been attending since2012. With only some lab work, thesis, and externships re-maining before obtaining her final degree, she is activelyworking to open her practice which will focus largely on ca-nine behavioral issues. She also serves on the PPG advocacycommittee.

The Need to be Specific

Department storeTarget has a foyer area for customers topass through. There are two double doors, then a longstretch of indoor space, and then a second set of double

doors that enter into the store. The other day I walked into the first set of double doors and

was blocked by a small crowd of people interacting with a womanwho was holding a puppy. As the owner smiled and explained allabout the puppy, I watched the puppy’s behavior. Squirming, headturning frantically from one person’s hand to the next, nibbling,yawning, whining, and then finally settling into a lethargic demeanorin her owner’s arms while a long row of people took turns pattingher head, rubbing her paws and telling her what a sweet dog she is.Eventually, the owner put the puppy down and asked her for a situntil the puppy plopped down for about 10 seconds. The puppywalked to the end of the leash towards the door and began to chewthe leash. The owner beamed and mentioned that she was doingeverything she could to socialize her, just like the dog trainer toldher to. The puppy was 13 weeks old. (Note: For the purpose of this ar-ticle, a puppy is a dog under the age of 16 weeks.)

Somehow, in today’s society, the word socialization has becomepigeonholed to experiences that only involve the dog interactingphysically with a new person or dog, rather than simply watching orplaying with a toy solo on the outskirts of situations. In my opinionthis is how a lot of puppies end up hyper, easily aroused and unableto settle in the presence of other dogs and/or new people. I believethat over-stimulated adult dogs can result from over-exposure tooverly-stimulated experiences as puppies, and that puppies are acci-dently being put into such situations under the misperception that itis socialization.

Overly-stimulating experiences can also create overly shy dogs,overly defensive dogs who nip and growl, and dogs who becomefrantically, over-the-top wiggly at the approach of a person. I also be-lieve that the root of this issue comes not only from a perspectiveof caring on the owner’s part, but also fear that inadequate socializa-tion will result in an unfriendly, disobedient dog.

Instructing dog owners to socialize their puppies to a variety ofpeople and new places is proving to be too vague. Rather, specificguidelines are needed and I will do my best to provide those here.First, I think it is important to divide socialization into categories, toseparate socialization from obedience (more on this in a future arti-cle) and explain the vital component of choice.

Categories of Socialization (Puppies under 16Weeks)Things the puppy touches, sees and hears: As much as possiblea puppy should be given the opportunity to inspect, sniff, paw at, rollon, look at and hear new things. What reaches the puppy’s feet, ears,nose and mouth should be given 10 times the amount of time thatmeeting unfamiliar people and dogs is given.

If the adult dog is going to spend the majority of his public life

on a leash being told not to pull towards other people and dogs,then the majority of his public puppy life should set him up to ex-pect this. Don’t convince a puppy that his job is to elicit attentionfrom everything and everyone. Go to the park or café, sit down, staya while and let the puppy watch. Do not let him run up or pull youtowards children, bikes, or other dogs if you do not want him to dothat as an adult.

Often we want an adult dog that is neutral to the world aroundhim, yet we spend a lot of time convincing puppies to interact withthe very things we want them to ignore when they are fully grown.

To be fair, choose “rest” times for the puppy, i.e. times when thepuppy will be left alone by people and dogs passing by. I personallymake “rest” time 100 percent of the time the puppy or adult dog ison leash, because it makes things so consistent and easy for him. Theleash becomes a cue that tells the dog nothing interesting is going tohappen. This is hands down the easiest way to communicate thatbeing on leash is not playtime, and translates well into an adult dogthat settles easily in almost all situations.

People and things that touch the puppy; always allowing thepuppy to have the choice to interact: “Exposure is socializa-tion” should be the new mantra. Puppies under the age of 16 weeksshould be off leash or on 15-30-foot long line when something,someone, or another dog is going to touch them. The main reasonfor doing this is to teach the puppy that backing up is an option.Backing away is the “flight” response to fear and confrontation. Evenif the situation is mild, such as brushing the dog for the first time,this is the puppy’s time of life to learn how to appropriately dealwith confrontation. Always allowing puppies the chance to back awaycan help eliminate aggressive responses. Puppies who know they can


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While it is standardpractice to socialize

one’s new puppy,there are varying

schools of thoughton how much - and

exactly what - should be included

Kama Brown delves into the murky waters that can be puppy socialization and presents

her own approach for optimizing this critical time in a dog’s life

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back up and avoid confrontation are more likely to turn into adultdogs with the same behavior. If you consider that each animal has afuse, allowing the puppy to work through fearful situations graduallycan give an adult dog a longer fuse. Forcing the puppy into the situa-tion most likely shortens the fuse.

Picking up a puppy for other people to pet, to brush, to meet an-other dog, to hold down for a vaccination, etc. will not tell you howthe puppy is feeling. Even feeding treats can be a bad idea since thepuppy may find the restraint was not worth the food, devaluing thefood (and the giver of the food) in the future.

Fear is shown through fight, flight or freeze. If you take awayflight, you are left with freeze and fight. Almost all puppies this agewill freeze, so when holding an unmoving puppy, keep in mind thismay not actually be a calm, happy puppy. It is more likely a nervouspuppy who has run out of options. As the puppy grows, he may de-cide to use his teeth to get his point across instead.

Time should be spent socializing the puppy to equipment such ascollars, harnesses and name tags. Allow him to sniff everything firstand, if the object makes noise, let him hear too. Puppies can learn toput their heads into their collars through targeting and learn to giveinto the pressure of a leash or harness through collar cues.

People the puppy needs to know: This may be controversial butit is my view that puppies under 16 weeks of age do not really needto meet strangers. Unless the owner does not have at least 10friends or family members, including neighbors, groomers and veteri-nary staff, the puppy will gain all the socialization he needs from mul-tiple encounters with these people. This is an ideal situation for boththe owner and puppy.

This works because the puppy has the chance to build a solidhistory of appropriate behaviors whilst, most likely, the situation willget easier and less stressful each time. The owner is also likely tofeel more comfortable dealing with people he/she knows, feel lessrushed or anxious, and able to focus completely on the puppy’s be-havior.

The idea that we must find 100 people to expose our puppy tois based on the idea that 100 people will look, act, and smell differ-ent, thus giving the puppy a solid history of being exposed to a suffi-cient variety that he will calmly and happily accept touch from the

Kama Brown CPDT-KA lives and works in St. Louis, Mis-souri and has been training dogs since 2008. She currentlyowns a boarding/training/grooming business with her husbandand spends her weekends promoting the use of scent workand enrichment in training. She also teaches classes for com-petitive dog sports and overly-reactive dogs. She is a failedfoster mom to three big, black dogs and an active member ofher local SAR group.

general public in the future. The problem with this is that we areguessing our way through a vital time in the puppy’s development aswell as expending energy on non-relevant people.

Strangers may pet the puppy for a few minutes and then leave. Inthis brief time the puppy may or may not have urinated, rolled over,jumped on, chewed on, barked at, ignored, or calmly accepted thestranger’s affection. The puppy may or may not have had time to sniffthis person, watch them make strange noises such as coughing orsneezing, ride up on a bike or skateboard, carry lots of swaying plas-tic bags, or carry a baby, etc. The puppy may or may not have had agood experience, or even enough of an experience to repeat it will-ingly. We will not know if the puppy would choose to approach thatperson, or allow that person to approach him again in the future.Simply put, interactions with strangers do not allow us to fully ac-cess what impact the experience had on the puppy; only multiple en-counters can do that.

When you choose 10-15 specific people, you do not have toguess what exposure you have achieved because you will know. Thepuppy will have multiple chances to gain confidence, to accept touchwithout chewing, to play a game that teaches him sit, down or stand,to see and smell familiar things while discovering non-familiar things.The experiences will be exciting without being frenzied and thepuppy and owner will both benefit. Within these eight weeks, thepuppy should have logged enough hours with these people that he isrelatively calm and collected when he sees them. At the end of theeight weeks we should have a puppy who confidently walks or trotsover to the person and stands or sits, accepts touch without jump-ing up, rolling over or urinating. A calm and collected 16-week-oldshould be a pre-requisite to taking the puppy to meet strangers.n

A Brief Guide to the Stages of Puppy DevelopmentNeonatal Phase: Birth-2 Weeks Puppies are born deaf and blind and are totally dependent on theirmother. They display reflex actions and can move in a circularcrawling motion for up to about 10 feet to find the dam (known as‘rooting’). Cannot eliminate without stimulation from the dam. Transition Phase: 2-3 Weeks Ears open and eyes respond to light and movement, can crawlbackwards and forwards.Awareness Phase: 3-4 Weeks Can use all their senses fully, walk, thermoregulate and eliminate.Learn quickly and begin to play with littermates. Can eat by meansother than suckling (weaning begins around 3 weeks).Canine Socialization Phase: 3-7 Weeks Beginning of the critical period of learning about the world. Small,sharp teeth appear. Learn species specific behavior from dam andlittermates and begin showing appeasement gestures to dam. Opti-mum time for dog-dog socialization. Learn bite inhibition fromplaying with littermates and begin to understand social hierarchy

through interaction with dam and littermates. Start to avoid novelobjects at around 7-8 weeks.Human/Other Species Socialization Period: 7-12 WeeksCan form deep bonds with humans/other species at this time. Havethe brainwaves of adult dogs. Can go home with a human family.First Fear Impact Period: 8-11 WeeksAnything that traumatizes puppies at this stage could potentiallyscare them for the rest of their lives. Juvenile Phase: 10 Weeks to Sexual MaturityLearning about the world although may be more fearful. Males maylift leg to urinate and females go into their first heat.Second Fear Impact Period: Adolescence 6-14 MonthsMay become fearful of new, and even familiar, situations. Lifelong re-active behavior patterns can form.Adult Phase: From Adolescence OnwardsFully developed behaviors. Behavior issues not addressed will be-come apparent, if not already so. Dogs continue to build associa-tions with objects, people, and situations for the rest of their lives.


Fear-Free Vet Visits: the Way to Go

move away. What happened next was no surprise, but I kept mycool and took care of my boy. Clueless, she proceeded to put ahospital slip leash over his head, which is when I said, “STOP,what are you doing?” She replied, “I need to get a weight andtemperature.” Ugh!

I wanted to walk right out the door, but Oscar needed helpand I didn’t want to waste time trying to find another vet. I tooka deep breath and told her that Oscar was a shy dog and neededa little time and more patience, and if she didn’t feel she could dothis to please get another technician. She looked at me as if Iwere a nutcase. To her, I guess I was. For me, I was taking care ofmy dog and that’s all that mattered.

I figured at this stage of the game she wasn’t going to listento anything I had to say so I just demonstrated what I wantedand what Oscar needed. I got on the floor and spoke calmly andquietly, telling Oscar what was going to happen, and only allowedher to touch him when I looked up at her said, “He’s ready nowif you’d like to take his temperature, and his weight is 35pounds.” (I had weighed him in the lobby when we arrived.) I po-sitioned his body for her and she took his temperature while herelaxed with his head on my shoulder as I petted him.

The veterinarian came in a few minutes later and asked mewhy we were there. I told the story now for the third time. Argh!She rattled off a few things she wanted to do and I said, politely,“I know it was salmon. It happened less than 45 minutes ago andwhat I would like is for you to give me the medication he needs.He doesn’t have any symptoms because it just happened, and Idon’t want to wait until he does get symptoms. Can you helphim?” She agreed—finally.

This story is, unfortunately, all too common. Often, veterinari-ans and their staff may not be educated in canine body language,the signs of stress, or how to handle pets in the least stressful

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Jill Breitner takes charge when her anxious dog has to visit the veterinarian, and

explains how you can too

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Iam no fledgling when it comes to being an advocate for myanimals’ health and well-being. As a former veterinary techni-cian, I have seen my share of what goes on “in the back.” That

is why I switched professions almost 40 years ago, becoming adog trainer and canine body language expert.

Recently, I had a scare with one of my dogs. All the dogs wereout for their after-dinner potty, and Oscar, my sweet Labradoo-dle, didn’t come back right away. After a couple of minutes Icalled him and he came running up the hill and inside. Within 10minutes he threw up about 2-pounds of fresh salmon, mostlyskin but still a lot of raw fish. (I found out the next day that myneighbor had trimmed fresh salmon and threw the trimmings onmy side of the fence. Ugh!) This is when being a vet tech pays off.I know that raw salmon can kill a dog so I called the vet, ex-plained what had just happened, and said I was on my way. Oscaracted and looked perfectly fine, and he was, but I didn’t want towait.

I need to share that Oscar was a rescue who was neglectedand never socialized as a puppy. We worked very hard at gettinghim to overcome his fear and anxiety. If you met him, you wouldnever know that his insecurity runs very deep. He doesn’t loveanyone immediately, but if you let him come to you, he loves youwithin minutes—and I mean a matter of minutes.

There we were in the exam room then. Oscar was walkingaround the room freely while we waited, and when the dooropened he moved quickly to my side, hugging me and the wall. Inwalked the technician, and she began to move quickly towardOscar, reaching over him and saying in a very loud and overlycheery voice, “So what’s Oscar in for?” She tried to pet him, pay-ing absolutely no attention to his body language, which wasscreaming, “Hey, I don’t know you, get out of my face!”

I had to put my hand in front of his face, stop her, tell her thathe was not happy with her being so close to him, and ask her to

Many dogs are shy, scaredand/or anxious about beinghandled by a stranger in an

unfamiliar environment suchas a cold, shiny table at the veterinarian’s office

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This cat is not happyabout being weighedbut at least there is a

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ResourcesFear Freesm. (2016). About Fear Freesm. Retrieved May 18, 2016,from www.fearfreepets.com/fear_free/default.aspxFear Free Certificate. (2016). Fear Freesm Certification Pro-gram. Retrieved May 18, 2016, from www.vetfolio.com/fear-free-certificationAmerican Animal Hospital Association. (2015). AAHA 2015 Ca-nine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines. RetrievedMay 18, 2016, from www.aaha.org/professional/resources/behavior_management_guidelines.aspx

cialize in low-stress handling and learning how to read body lan-guage. Even more exciting is the launch of the new Fear Freesm

certification program spearheaded by renowned veterinarian, Dr.Marty Becker, which trains veterinary professionals according tofear-free methods and protocols.

I believe it is time for pet owners and pet professionals tobegin a dialogue with their veterinarians about these guidelines,canine body language and low-stress handling, so that fear-freevet visits become the norm for all practices. You, too, can havethe peace of mind of knowing your pet will be with you for allroutine visits without having to go to “the back,” and that yourveterinarian and the staff have been trained to help your pet feelmore comfortable.

By working together, we can help our pets feel less fearfuland enable veterinarians to do their job better and more easily,while we are assured that our animals are safe and in goodhands. It is a win-win-win for everyone. n

Jill Breitner is a professional dog training and canine bodylanguage expert based in southern Oregon. She is the creatorof Dog Decoder, www.facebook.com/dogdecoder, currentlythe only smartphone app specializing in canine body language.

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manner possible. This lack of education and what goes on behindclosed doors in some veterinary clinics is not a pleasant topic totalk about, but it needs attention. It needs attention becausethere is currently a huge gap between what pets need and howto handle them in a humane way while satisfying their needs. Thelack of education in veterinary and veterinary technician schoolsis at the crux of this dilemma; the vets and technicians are not toblame. With limited time to get their tasks done, our pets sufferneedlessly. Thankfully, though, as we continue to be a more awareand educated society regarding our pets, veterinarians are beingcalled upon to learn better practices.

The Fear Freesm movement—learning to read dog body lan-guage and low-stress handling techniques—is critical in all ele-ments of loving and working with our pet horses, dogs, cats,rabbits, and all the other animals that live with us. When we seethat an animal is stressed and we can make him more comfort-able, we will not need to take four technicians away from theirduties to wrestle a pet, potentially hurting the animal, or havesomeone get bitten because the animal was misunderstood andmanhandled.

It is exciting to see the Fear Freesm movement take hold be-cause fewer animals will suffer. Vets will educate their clients onhow to begin handling their pups at home before they come tothe clinic. They will advise them to bring their pup in for treatsand a weigh-in, so he can meet and greet everyone. Veterinariansand their staff will learn how to read body language so they canrecognize the signs of stress before they reach a critical thresh-old of anxiety and fear.

While some veterinarians are taking this movement very se-riously, many have no idea it exists. I am thrilled to say that theAmerican Animal Hospital Association AAHA published Canineand Feline Behavior Management Guidelines in 2015. They werewritten by a group of certified veterinary behaviorists who spe-


Grooming Restraints

cept. Restraint is often necessary, even on a well-trained dog, buthow we introduce and use restraints can be the difference be-tween a stressful, scary experience (which makes the dog moreuncooperative for the next grooming visit), or a mildly unpleas-ant but temporary experience that the dog can quickly get past.

How, then, should we use restraints during grooming, andhow can we make these restraints a positive (or at least not neg-ative) experience for the dogs in our care?

One of the most commonly used restraints in the groomingsalon is the noose that attaches to the grooming arm. This re-straint should be kept loose enough that the dog can sit or standcomfortably, but still be prevented from jumping off the table.The grooming arm should NOT be raised to a point that the dogis uncomfortable, or worse, cannot breathe.

Muzzles are another commonly used grooming restraint, butare rarely conditioned appropriately. If a dog must be muzzledfor groomer safety, the owner should purchase a muzzle fortheir dog and spend the month in between grooming sessionsclassically conditioning the dog to the muzzle, creating a positiveassociation to wearing it. The muzzle should be of a type thatprevents a bite, while still allowing the handler to present foodreinforcement to the dog while wearing it.

Another option for bite prevention that is much easier tocondition and less restrictive for the dog is an Elizabethan collar.For best results, this should be classically conditioned in thesame way as the muzzle, but often can be conditioned enoughduring grooming to be used with a minimum amount of stressdue to its less restrictive nature.

A sling can be very useful to secure dogs that are difficult for

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Michelle Martiya explains how less can be more when it comes to controlling dogs in

the grooming salon

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Few businesses in the pet industry see more use of elabo-rate restraints for dogs than grooming salons. Muzzles keepa dog from biting, a noose keeps a dog from jumping off the

table, another attachment to the front of the noose (a groomingloop) keeps a dog from spinning, and still another strap underthe belly keeps a dog from sitting. Sometimes the number of re-straints we use can look more like a medieval torture chamberthan a grooming table.

If you have ever worked in a grooming salon, this scenario isprobably familiar to you: The dog is on the table with a noosearound his neck attached to the grooming arm above. He is mov-ing about while the groomer is trying to scissor some part of hisbody. Frustrated by his movement, the groomer raises thegrooming arm. The dog struggles, so the groomer raises thegrooming arm some more. Now the dog stops struggling, but itis not because he has “learned to behave.” He has stopped strug-gling because he is effectively being hung from the grooming armand must devote all of his energy just to breathing.

Another scenario that is probably familiar to anyone who hasworked in a shop is the groomer who asks for assistance with astruggling dog. The dog is struggling and the groomer cannothold the dog and groom at the same time so an assistant comesover to restrain the dog while the groomer works. The more thedog struggles, the more the groomer and assistant restrain him.The more the dog is restrained, the more he struggles until atsome point he becomes exhausted and gives up.

Unfortunately, this is the norm for many grooming facilities.But it does not need to be. Restraints in the grooming salonshould be used only to keep the dog and/or the groomer safe,and should never take the place of training, or be used in angeror frustration. Ideally, the correct use of grooming restraintsshould:

• Keep the dog and/or groomer safe from injury.• Be properly conditioned so as not to further stress the ani-

mal.• Be used only as necessary and not throughout the entire

session.• Be a temporary solution to an immediate problem, with a

training plan put in place between grooming sessions to work to-ward no longer needing the restraint.

• Be the least intrusive solution to the immediate problem—the minimal amount of restraint needed for the task.

• Be comfortable for the dog; if the dog struggles more withthe chosen restraint, the groomer should try a different ap-proach, or try a different restraint.

Grooming can be a very stressful experience for many dogs.The combination of loud dryers, buzzing clippers, and being phys-ically manipulated by a stranger can be difficult for a dog to ac-

With its multitude ofrestraining devices, a

grooming table canoften look more like

a medieval torturechamber


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Michelle Martiya has been grooming pets for over 21 yearsand has experience in mobile, salon and doggie day caregrooming. She owns the mobile grooming company Beast toBeauty, Inc., www.beast2beauty.com. Disappointed with theway the dogs reacted when she arrived at peoples’ homes togroom, she took a dog training course in 2013 to improveher handling skills. She now offers grooming-specific trainingservices to groomers and their clients, as well as webinarsand workshops on canine behavior, grooming-specific train-ing, and low-stress handling for groomers.

nail trims, or to help older dogs that cannot stand for long peri-ods of time. Care must be taken with this restraint, however, aswell as the happy hoodie (a wrap used around the head to re-duce dryer noise), as both of these restraints can induce tonicimmobility, a condition in which the animal enters into an almostparalyzed state while still maintaining awareness of the environ-ment around them.

As we groom, we manipulate various body parts and physi-cally restrain the dogs without really considering it to be re-straint. But to the dog it certainly is. Understanding the structureof a dog’s body is important so we know how to perform theseholds without over-extending the limbs and causing discomfortin the joints. Another thing to consider is where you hold thelimb—both where your hand is on the limb and where the limbis in relation to the rest of the dog’s body.

For example, many groomers will hold the front leg on theforearm to trim around the foot. But from this position, the doghas enough leverage to pull his leg away, often resulting in a fightbetween dog and groomer as the groomer tries to secure theleg and the dog tries to pull the leg away. Holding the front legbehind the elbow, however, removes the leverage and straightensout the foot, making it easier to trim without the dog pulling back.

Another common practice is to pull the front leg out and for-ward to trim the nails. There are a few problems with this formany dogs. First, the position can be very uncomfortable, and itis very easy to over-extend the shoulder. Second, the dog has theleverage to pull the foot away again. And finally, the dog’s foot,and the groomer’s hand, are right in front of the dog’s face andmouth, making a bite extremely likely. A better choice would beto face the dog away from the groomer, secure the dog betweenarm and body, and lift each foot up backwards, like a horse. A biteis far less likely, the position is more comfortable for the dog, andall four feet can be done without having to move the dogaround.

As much as we try to minimize the use of restraints, thereare also times when we use too little, as in the case mentionedpreviously where the groomer holds the dog’s forearm to trimthe foot.

For a dog who will not stand, pulling the dog’s rear end up bythe tail and dropping the dog into place is likely only to scare thedog and make him less likely to stand. A better choice would beto place a hand or arm between the hind legs and gently pressupward, allowing the dog to find his feet as you lift.

An assistant to help restrain the dog is not a bad idea, but therestraint should be comfortable for the dog and still allow forsome natural movement. Holding a dog by one hind leg while thegroomer is working on the face may not be very effective (yes, Ihave seen this done). Better to let the dog sit and have the assis-tant place a hand on each hip from behind to secure the dog, orstand sideways to the standing dog and wrap an arm around hismidsection, just in front of his hips.

Though restraints are often necessary during grooming, myadvice is to groom consciously. Be aware of how the restraintsyou are using affect the dogs you are working on, and adjust yourgrooming practices accordingly for happier and more groom-abledogs. n

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The art ofthe force-free nailtrim

Sharing my experience as a guardian and dog trainer livingand working with a dog with separation anxiety, I was ini-tially hard pressed to come up with what I could share that

would be new or inspiring when many before me had alreadydone so well in dealing with this common problem. What was itabout my 11-year-old American pit bull terrier, Mary Lou, or oursituation that was unique; how would we be able to help othersby sharing our story?

Then one day I was driving between client appointments andfound myself running a tad late. Taking the interstate betweenclients would save me time and get me there with minutes tospare. No big deal, right? Wrong.

I myself have anxiety that can lead to panic attacks—whichare essentially what our dogs with separation anxiety experienceevery time they are left alone for longer periods of time thanthey can handle. While I have conquered the social-arena area forthe most part, driving on high speed interstates with options toget off spread out or during congested times can really tip meover the edge. As one can imagine, this really limits my ability totravel long distances. Frankly, it adds time to everything I do evenin a Midwest metropolitan area such as Milwaukee, Wisconsin,and it can take me two or three times longer to get anywhere.

One night after reading a passage in Jean Donaldson’s bookOh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker, which happenedto be on the subject of separation anxiety, it hit me. Donaldson(2008) wrote: “Desensitization is a technique originally devel-oped for people with phobias.” Since then, I have been workingon slowly desensitizing and counterconditioning myself to drivingon interstates. Yes, you read that correctly. I am putting Wolpeand Pavlov to work on myself.

While Pavlov is a familiar name in the dog training world, Isuspect Wolpe may not be. Joseph Wolpe, though not the first touse the technique of systematic desensitization, perfected its usein behavioral therapy and coined the term in the 1950s (McLeod,2008). His work during the 50s was based in South Africa withwar veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Atthat time, a technique using truth serum was the go-to, but it hadspotty success. During that time Wolpe came up with the lesserknown technique, which he termed “different reciprocal inhibi-tion technique,” that utilized assertiveness training. (Wikipedia,2016). He posited that a person could not be angry or aggressivewhile being assertive at the same time. Sound familiar? Differen-tial reinforcement of an incompatible behavior (DRI): the dogtrainer’s best friend!

While facing your fears and overcoming them worked withmany of his patients, Wolpe found that it did not work for thosewith certain fears and phobias. Those patients became frustrated

C O N S U L T I N G


rather than relieved. So Wolpe came up with systematic desensi-tization, “degrees” to overcoming the fears with a “fear hierar-chy” utilizing relaxation and always keeping the patients underthreshold. (McLeod, 2008).

With all this knowledge in my big human brain, I breatheddeeply to relax myself, started singing along to the radio and hadmy exit point all planned out. ‘Easy peasy,’ I thought. ‘Bonus infact! I can get to my next client on time and work a little desen-sitization and counterconditioning exercise on myself.’

All was going well. That is until I got to my planned exit,which was blocked for construction. Slight nervousness startedto creep in. More deep breathing, ‘no big deal, I will get the nextexit.’ Well that one was blocked too. Then the orange cones ap-peared and the lanes narrowed. A big sign appeared saying, “Nextexit, 3 miles.” Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, until I got about 1mile into the three needed to access the next exit.

If you have never experienced a panic attack, it is hard toimage what it feels like and frankly it is hard to explain. For me,my heart begins to race, I get light headed, spots begin to appearat the edges of my vision, which steadily increase, and it feels likeI am going to pass out. Once the panic inducing event is over, ittakes on average an hour to feel normal again.

At this point you are most likely thinking, ‘Thanks, but howdoes this help me and my clients?'

When Panic Becomes Peace

Mary Lou ‘s separationanxiety was so severe

initially that she couldnot be left alone at all

Jennifer Pratt explains how training and behavior consultants can draw on their own

experiences to find the empathy and compassion needed to aid clients dealing

with canine separation anxiety


Empathy and compassion. These words are not the samethough, as one tends to lead to the other. Empathy is defined as“a person’s ability to recognize and share the emotions of an-other person, fictional character, or sentient being. It involves,first, seeing others situations from their perspective, and, second,sharing their emotions, including, if any, distress.” (Burton, 2015).Compassion, however, is the understanding of empathy plus astrong desire to alleviate the suffering of others.

It is extremely important that we have empathy and compas-sion and help our clients to use them to understand and supporttheir dogs suffering with separation anxiety. But how do we culti-vate this with clients and keep these emotional states alivewithin ourselves? My go-to for a long time was listing examplesof things people generally find scary and wait to see a twinkle of,

“Oh, yeah. I get it. Spiders freak me out too,” from clients. Whilethis helped to get the general idea of fear across, it still did notseem to have the impact needed.

During one session I remember very well, the guardian wastired, frustrated, and wanted a life outside of her dog’s needs. Iwas trying to find an example other than my spider go-to inorder to help her empathize with what her dog was goingthrough when she left the house. Instead I stopped and asked,“What is one thing you are absolutely terrified of? Not squeam-ish or girly squeaky about. But, flat out terrified.” Without hesita-tion, she said “Sharks!” By the look in her eyes, I knew she meantit. I then asked how she would feel if she were swimming in theocean and a shark fin suddenly appeared.

What, if anything, would make her feel better at that exact

C O N S U L T I N G

Case Study: Mary LouMary Lou is an 11-year-old spayed female American pit bull

terrier. She was adopted from a shelter as a stray in March2007 after spending about four months there. Upon adoptionshe was she was cautious, shy, and overwhelmed by the worldand fearful of strangers. At the time of adoption, neither I normy brother had any experience as a dog owner.

Mary Lou has always enjoyed the company of other dogsand has helped a slew of foster dogs during my time working atthe local shelter. Her current housemates include: Eddie, a 9-year-old male neutered pit bull terrier mix, Yoda, an 8-year-oldAustralian male neutered cattle dog mix and Molly, an 11-year-old female spayed Labrador shepherd mix.

Overall Mary Lou is a dog who takes on life with purposeand zeal, and is eager to learn. She has certain sensitivities, how-ever, from noises such as the beep from a dying smoke detector,or a person swatting a mosquito, to cold weather snaps and Wiivideo games that include the user swinging the remote.

Moving forward several years, my double shifts as a cookwith a short one- to two-hour break to come home and carefor the dogs, coupled with the house slowly emptying over atwo-month period due to us relocating, added to her distressand, finally, anxiety. I first observed symptoms of actual separa-tion distress in Mary Lou on September 15, 2014 and full-blownanxiety had developed by November 1 of that year, on the finalday of work before prior to moving. Her initial symptoms in-cluded whining, mild chewing (pulling in of bedding covering hercrate, intermittent barking, some shadowing of me, low keyowner attachment, moderate excessive greeting and trying toescape). These escalated into constant barking/howling, sweatypaws, panting, frequent shadowing, and pre-departure anxiety. Bythe time we got to the stage of full-blown anxiety, her symp-toms included elimination, moderate depression, self-mutilation,salivation/drooling, and excessive water consumption.

Fortunately, upon the move, I was able to suspend my workoutside the home to focus on Mary Lou’s anxiety issues fulltime. I used protocols based on those in Malena DeMartini-Price’sTreating Separation Anxiety in Dogs with additional supportfrom my Academy for Dog Trainers community.

Interventions: At the first signs of any distress, herbs, scents,background/white noise, extra exercise, rearranging crate loca-

tions, and switching which dogs she could or could not seewere all tried and observed via video phone apps.

We had started Mary Lou on Fluoxetine and Alprazolam atthe same time as her initial symptoms presented in September.After one month the Fluoxetine dosage was increased and I sawbeneficial effects in that she was more relaxed and even-keeled.She also carried less overall tension, which you could see byhow she held her body and her ability to start exploring theoutside world more without needing to be right next to me.Any attempt to leave her for durations longer than she couldhandle were also suspended. Initially this meant zero duration.After a rather bloody tooth breaking incident, we tried the Al-prazolam once after we moved so we could get some errandsdone and have dinner. Mary Lou was a shaking, urine-soakedmess. That was the only time I tried to leave her alone for anylength of time. As a side note, she did quite well in the car on er-rands for a while although we had to park far away to keep herfrom being upset my passers-by. In total, Alprazolam was usedthree times. The first time it seemed to help, the second timeless so, and the third time Mary Lou had a full blown panic at-tack so we discontinued it immediately.

Via behavior modification we progressed to three hours ofalone time but then reached a plateau. To help us get over thehump, in October 2015 we introduced VetriScience Composurechews which aided us getting beyond the three-hour mark. InMarch 2016, we also started Mary Lou on Gabapentin for jointstiffness. This particular pain relief medication was chosen forpotential additional benefits in treating separation anxiety.

Progress Update: To date, we have worked up to six hours ofalone time. Durations vary daily from 30 minutes to six hours.Upon arrival home, Mary Lou is relaxed, moderately excited togreet and will perform a relax/down on her own for interac-tions. She has even gotten giddy with our returns, will play withtoys which she rarely does, play bows at us and zooms aroundthe yard playfully. She is sometimes okay with being left in thecar and other times not. Regardless, she will try to follow meout of the car and be a little whiney but mostly she is fine in thecar while I run errands and sleeps most of the time. It is verymuch a work in progress but we have come a long way. n

Burton, N. (2015). Empathy vs. Sympathy. Psychology Today. Re-trieved on May 11, 2016, from www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201505/empathy-vs-sympathy Donaldson, J. (2008).Oh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premackto Pinker. Dogwise PublishingMcLeod, S. A. (2008). Systematic Desensitization. Simply Psychol-ogy. Retrieved May 11, 2016, from www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic-Desensitisation.htmlWikipedia. (2016). Joseph Wolpe. Retrieved May 11, 2016, fromwww.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_WolpeResourcesDeMartini-Price, M. (2014).Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs.Dogwise Publishing

References

Jennifer Pratt CPDT-KA is the owner and operator of Wagthe Dog and Company LLC, www.wagthedogandcompany.com, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She began her education help-ing dogs and their humans in 2006 as a volunteer then lateras an employee of an open admission shelter. She was certi-fied by the Council of Professional Dog Trainers in 2014 andis currently a senior in Jean Donaldson’s Academy for DogTrainers’ rigorous 2-year program.

C O N S U L T I N G


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While it will be some time before I am ready to attempt an-other interstate session on myself due to the fact that I wentover-threshold, I am progressing forward nonetheless. Being ableto channel and draw upon my own experience of panic attackshas helped me to not only have empathy, but also compassion forMary Lou and her separation anxiety. Helping your clients findtheir own personal “panic attack” to draw upon may be justwhat they need to help them help their dogs to replace panicwith peace. n

moment? “A punch on the shoulder accompanied with a sugges-tion to brush off of her fear?” I suggested. “Perhaps, a full expla-nation of the evolution of sharks and their dietary preferences?Maybe a citation from a recently read news article about theoverinflated reports of shark attacks on humans?”

“Tell me it is a dolphin!” she said while laughing. “What? You mean that me implying you were being irrational

and telling you everything was fine didn’t help you to feel lessterrified of the shark?” I asked. “Inconceivable!”

Once we had that personal panic-striking experience for herto draw on, she was able to both empathize with and feel com-passion for her dog’s panicking about being left alone. By focusingon my two-legged client first and foremost, I was able to providean opportunity for my four-legged client to begin her slow andsteady climb to confidence with being alone.

Mary Lou has come along way: Drawing ontheir own experiencescan help behavior consultants be moreempathetic towardstheir clients and the issues they are facingwith their pets


T R A I N I N G

43

Angelica Steinker explains how to play the small dog consent testing game with children to

ensure they know when a dog is saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’

that her front legs are spread farther apart than her hind legs,which means she could be preparing to pounce. If you see a doglike this, you know that he is upset so move away and tell anadult. Show them this article so they can learn for themselvesthat dogs who freeze are very upset and may be thinking aboutbiting if they think there is no escape from the uncomfortablesituation they are experiencing.

Another important part of dog body language is the tongueflick (see picture bottom, center). This is different from when a doglicks his lips; in lip licking the tongue comes out and moves tothe corner of the mouth, then goes back to the spot under thenose and goes back in. The tongue flick as a sign of stress issometimes hard to see. It is literally just a flick, a bit like the waya snake sticks his tongue out and pulls it right back in. A dog who

is stressed will flick his tongue out andpull it right back in.

If you see a dog flick his tongue,move away from the dog and tell anadult. Show them this article so theycan also learn that a tongue flick is howdogs communicate stress. A stresseddog is often more likely to move toother behaviors, like growling or evenbiting. Let’s all work to keep dogshappy and not to stress them. That wayeveryone is happier (and safer).

The good thing is that once you canread some basic dog body language,you can use it to play a game called the

This article is intended to be read by children who areunder the supervision of an adult while playing the game.The information included is only to be used with dogs

who are known to consistently seek the contact of all childrenand who have absolutely no history of growling, nipping or biting.All dogs and children should always be supervised at all times.

Imagine you can talk to your dog. Well, you can! But there is atrick that you have to understand to talk to your dog. Instead ofusing words like we do, dogs talk with their bodies. A dog’s lan-guage is based on positions and movements of the body. Onceyou learn how to speak dog, you will be able to know what mostdogs are saying. I say “most dogs” because every dog is different.We want to be fair and leave some wiggle room. All dogs are in-dividuals and they may not all speak body language in the exactsame way.

Let’s start with some basic bodylanguage. If a dog is happy, the body isgenerally soft and loose. In the picture(above left) the dog’s body is very softand he is leaning in to me. He is evenlifting his back leg to invite a belly rub.If a dog is not happy, on the otherhand, the body language tends to berigid. In the picture (above right), thedog is very stiff and frozen in place.Her mouth is tight, her head is low-ered. If you look closely, even her toesare tense. This dog is very upset andnot safe to approach. You can even see

The Best Play

This dog’s bodylanguage showshe is happy: Hismusculature is

soft and relaxedand he is

leaning into the person

This dog’s stiffand tense bodylanguage showsshe is not happyand does notwant to be approached

Photo

cour

tesy

: Spotted D

og P

hoto

gra

phy

Photo courtesy: Suzanne Rider Photo courtesy: Lisa Morrissey

A quickflick of thetongue isa sign ofstress indogs


T R A I N I N G

consent testing game. Essentially, all you need to know is that if adog moves toward you, he is saying “yes” to whatever is happen-ing. If the dog moves away, he is saying “no.” Thus, if the dogmoves closer to you, that means, “Yes, I want to be petted.” Andthat is fun—for us and for the dog.

But, just like us, dogs can say yes and then change their mindslater. This is like how you feel when you are eating a snack; youeat the snack and you really like it, and if I asked, “Do you wantanother piece?” you would say “yes.” But at some point you aregoing to get full, and if I then ask if you want another piece, youwould say “no.”

If you told me, “No, I don’t want another snack,” it would be

silly for me to have hurt feelings over that, because it has nothingto do with me. You have just had enough of the snack and arefull. So just like filling up on a snack, dogs can fill up on being pet-ted, or any other activity or interaction. When a dog says “no,”that is just information for us. It is very good information, be-cause we want to avoid stressing our dogs so that everyone issafe and having fun.

If I reach for a dog and the dog moves away, that means thatright now that dog is “full” and does not want me to pet him. Iam actually happy when this happens, because it is nice to knowthat the dog is full and does not need anything. It is fun to knowthat this dog is already happy and does not need my help. On

Consent Testing Game #1: Reaching for the Dog

In this game I am reaching for Mo thepapillon. In the picture on the left I am

reaching for Mo and he says “yes” be-cause he leans in to me and lets me pethim. This is fun and we have a goodtime. In the picture on the right I amreaching for Mo and he says “no.” Heactually puts his paw on my hand andpushes my hand down and away. Mo is“full” for petting right now and doesnot need more. Good for Mo!

aYES r NO

This game involves asking a dog if hewants to be picked up. Only ask a

dog if he wants to be picked up if youknow he likes it. If he does not like tobe petted or reached for, you can skipthis game. A dog who does not like tobe reached for and petted is alreadytelling you he does want to be pickedup. You already have an answer, so youdo not need to play the game.

Also, only pick up dogs if an adult isaround to watch and if you can easilypick up that dog. Dogs do not like tobe picked up if they have the feelingthey are going to be dropped. This isjust like if someone picked you up and you felt like they were going to fall or not hold onto you tightly enough. That would bescary and you would tell that person to put you down. Dogs cannot do that, so instead they squirm and wiggle. A dog who wantsto be picked up and held is one who says “yes.” Let’s see what that looks like.

In the picture on the left you can see I reach for Mo and he is moving toward me and actually lifting his front end and hoppingup so I can pick him up. This is, “Yes, I want to be picked up!” This is fun because we both want the same thing. In the picture onthe right I ask Mo if he wants to be picked up and he says, “No.” I am okay with that because I know another time he will say “yes.”He is just “full” for being picked up right now. If I picked him up anyway, I would be hurting our friendship because it would be likeme making him eat a snack he does not want. I want Mo to have a strong bond with me so I only do things when he says yes.

Consent Testing Game #2: Picking Up the Dog

r NOaYES

T R A I N I N G


these two pages you can see three types of consent testinggames. (Consent means asking someone else if they agree tosomething.) Have fun playing the consent testing games. Let usknow what you learn.

Remember, when your dog says “no” it just means he is “full”for that activity. Go ahead and play something else. If your dogdoes not want to play at all, that is fine too. Just like us, dogs arenot machines and some days they may not be as playful as oth-ers. When everyone feels like playing, that is when you have thebest games. Always go for the best play! n

Angelica Steinker PCBC-A owns and operates Courteous Canine, Inc. DogSmith of Tampa, www.courteouscanine.com/Florida, a full service pet business and dog school special-izing in aggression and dog sports. She is the national directorof training for DogSmith Services, www.dogsmith.com, and co-founder of DogNostics Career College, www.dognosticselearning.com.

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This game is the cradle like a baby game.Please only ask a dog if he wants to be

held like a baby if he has been held that wayat other times and has liked it. You want toplay the consent testing games with things adog likes, not with things the dog does notlike. Think of the snack food again. If I do notlike chips, then I am always going to say “no”to chips. That is boring and not a game. In-stead, ask people who love chips if they wouldlike to have a chip. Being held like a baby isjust like chips—some dogs like it and otherdogs do not.

In the picture on the left Mo says “yes” tobeing cradled like a baby. But sometimes dogschange their minds while you are doing some-thing. Just a few seconds after I started hold-ing Mo like a baby, he changed his mind andsaid, “No.” Mo got “full” of being held like ababy and said he wanted to get down (see pic-ture, right). I knew this because he turned awayfrom me and started to look at the floor. I love Mo so it is easy for me to let him go and put him back down on the floor as soonas he asks. There are other games we can play, like fetch and belly rubs, when he is on the floor. I am happy to play the games hewants to play, when he feels like playing them.

Consent Testing Game #3: Cradle Like a Baby

r NO

aYES

All photos of consent testing games courtesy: Angelica Steinker

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T R A I N I N G

Treibball (pronounced "try-ball") has come a long way sincedebuting in the United States approximately six years ago.Today, getting specific certificates, trialing, and matches is

as easy as having an online connection. All you have to do is fol-low directions, take a video of you and your dog in various as-pects of the sport and you have got a winning combination. Inthe Pacific Northwest, where I reside, that is important becausewe have very few choices for physical show trials and matches.The whole world has opened up for my dogs and I, and I cansafely say it is time to get serious about Treibball.

What is Treibball?According to Dianna Stearns, president and founder of the Amer-ican Treibball Association (ATA), the sport has taken time tocatch on as with any new sport, but “as trainers and dog ownersall over the US have begun to hear about it and see the videos,we see the acceptance and enthusiasm building and growing. Be-cause of the variations seen in the European videos, severaltrainers have developed their own interpretation of the game."

In fact, Treibball is one of the fastest growing dog sports inAmerica. Imagine large colorful balls lined up in a triangle on afield. Add a dog, positive reward-based training, and a goal net.Teamwork means those balls will end up inside the goal, as thehandler sends an enthusiastic dog out to the point of the trian-gle, and cues the dog to drive the balls toward them. The dogmoves into action, pushing a ball down the field to the handlerand into the goal! Score! What could be more fun?

Treibball is fun, positive and competitive. It is a sport that im-proves the relationship between the dog and his owner and pro-motes impulse control with a fun game of ‘push the ball to me.’The sport itself originated in Germany in 2003 and, by 2008, hadbecome a sanctioned competition. It was Dutch dog trainer, JanNijboer, who first came up with the idea. His mind had started towhirl when he saw his Australian cattle dogs push their rubberwater dishes around the field after finishing herding lessons,which translated into him wondering if they would push largeballs around the field. Nijboer introduced the game to his herd-ing students and, by 2007, Sweden had hosted the first interna-tional Treibball competition.

Five Reasons to Play: 1 - Treibball is low impact. Dogs do not need to jump or run

fast meaning it is easy on joints so senior dogs and dogs withphysical challenges can also compete in their respective classes.Distance and verbal cues are very similar to agility, yet people ofany age or athletic ability can enjoy the sport because physicaldemands are minimal.

Treibball is “low-cost and low-impact; ideal for owners and

Diane Garrod provides an insight to the increasingly popular canine sport of Treibball and

details its many benefits – for both dogs and owners

Keep on Pushing



Paisley Ann, owned by DiannaStearns, president and founderof the American Treibball Association, practices her moves

Dogs of any age, sizeor breed can play

Treibball, which is alow-cost, low-impact,fun, force-free sport

Treibball is catchingon quickly as a newdog sport: to start,the balls are linedup on the field in atriangle formation

Photo courtesy: Fred Stearns, Stearns Photography


T R A I N I N G


Young or old… Tall or short…Pedigreed or mixed…

www.nationaltreibball.com

Teamwork, cooperation and communication between you and your dog:

The National Association of Treibball Enthusiastsinvites you to join us in the canine sport

WHERE SERIOUS TRAINING BECOMES SERIOUS FUN!

Join NATE …

come play

with us!

Your dog is invited to play (and so are you! )

dogs of all physical ability levels,” said Dianna Stearns, presidentand founder of the American Treibball Association. “Whether anowner wants to compete in Treibball or use it as a teaching tool,it’s a great vehicle for creating better communication between adog and owner. The owner learns to give clear direction to thedog in order to get the appropriate response, and the dog mustwatch the handler closely in order to follow his direction. It’s anall-positive sport, fun for all and with no verbal or physical cor-rections allowed."

2 - Treibball is a non-confrontational, force-free sport. Trainingis non-aversive, positive and fun. It is a great way to relieve stress.

3 - Any dog of any age, height, weight, or breed can play Treib-ball and any dog owner can enjoy it.

4 - It is inexpensive. Buy a yoga ball to start, have standardtreats at the ready as well as a clicker and you are ready to go.Up to eight extra balls can be added incrementally.

5 – Treibball is all about spending quality time with your dog.It is fun, challenging and builds on skills such as impulse control,manners, foundationals, and distance work.

Treibball has been done under the guise of many names, fromurban herding to push and drive ball, and equated to herdingsheep into a pen or playing dog billiards in the sense of pushing aball into a pocket.

National Association of Treibball Enthusiasts (NATE) founderand president, and active Treibball competitor Sandi Pensingersaid: "Treibball is a sport of distance, skill and teamwork. In class,you and your dog learn to communicate in gathering large exer-cise balls into a goal. Handlers learn distance work, directing thedog to go out around the ‘herd’ of balls. The dogs wait for direc-tion, go left or right, and drive the ball into the pen. Treibball skillsare life skills for dogs. You train for a sport and get a better com-panion dog at the same time. Treibball is great for the dog thatneeds a project."

Various organizations have formed to bring Treibball to theUS (see Resources on page 49). Many dog clubs offer Treibballworkshops, and more and more training facilities and centers arebringing a Treibball curriculum to their clients.

Said Pensinger of NATE: My vision was to have an organiza-tion that is a true national, if not international effort, with alarger view of the world of dog sport and of treibball… NATE isstill young and growing and there are plenty of opportunities tobe involved at every level. The NATE online community is thriv-ing with training ideas, challenges and helpful advice on workingwith your canine treibball teammate."

Added Stearns of ATA:"We provide support through one-and two-day training workshops and regional trainers’ certifica-tion academies. We also sponsor competitions, provide trainingmaterials and encourage discussion through public and mem-bers-only Facebook groups and the ATA website."

WhatÊs on OfferNATE has several levels of competition and six height categories,allowing any size or breed an opportunity to play. The organiza-tion also has skills certificates as a staircase for dogs that are notquite ready to compete, or are too far away from a Treibballtrainer. This is a good way for a team to show a level of skill. Very

Photo

cour

tesy

: Sa

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ens

ing

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Treibball buildson skills such asimpulse control,foundationalsand distancework

T R A I N I N G


• Teaching a dog to work at a distance.• Teaching a dog to work around distraction. • Teaching a dog to take direction from the handler at a

distance. • Increasing speed and precision. Competition can be for your personal best, for time, against

other teams, or all three. "Personally, I like the distance aspects of the sport," said

Pensinger. "You can't use force in distance training, you have touse motivation… I see the advantage of challenging the dog'sbrain and enriching [his] life. Getting teamwork and impulse con-trol at a distance are some of the most challenging aspects ofthis training.”

Skill LevelsThere are performance criteria to be met depending on the levelthe dog is at in competition. Novice dogs bring in three balls,while more advanced play involves a judge calling out which ballthe dog brings in. There is a specific time the dog has to drive allthe balls into the goal. The parameters of the field area, the out-run and specific ball placement are also dependent on levels. Intime, Treibball will feature obstacles the dogs have to maneuverthe balls into, around, up, and over.

"Playing Treibball increases the dog’s attention to the handlerand produces a dog that works under voice and signal control;off-leash and at a considerable distance,” said Stearns. “Theseskills give the owner a different level of control, and translatewell into almost any other training or sport they might want todo.”

Member BenefitsBenefits of membership in the various organizations for trainers

and clubsofferingTreibballclasses andevents in-clude:

•Opportu-nity to earnskills certifi-cates.

•Ability toregister a

dog and competewith that dog in tri-als (online trialing orshow trialing).

• Invitationsto events.

• Ability toparticipate in videotitling, matches, cer-tifications.

recently, NATE video titling became a reality, with applicationforms available on the organization’s website.

ATA started its national competitions in 2013 and since thenhas continued to make refinements to the original rules. The cur-rent rules will stand through 2017 before being reviewed again,and are available for free download.

The World Treibball League holds matches and has titlingevents for teams that are looking to compete and earn titles. It isindividual, independent, on your own time, at your own pace, andfor those that are ready for a challenge. Titling entry forms areavailable on the organization’s website.

Basic Skills"As a trainer and a behavior consultant, I see many clients whosedogs are smart and energetic, but bored stiff and working veryhard at finding their own ‘creative’ amusements,” said Stearns.“Often their owners don’t know how to communicate effectivelywith them, or how to engage with their dogs to prevent thesesituations. From the beginning, I saw this game as a positiveteaching experience; a fun activity for both partners, with nodownside."

The basic skills used to teach Treibball are: • Touch/target. • Movement. • Attention toward handler.• Staying focused.• Settling behind a ball in a stand, sit, or down.• Coming when called.• Heeling or staying close. • Shaping.• Solid impulse control, which leads to self-control during

trialing.The basics of Treibball are easy to pick up

too. In a competition, both the handler and thedog start near the goal with the dog sitting inheel position. On cue, the dog runs out past theballs (appropriately called the “outrun”) and set-tles behind the balls. The dog waits there for atleast five seconds, until the handler cues the dogto begin driving the balls toward the goal.

Intermediate and advanced training includes:

Photo courtesy: Diane Garrod

Kody Bear pushesthe ball during aTreibball session

Owner Dianna Stearns and Berry prepareto start: Treibball helps dogs to focus andpay attention to their handler Photo courtesy: Dianna Stearns

T R A I N I N G


Diane Garrod PCT-A CA1 BSc is a certified American Treib-ball Association instructor, and a judge, charter member andmarketing chair for the National Association of Treibball En-thusiasts. She is also the owner of Canine Transformations,www.caninetlc.com, based in Langley, Washington, where sheconducts Treibball workshops, classes and private consults.

ResourcesAmerican Treibball Association: www.americantreibballassociation.orgCanadian Canine Treibball Association: www.treibballcanada.yolasite.com/the-game.phpDog Scouts of America: www.dogscouts.org/base/treibball-beg1National Association of Treibball Enthusiasts: www.nationaltreibball.comNijboer, J. (Producer). (2012). Treibball for Dogs [DVD]. Dog-wise Publishing Nijboer, J. (2012).Treibball for Dogs. Direct Book Service Wag It Games: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFHj9lUDAjo andwww.wagittraining.comWorld Treibball League: www.worldtreibballleague.com

• Opportunities to serve on boards and committees.• Access to use logo on dog training websites or in mar-

keting materials.Getting your training club involved in and holding Treibball

classes also has many benefits, to include:• A new and exciting activity.• A team building sport that a variety of breeds at all ages

can enjoy.• Confidence building for young or shy dogs.• A way to encourage positive training, relationship and

games.• Opportunity to teach clicker training, targeting, and

shaping.• Challenging and fun for dogs or handlers retired from

agility, that still need training games.

The FutureStearns states that ATA's goals have always been to “publicize andpromote the sport of Treibball, establish official rules and stan-dards for American play, host regional and national competitionsand award titles, and produce ATA certified Treibball trainers, forteaching the curriculum and judging competitions.”

A foreign affiliate program for people wanting to use the ATAgame structure overseas has also been created.

“We are planning to institute regional directors, in areasacross the country in the near future, to provide support formembers and trainers, and to sponsor judging clinics for mem-bers to gain more experience in hosting and scoring competi-tions," said Stearns.

Treibball is a dog sport that looks deceptively simple. Said

Stearns: “It takes some time and effort to master but it pays offin big benefits to the dog and owner. It’s not an instinctive dog-sport like NoseWork, Barn Hunt or Earthdog competitions, butif you’re a committed training partner, you’ll have a lot of funlearning Treibball together and be truly amazed how enthusiasticyour dog will become.

“Learning Treibball can be the gateway to a better relation-ship." n

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If you would like to host an educational webinar for your fellow pet professionals, submit your ideas to:

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Topics may include training, ethology, learning theory, behaviorspecifics... or anything else you can

think of. We’ll even do some practice runs with you to

help you along (if you need them!)

T R A I N I N G

No doubt you have all heard that the click/marker/bridg-ing stimulus should be quickly followed by the rein-forcer.

Why click ‘stay’ at a distance? The bridging stimulus – theclick – marks the exact behavior we would like to be repeated -the behavior we want to increase in frequency, duration or inten-sity. When teaching a settled and relaxed ‘down stay’ or ‘sit stay’at a distance, I click the behavior of my learner staying while weare both still in position at the distance we have successfullyachieved (by gradually raising the criteria) and I walk back to mylearner to reinforce in position. This obviously causes a delay be-tween the click and the delivery of the reinforcer. Why would Ichoose this protocol?If I were to return to my learner before I clicked the behav-

ior, I would not be clicking for a distance of, for example, 20steps, I would be clicking for no distance at all. If I wish to rein-

Louise Stapleton-Frappell explains how to ‘mark’ the behavior you want during training

to build up duration and distance

It’s All in the Timing


force a close-up duration of 20 seconds, then I would ‘mark’ thebehavior from my position next to my learner. If, however, I wishto reinforce a distance of 20 steps, then that is where I need toclick.In order to help set up my learner for success I begin the

protocol of clicking the behavior and walking back in to deliverthe reinforcer from close proximity. I gradually increase the cri-teria for distance. In this way my learner becomes accustomed tostaying in position until I walk back in and reinforce. He developsan understanding of the protocol. I can also aid understanding ofthe protocol with a few practice sessions beforehand. I wouldstart with a quick click and treat protocol – a ‘rapid fire markand reward’: click/treat, click/treat, click/treat. I would then intro-duce a slight delay between the delivery of the reinforcer andthe next click: click/treat… click/treat… click/treat… I wouldthen introduce a delay between the click and the delivery of thereinforcer: click… treat… click… treat… click… treat. Walking back to my learner before I reinforce the behavior

can help him to develop self-control as he has to wait in positionfor me to return. It also encourages him to stay in his ‘settled’position. He does not need to move – the reinforcer is comingto him. The time delay of me walking back to my learner can ac-tually also increase the ‘value’ of the reinforcer, as the anticipa-tion of what is about to arrive adds another dimension to thewhole reinforcement process. The video Stay - A 'Clicker Tip'demonstrates this reinforcement strategy.Could I use a different reinforcement protocol? Of course. I

could, for example, throw the reinforcer to my learner ratherthan walking back to his position. This would enable a quickerdelivery of the reinforcer but may not be as precise as, unfortu-nately, my throwing skills lack the precision that would be neces-sary to deliver the reinforcer directly to my learner. I recognizemy own skill-set and I prefer to set up both my learner and my-

Author Louise Stapleton-Frappell (left) with her

dogs (right) Tessa andJambo demonstratingsit/stay at a distance

Tessa in the down/stayposition at a distance

T R A I N I N G


self for success. I have worked on my throwing skills and they aremuch improved but this strategy would still undoubtedly encour-age movement out of position. If, however, I were teaching a ‘stay’for animated release, rather than relaxation, throwing the rein-forcer would be an excellent choice as precision would not bequite so crucial. Indeed, I could promote a rapid movement outof the ‘stay’ by clicking the distance and the duration and choos-ing a valuable toy as a reinforcer. Not only would I then not walkback to my learner, I would toss the toy ahead of him to encour-age that jump out of position and would be promoting a speedyrelease to action.What about if my learner moves before I am able to get back

to him/her to deliver the reinforcer? It would not be ideal butneither would it have too great an impact on the behavior as Ihave already marked the established criteria. Using a bridgingstimulus means that I have already effectively communicated thedesired behavior. I would, however, take my learner back to the‘stay’ location in order to reinforce him – yet more communica-tion that this is where I would like him to stay. The what, when,where and how of delivery of the reinforcer is just as importantas the what, when, where and how of the bridging stimulus. Howmuch better is this scenario than my learner holding a beautiful‘stay’ with both distance and duration but then moving out ofposition while I walk back to him without having ‘marked’ the be-havior he so successfully achieved?Remember the how, the what, the when and where of the

bridging stimuli and the reinforcement protocol all affect the be-havior being taught. Could we walk back to our learner beforemarking the behavior and reinforcing? Yes, we could, but wouldthe behavior be taught as effectively? Would we be promoting ac-celerated learning? Would we be setting up our pupil for success?Back to my initial point: No doubt you have all heard that the

click/marker/bridging stimulus should be quickly followed by thereinforcer? I think this should be re-worded: “Theclick/marker/bridging stimulus should be quickly followed by thereinforcement protocol.” My reinforcement protocol for a set-tled and relaxed ‘stay at a distance’ does in fact begin immedi-ately after my click – it begins with my first step back towardsmy learner. n

* Note from the author: I would like to thank Kay Laurence for her invaluable tutelage on the subject of reinforcement.

Louise Stapleton-Frappell BA (Hons) PCT-A CTDI CAP3DN-FSG is a super trainer clicker trainer who has performedas a dog trick instructor at In The Doghouse DTC. She workshard to promote a positive image of the "bully" breeds and ad-vocate against Breed Specific Legislation. Her Staffordshire bullterrier, Jambo, www.facebook.com/StaffyChampion?fref=ts, is atrick dog champion. She is also the proud author and instruc-tor of the TrickMeister training program, www.dognosticselearning.com/TrickMeister, membership managerat PPGBI and regional coordinator of Doggone Safe in Spain.

ReferencesDognostics Career College (Producer). (2016). Stay - A'Clicker Tip' [Video]. Retrieved May 11, 2016, from www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se_cUrKwREM&feature=youtu.be

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T R A I N I N G

Itrain many different animals but specialize in exotics and haverecently begun training animals at a zoo. My position, directorof animal training, involves forming a team to train all animals,

starting with husbandry and veterinary preparation behaviors.The first step was to target a lot of noses, snouts, arms, hands,and beaks to a target stick so, from there, I could begin learningindividual body language of the various species and individuals.

Thus farwe have pri-mates tar-getingout-stretchedarms to tar-gets so wecan preparefor blooddraws, andother ani-mals recall-ing andtouching tar-get sticks to get them onto weighing scales. We havegot almost all animals stationing so we can now changefood and water without the challenge of struggling toget enclosure doors open. The staff and zookeepersare already seeing the differences in the animals’ be-havior, which is, incidentally, one of my several great re-inforcers. Another reinforcer is watching the bondsbetween the keepers and animals skyrocket and therelationships between them improve exponentially.

In this article I want to share what I have beenprivy to with two animals I am training, who are, infact, a pair or American alligators named Priscilla andElvis. The training, learning, interaction and relationshipbuilding I am enjoying puts them among some of my fa-vorite animals to train and they are incredible educa-tors.

To start with, I asked the alligators’ keepers toshow me their winter enclosure where I would begin training.Right after that, I asked to see where they would be on exhibitduring the summer. I then asked what the keepers needed to beable to do inside their summer exhibit. They told me they had tobe able to enter the enclosure daily to clean and check thewater the alligators swim in.

I inquired about how and what the alligators were fed andhow often. At that time they were fed alligator biscuits, which

Not for the faint-hearted, Lara Joseph explains the ongoing process of training a pair

of American alligators to target and station for feeding and to accept a noose

around their snouts for veterinary examinations

How to Train Your Dragon


was their primary diet. I asked if we could add in more variety, arequest that was approved. I thus began training them with ratsand began with taking 600-gram (21-ounce) rats cut into 4-grampieces. That is a lot of training repetitions, as you can imagine.

To start with, I pulled up a bucket beside the alligators’ win-ter enclosure and began interacting with them by feeding thesmall rat pieces with a pair of tongs through the wire gate. This is

how I began learning how theymoved, how they saw things,and if they would respond toscents being softly blown intheir direction. The resultswere immediate. I saw howthey reacted when beingtossed biscuits. They wereslow to respond and they didnot eat all of them immedi-ately. When I held a piece of

rat in front of themand softly blew it intheir direction, I sawan immediate re-sponse as they stoodup and moved in mydirection. This wasthe beginning of myrecall training.

I was very happythat I was beginningto see motivationand it is very satisfy-ing to identify astrong reinforcer.What I saw next in-volved behavior. Myconcerns withPriscilla were quite afew as she wouldcome to the side of

the enclosure and climb up the side. She would keep her backtwo feet on the ground but her front two feet would scale thewire gate. At the same time her mouth would open and shewould swipe her head from side-to-side, chomping at the loca-tion of the scent. I was told by another keeper that occasionallythe leftover meat not eaten by other animals was tossed into thealligator enclosure and this is what Priscilla would do. History ofreinforcement identified.

American alligator pairElvis and Priscilla havebeen trained to targetand station via positivereinforcement

The alligators arenow being shapedto accept touch,building up tobeing able to puta noose over theirsnouts for veterinary examinations

T R A I N I N G


Lara Joseph is the owner of The Animal Behavior CenterLLC, www.theanimalbehaviorcenter.com, in Ohio. She is alsothe director of animal training & enrichment for Nature’sNursery, a wildlife rehabilitation center where she focuses ontaking stress out of animal environments. She is the founder ofthe Parrot Society of NW Ohio and The Parrot Society of NewOrleans, as well as professional member of the Animal BehaviorManagement Alliance, the International Association of AvianTrainers and Educators, and sits on the advisory board for AllSpecies Consulting and the Indonesian Parrot Project. She isalso the director of animal training for the Indian Creek Zoo.

Back to my bucket. I kept the food on the floor to help pre-vent any reinforcement for climbing the wire gate. I began direct-ing Priscilla to my left and Elvis to my right. Before I fed them Iwould tap the tongs on the metal cage bars. This is how I put myrecall on cue. Both rested regularly to the right of the enclosureso it was easy to obtain the initial stages of training Elvis to sta-tion. I predetermined that Elvis would station to the right andPriscilla would station to the left. With Priscilla, I had to keepcalling her further to my left. Three taps on the metal cage barsbecame their cue to come. Once in position for a station, Ipaired high rates of reinforcement with conditioning my bridge.Before Priscilla could raise her front feet, I would bridge and re-inforce, beginning to target all four feet to the ground.

Once I had the initial recall and the target of all four feet onthe ground, I began concentrating on another struggle I was hav-ing with Priscilla. She was snapping her mouth in all directionssearching for the food on the tongs. Predictability has its placeand that time was now. I experimented with delivering the foodto her from different sides of her mouth as well as the front ofher mouth. The area I saw the quickest opportunity for her tolearn was by delivery to the right side of her mouth. I would ‘tap,tap, tap’ on the wire gate and immediately place the tongs to theright side of her mouth. With a few repetitions she learned that asmall swift move of her head to her right resulted with a piece offood easily delivered in her mouth. Within a few training ses-sions, all four feet remained on the ground, she stayed in positionto my left, and after the ‘tap, tap, tap’ she knew her food wouldbe waiting there with a small movement of her head to her right.I then started bringing in the other trainers to keep these behav-iors strong throughout the week. I did not need to train as manybehaviors for Elvis but he also learned that three taps meant‘move a few steps and food is delivered at this part of the enclo-sure consistently.’

While the other trainers kept the above behaviors on cue, Imoved onto the next one, which was the first behavior the zooveterinarian suggested be taught. It entailed teaching the alliga-tors to accept a noose around their snouts for safety of the vet-erinarian during exams (and other contexts).

I asked myself the question: ‘Are these alligators used tobeing touched regularly by anything other than one another?’ Ifnot, then I chose this to be the first step in shaping a noosearound their mouths. To start with I introduced a target stick totheir backs with the intention of getting them used to touch andpressure on their back in the same spot consistently and pre-dictably….for now.

Next I moved the target stick within their enclosure to about1 foot over their head. This was a new environmental event andElvis started backing up and snapping at the air. Could he not seeit? Was this a reaction related to fear? Did he think it was food? Ididn’t know. I redesigned my training plan and began shaping astation as the target stick started going into their enclosure.Within one training session, Elvis was stationing as the targetstick was moved to the middle of his back. Once it touched hisback, I needed to shape the behavior of him staying on his sta-tion. Thus, when the target stick moved an inch over his back,‘tap, tap, tap.’ When he went to move his head for the meat, thetarget stick touched his back. I repeated this with the target stick

staying on his back for intervals of a few seconds before beingremoved, getting him used to being touched on his back. I wasthen able to touch his back, bridge and immediately reinforce.With a few more repetitions, the target stayed on his back a fewseconds longer before the bridge was delivered. I was then ableto begin putting pressure on his back through the stick. Fromthere, I began moving the stick up his back.

Since our last training session, the alligators have been movedto their outdoor exhibit. The first time I conducted a trainingsession with them there I took food with me in anticipation ofreshaping all the above-mentioned behaviors. I had, of course,lost my recall cue of ‘tap, tap, tap.’ Not to worry, I have that oneplanned. I am going to design sorting boards with a lightweightframe and metal fencing. We have found new areas for them tostation and once we get these behaviors again in the new enclo-sure, I will begin moving forward with restraint training. Staytuned! n

T R A I N I N G

A450-pound gorilla named Paul sits in a steel crate in frontof me. As the primary gorilla keeper at the San DiegoZoo in California, I must immobilize any gorilla going to

the zoo’s veterinary hospital for preventative exams as wellemergency procedures. Gorillas are incredibly intelligent pri-mates that can distinguish the sound of the veterinarians’ vehiclefrom others, so the veterinary team radio their instructions tobegin the immobilization from their vehicle several hundred feetaway from the gorilla facility.

I begin the training session with Paul as I do every morning.But today, instead of the usual empty syringe in my hand, I haveone full of anesthetic. I give Paul the verbal cue and hand signalfor a chest presentation. He then presses his enormous chestagainst the protective mesh barrier. Perfect! Then I give him thecue for another behavior, a thigh presentation. Paul turns to theside and presses his huge thigh against the mesh, revealing a per-fect site for an injection. He voluntarily sits still and allows me toinject his thigh and within minutes he is fully sedated and readyto be transported to the veterinary hospital for a scheduledexam.

Not long ago, when zoos needed to immobilize animals, itwas not through a voluntary injection like the one I have trainedPaul to accept. Histori-cally, zoo animals weredarted with a tranquil-izer gun for immobiliza-tions; a method that ispotentially dangerousand stressful for bothstaff and animals. It alsocarries the risk of med-ical complications andmay even be fatal. Dart-ing a gorilla can alsohave severe repercus-sions for building atrusting relationship,which is crucial for cooperation in management and medical in-terventions. This loss of trust is evident by the aggressive behav-iors exhibited towards veterinary staff many years after beingdarted. Other gorillas may pick up on a gorilla’s aversion to vet-erinary staff without being darted themselves. Today, using a tran-quilizer gun is usually not necessary nor recommended for manycaptive animals. In my 10 years as a zookeeper, none of the goril-las in my care were immobilized by a tranquilizer gun; they volun-tarily cooperated with management and medical treatment dueto a training program based on positive reinforcement. Positive

April Bove-Rothwell shares her experiences training gorillas, showing that there is no end

to what can be learned via positive reinforcement and environmental enrichment,

no matter what the species

Living in a Human World


Photo courtesy: Zoo Atlanta

reinforcement training allows zoos to modifybehavior without force or fear while increas-ing an animal’s physical and psychologicalwell-being. As successful as these techniquesare for gorillas in zoos, they also work effi-ciently for pet dogs and all other animals.

Positive Reinforcement Gorilla troops in the wild generally consist of

social structures with one adult male (called a silverback), multi-ple females, and their offspring. Reproductive success, an increasein natural behaviors and the minimization of undesirable behav-iors has been achieved in captivity through establishing gorillatroops that mimic the natural social structure exhibited in thewild. However, this results in a surplus of males, known as bache-lors, in captivity and in the wild. Wild bachelor gorillas may besolitary or they may loosely associate in a bachelor troop. Bache-lors have been historically housed alone in captivity, but manyzoos are now forming bachelor troops to create a more dynamic

Enrichment isoften overlooked

as a behaviormodification tool

but works very effectively because it influences

behavior, evenwhen humans

are not present

Photo courtesy: Zoo Atlanta

Gorillas are now being trainedvia positive reinforcement toaccept voluntary injections,

removing the need to dart themwith a tranquilizer gun, a

procedure that risks causingthem to distrust veterinary staff

T R A I N I N G


overall welfare and the likelihood of thriving in captivity. The As-sociation of Zoos and Aquariums mandates that their accreditedinstitutions provide enrichment to animals in their care.

Environmental enrichment can be categorized by each of thefive senses: sight, sound, hearing, taste and touch. An enrichmentprogram should aim to utilize all of the senses in various combi-nations. Visual enrichment may include provision of mirrors orthe ability to see conspecifics. Music or recorded vocalizationsenrich the sense of hearing. Predator and prey scents as well aspheromones are used as olfactory enrichment. Food is a verypopular method of enrichment; an animal’s diet can be easily pre-sented in a variety of manners (whole, chopped, frozen, blended),hidden in different locations, or scattered to promote foraging.Tactile enrichment allows the animal different surfaces or sub-strates to interact with. Puzzle feeders made out of hard plastic,bamboo, firehose, boxes, PVC or bags are a tactile enrichmentthat increase foraging time and enhance problem-solving behav-iors.

The overall goal of enrichment is to increase the behavioralrepertoire of an animal so it reflects the range of behaviors ex-hibited in the wild. Along with evaluation of individual medicaland behavioral history, enrichment goes far beyond just encour-aging natural behaviors; it has the power to modify behaviorwhen carefully planned and executed. Specific goals may includeincreasing natural behaviors like foraging for diet items in orderto increase activity allowing more access to other animals toeliminate pacing. After individual and group goals are set, a list ofenrichment chosen to elicit or eliminate specific behaviors is cu-rated, along with a schedule, to ensure a variety in types of en-richment. Observing and evaluating each animal’s response toenrichment is crucial to assess if it is meeting the goals of a be-havior modification program.

Environmental enrichment tremendously affected the behav-ior of a solitary bachelor named Maka when he began to regu-larly pluck hair off his arms: a behavior that can be indicative of

environment for these highly intelligent and social creatures. While I was primary gorilla keeper, we formed the first bach-

elor troop in the history of the San Diego Zoo. Behavior modifi-cation utilizing positive reinforcement techniques was a crucialcomponent in creating and managing the three bachelors.

Positive reinforcement training using preferred food items,usually fruit, allows zoos to manage gorillas and many otherspecies without force, fear or physical restraint. Medical hus-bandry procedures in which gorillas have been successfullytrained to cooperate with their own veterinary care include: in-spection and treatment of body parts for injury, collection of res-piration rates and blood pressure, injections of vaccinations andanesthetics, X-rays, cardiac and prenatal ultrasounds, and oralswabs to assess salivary cortisol levels to evaluate stress levels.This training also decreases the overall number of immobiliza-tions and hospital exams since medical interventions could occurduring daily training sessions.

Bachelor troops usually require more management and train-ing than mixed-sex troops as there are more young silverbackswho tend to cause more social conflict. Because of this increasedrisk of aggression with the formation of the first bachelor troopat the San Diego Zoo, it was critical that I established behaviorsfor gorillas to present all body parts for detection, inspection andtreatment of wounds to mitigate the risks of a veterinary inter-vention involving an immobilization and hospital exam. Sincethere is a protective barrier between the zookeepers and goril-las, I used a target stick to reach through the barrier to shapemany of these body presentations. Through a program of pro-gressive desensitization and shaping techniques, I trained the go-rillas to become comfortable with objects near or on their bodywhich they may be naturally fearful of: stethoscopes, thermome-ters, portable X-ray trays, Q-tips, squirt bottles, scissors, gauzeand syringes. Occasionally, there would be regression with atrained behavior which would force me to go back a few steps inmy training plan and reshape it. Many behaviors were trainedwith only a 5- to 10-minute session per day. Therefore, it wascrucial to create a training plan for each small step to shape eachbehavior and to record and score behavioral progress in orderto reevaluate when necessary.

Environmental Enrichment Another effective behavior modification tool that is often over-looked is environmental enrichment. Providing a stimulating envi-ronment enhances the physical and psychological well-being of ananimal by allowing him to express the range of behaviors typicalof his species. Enrichment can also modify maladaptive behaviorscaused by boredom, stress or fear such as pacing or pluckinghair. Wild gorillas spend much of their days searching for food,eating, resting, socializing with other gorillas, and defending theirtroop. These activities expend both time and energy and are per-formed in a very dynamic and unpredictable environment in thewild. Gorillas in captivity exist in a very limited physical spacewhere the majority of their decisions are made by their caretak-ers. They are not allowed to decide what to eat, where to sleep,whether to be inside or outside, and who their fellow troopmates will be. Enrichment, such as puzzle feeders or predatorscents, gives them choice and control, which tends to increase Photo courtesy: Zoo Atlanta

Positive reinforcement trainingallows zoos to modify behavior

without force or fear while increasing an animal’s physical and psychological well-being.

Here, a gorilla prepares tohave his teeth brushed

T R A I N I N G


and/or stressed dogs tend to exhibit, like in-cessant barking or chewing inappropriateitems. Enrichment, along with positive train-ing, helps animals cope with the unnaturalhuman world we thrust upon them and in-creases their physical and mental well-being.This is as much the case for our householdpets as it is for animals living in zoo environ-ments and should always be given the ut-most consideration. n

boredom or stress. Veterinarians warned that he would needpsychotropic medication if he did not slow or stop this behavior.Besides establishing a training plan of differential reinforcementof non-plucking behaviors, enrichment was key in reducing theundesirable behavior until it was negligible.

Enriching adult gorillas can be challenging at times as they donot have much interest in anything not food-related. PresentingMaka’s food in a variety of objects, locations and times through-out the day was very impactful as silverbacks spend the majorityof their day searching for, restingand digesting a tremendous amountof food. Changing the locations andtimes Maka would spend in differentareas of the facility helped to addvariety to his day. Exploring areaswhere other gorillas had been pres-ent allowed him to smell and manip-ulate objects used by others. Healso benefited from increased visualaccess to others but was able to re-treat out of view when he desired.

Making the TransitionIn my transition from zookeeper toprofessional dog trainer, I find mypositive training methods used tomodify gorilla behavior may be usedjust as effectively with dogs (and other animals for that matter).Behavior may vary between species but the principles of learningand techniques to humanely and effectively modify behavior re-main the same.

Many complex behaviors are trained by zookeepers withoutany physical manipulation or restraint: blood draws from a tiger’stail, ultrasounds on a panda’s abdomen, X-rays of a bonobo’shand, antibiotic shots into a polar bear’s leg to name a few. If pos-itive reinforcement can be used to train such complex be-haviors without zookeepers being in the same physicalspace as the animals (as there is a protective barrier forsafety), then surely it can be successful with domesticatedspecies, such as dogs, as well.

Enrichment is often overlooked as a behavior modifica-tion tool with dogs and other domestic animals but worksvery effectively because it influences behavior, even whenhumans are not present. Although most dogs probably livein an environment that is less sterile than those of zoo ani-mals, the home environment can nevertheless become pre-dictable and boring, especially when there are behaviorissues that make it difficult for the owners to take the dogout and about. It is always useful to provide a variety of en-richment options. This can include puzzle feeders and otherinteractive food-based toys like stuffed Kongs, sand boxeswith hidden toys for digging, games like hide and seek (withyou or their toys), NoseWork with items like scentedboxes, and tug toys to encourage predatory behaviors. En-richment allows dogs to express natural behaviors appro-priately as opposed to the undesirable behaviors that bored

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Providing a stimulating environment enhances the physical and psychologicalwell-being of animals in captivity by allowing them to express a full range of typical behaviors, no matter what their species

April Bove-Rothwell BS worked as a zookeeper at the SanDiego Zoo, California for 12 years caring for and training a va-riety of species. As the primary gorilla keeper, she oversaw fivesuccessful gorilla introductions into existing troops includingthe formation of the first bachelor troop in the history of theSan Diego Zoo. She currently volunteers her services at theSan Diego Humane Society’s Behavior Center walking andtraining the more challenging shelter dogs, and also assists atDel Mar Dog Training.

Environmentalenrichment allows dogs toexpress naturalbehaviors appropriately ©

Can Stock Photo/rdantoni

Creating Mutual Trust

Luring: This technique involves showing your horse somethingthat he wants, moving it so he follows, and giving it to him onceyou have reached the end of the movement. This can be veryuseful for the horse who is uncomfortable trying new things; itgives him something to focus on, reducing anxiety. It can also bea useful step if he doesn't understand another method, or is newto learning and needs a little guidance. Example: You can use thistechnique to start teaching stopping and starting as you walk to-gether. Note that luring is a useful tool as a first step, but is not along-term strategy, there are too many downsides when you donot progress from this method.

Shaping: This is used to teach things in small steps rather thanall in one go. It makes learning easy, and it is also easy to adjustfor errors. Reward every step towards the final movement. Thisis good for exercises your horse finds difficult, for things that donot come naturally, and for complicated work. It is also good forteaching precision. Example: Use this to teach your horse to lift afoot. The full movement is to take the foot from the floor and liftit up. However, there are several steps before the foot is in theair. First, your horse will tense his muscles ready for shifting hisbalance, then he shifts his balance ready for lifting the foot, etc.You reward each step until the horse can do it with ease beforemoving on to the next step.


E Q U I N E

Kathie Gregory presents a guide to force-free teaching and explains that making the

switch might not be as hard as one might think

57

Ihave always embraced force-free training in my work with ani-mals. Over the years I have developed and refined my ap-proach, resulting in what I now term freewill teaching.My career has been developed on the basis of force-free

training. However, there are many others out there who wouldlike to make the change from the crossover to force-free but arenot sure where to start. Let me tell you, it can be easier than youthink.

In order to be successful you must first gain your horse’strust. Once you elect not to coerce or force him by whatevermeans, you need to set up a relationship where he is happy to dowhat you ask rather than what you insist on. At this point youmay wonder how you can go from telling your horse what to do(with the help of various equipment) to not using anything. Thepitfalls are obvious: he will not understand you, and there are sit-uations where given the choice, the horse will choose not tothanks very much!

Making the change to force-free is about doing things onestep at a time, not ditching existing methods and starting fromscratch. Building trust in one another takes time. You need to beconsistent, reliable and predictable. Learning to listen, respondand adjust takes practice but is an essential element. Force-free isabout the physical aspect and the emotional system. Ensuringevery encounter with your horse is based on kindness and com-passion where he is not physically or emotionally compromisedleads to a better relationship, improved performance, and in-creased safety for both of you.

Where does one start? Choose something to work on thatdoes not compromise you and your horse's safety or the workyou do with him. This might be teaching him to step backwardsor forwards. It might be teaching him to lift a foot or to walkcalmly by your side. It may be a new movement or trick.

Whatever you choose, you will teach your horse to do whatyou ask without physically doing it for him, using tools that causepain or discomfort, coercion, or giving him no other option. Theway to do this may not seem to be all that straightforward sostart with something simple and non-essential.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Teaching MethodsCapturing: Watch your horse move about and use this time asa teaching session. It is a great way of teaching him to put morecommon movements on cue as he is likely to perform the move-ment regularly. The technique is to wait for your horse to dosomething you want, then reward him. As you can see, it is notmuch use for a movement that he only ever does once in a bluemoon, or for an unfamiliar movement you wish him to learn. Ex-ample: Use this to teach your horse to lower his head.

There are many waysto use targeting, fromteaching a horse totouch your hand, toteaching him to puthis foot on a box


E Q U I N E

Targeting: As the name states, this is used for teaching yourhorse to target a specific thing. There are many ways of applyingthis technique, from teaching to touch your hand, to teaching himto put his foot on a box. Targeting something at a distance is con-sidered a more advanced exercise, but it can be adapted to be-come a basic one for those horses who plant their feet and don'twant to move. Having a tasty treat in a bucket and placing thebucket a short distance away can get the horse moving easily.

CommunicationOnce you apply a method, you need to communicate with yourhorse and give him feedback on what he does. You want to tellhim that he got the right answer, and did what you wanted himto. You can use a clicker for this or you can use your voice. Theclicker is widely known for its use when working with dogs, butit is just as useful a tool when teaching horses. You click oncewhen your horse gets the right answer, at the moment he is atthe end of the movement. If you are using your voice, you canmake a click sound, you can say 'yes', or you can use anotherword. It is best to keep it to something short so it coincides withthe horse's action. Horses new to this way of teaching will ini-tially associate the sound you make with the movement he hasjust done. As you progress he will understand that the sound ishis indication that he has got the right answer, and is not linkedto a particular movement. This encourages him to try differentthings in order to hear the sound.

Positive ReinforcementThis is the part that will make your horse want to try things inorder to hear the sound you make when he gets it right. Afterall, if there is nothing in it for him, why would he repeat move-ments when you ask rather than when he needs or wants to dothem? If we want him to practice and improve we must give himsome incentive. This is his reward, and reason to keep doing

something over and over again.What is a reward for a horse? Horses find many things pleas-

urable such as being turned out after they have done their work,but for our teaching sessions we need a reward that can be re-peatedly used throughout the session to keep him motivated andeager to engage with us. Food and voice praise work very well.Some horses love a rub on their neck or shoulder, which is an-other good reward option. Whatever reward you choose, yougive it to your horse after you have made the sound that marksthe movement.

Quick Guide 11. Choose what you want to work on with your horse.2. Choose the most suitable method to use.3. Make your sound (i.e. your bridging stimulus) to tell the

horse he has got it right.4. Give him his reward.

Adding a CueOnce you and your horse are communicating and you have prac-tised your chosen movement so it becomes easy for him to do,you can then add a specific cue to that movement. The two mostcommon ones are hand signals and voice cues. For example, youcould point to the floor as the signal for your horse to lower hishead. If using a voice cue, you may say 'head down.' Choosewhatever you want, but be mindful that some hand signals arenot possible when you are riding him so you may choose differ-ent ones for ground and ridden work, or one that can be usedfor both. Add your chosen cue when your horse is performingthe movement you have taught him so he learns to associate thecue with what he is doing.

Quick Guide 21. Practice your chosen movement until it can be done easily.2. Add your cue as your horse is performing the movement.3. Make your sound to tell the horse he has got it right.4. Give him his reward.Practice using your cue as your horse is performing the

movement until you think he has associated it with the move-ment. Now it's time to see if he has learnt that the cue means heshould do the movement, by using the cue in advance of themovement.

Quick Guide 31. Give your horse the cue for the movement.2. Make your sound to tell the horse he has got it right.3. Give him his reward.

Useful Tips- Start with something easy.- Help him understand by adjusting for his response.- Whatever response he gives, he is communicating with

you. If it is not the response you are looking for, why? - Are you doing too much at once? Can you break it

down into smaller parts?- Do you need to change to a different method?

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As with other animals,communication andfeedback are essentialin training horses,whether using one’svoice, a clicker orother bridging stimulus

- Are you expecting results too quickly? Do you just needto try a few more times?

- Is he comfortable, and in the right state of mind? Learn-ing is difficult for any animal (or human) when he is anxious or inpain. Some horses find new things difficult and stressful. If he isused to being told rather than asked, it may take some time be-fore he is able to make the first move. Your encouragement, andreassurance are essential. Going at his pace, however slowly, willpay dividends in the future.

- Do you need to just be with him and help him relax be-fore you start asking anything of him?

- If you feel yourself getting frustrated, walk away andtake a break. Your horse is sensitive to your moods, and if youare not relaxed neither is he.

- Start a session with your chosen reward. Don't ask any-thing of him, just give him something nice.

- Finish your session the same way, a reward without ask-ing him for anything. I always say 'all finished,' which lets himknow that we are all done.

Considerations about FoodThere is some unease about using food with horses, a generalperception that it will cause a horse to be rude, mug you, startnipping and/or being pushy. This can happen when working withany animal, it is not unique to horses. There are plenty of dogswho behave in the same manner. The reason for this behavior isthat the animal has not been taught how to behave around food,and in what circumstances it is available.


E Q U I N E

59

Kathie Gregory is a UK-based animal behavior consultantwho trained under Prof. Peter Neville at the Centre of AppliedPet Ethology, and is a practitioner member of the COAPE As-sociation of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers. She has workedwith animals for over 15 years, mainly with horses and dogs, al-though she also works with cats, sheep, pigs, cows and otherspecies. She developed freewill teaching, an expertise focusingon raising cognitive awareness and understanding, in order togive animals the ability to reach their full potential. For furtherinformation, see her blog, www.ataleoftwohorses.com.

Trust ConflictSome believe that you cannot create trust unless you embraceforce-free methods in every aspect of your horse’s life. Ofcourse there is conflict if you use both aversive and force-freemethods, but it is a starting point for you and your horse as youbegin the crossing over journey. The key to successfully makingthe change is to keep force-free and your other methods sepa-rate. This is why I have suggested you start with something non-essential. Force-free activities always remain force-free. This willstart to develop your trust in each other, your communication,and understanding, making it much easier to progress to otherareas, gradually transitioning to completely force-free. n

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The Four P’s

In part one of this arti-cle (see Marketing forService Practitioners,

BARKS from the Guild, May2016, page 58-59) wediscussed that most ofyour clients in the pet in-dustry will come from re-ferrals, usually fromprofessional pet-relatedorganizations like humanesocieties, rescue net-works, veterinarians, andconsumers as well as byword-of-mouth from pastand present clients. Because of this, a good portion of your mar-keting dollars will be spent on marketing materials and promo-tional items to encourage these referral sources. Let’s now lookat some of the tools we have available to us across the marketingmix. Marketing includes EVERY discipline - sales, public relations,pricing, packaging, operations and distribution.The marketing mix incorporates all of the factors you have

available to you to influence your customers to purchase yourservices and products. They are also known as the four P’s. In ourbusiness environments where many of us are selling services thatinclude our direct participation, we can also look at these fourP’s in a different way. The product is us, the professionals; theplace is where we deliver our services; the price is our net value;and the promotion is the role of selling ourselves. What we do,the activities we carry out using the tools available to us aremarketing tactics. Tactics are a set of actionable, task-oriented ac-tivities that are intended to promote the goods and services ofyour business with the goal of increasing sales and maintaining acompetitive product. Next I will discuss some of the key areas that I believe are

important to us as pet professionals. These areas are easily acti-vated and implemented and are affordable in their strategic pur-pose and tactical application.

Public Relations The public relations plan is designed to utilize the media at differ-ent stages of your businesses development. Public relations activ-ities can focus on your pre-opening publicity through newsreleases and informational media snippets and will then moveinto covering the opening launch of your company. Once you arein business, then the focus of the public relations plan is sustain-ing the public’s knowledge of your business. This can take placeby monthly informational releases about your product develop-ment, activities and high profile activities. Your public relationsplan will also develop communications for your companynewsletter, financial stakeholders and company colleagues. Therole of public relations is the deliberate, planned and sustainedeffort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between

an organization and itspublic.A few recom-

mended action itemsare:1. Release

press releases on funny,important or companynews to a minimum offour local newspapers,three online local publi-cations, and local radiostations. 2. Actively en-

courage newslettersubscribers every month.3. Visit and support a local rescue group each month.4. Secure customer testimonials each month for your

website.

Direct Marketing Your direct marketing strategy incorporates direct mail cam-paigns such as postcards, door hangers and newsletters. Directmarketing can be used across three phases: Phase one will be in-formative and logical, phase two will be persuasive, and phasethree will reinforce previous messages, i.e. convincing yourprospects that you are indeed the business to purchase productsand services from.A few recommended action items are:1. Distribute door hangers or flyers to prospects each

month.2. Distribute rack cards, flyers, posters and/or promotional

items to local pet businesses.3. Mail postcards to prospects that have not yet “pulled

the trigger.”4. Mail birthday cards, and thank you for your business

cards to clients.5. Each month publicize up-and-coming promotions,

events and classes to your distribution list.

Sales PromotionsSales promotions in the pet industry do have a role but I do con-sider them short-term and therefore they should be managedcarefully. Sales promotion objectives are to create extra salesvolume for the first six months of opening and during low sea-sons. Sales promotions do not have to utilize discounts but canpackage individual services, offer pre-paid discounts and addvalue to existing sales propositions. You may also want to offertailored trade promotions to select intermediaries who can sellthe product for you, such as other industry partners or referralpartners. A few recommended action items are:1. Develop fun seasonal sales promotions.


B U S I N E S S

Graphic: Niki Tudge

In the second of this two-part feature, Niki Tudge highlights some of the tools available to

pet professionals across the marketing mix


B U S I N E S S

61

2. Look at promotions for loyalty, or booking early. 3. Offer Pet Dog Ambassador classes and or assessments.4. Each year hold a business anniversary event for your

own business.5. Develop packages across services and/or include prod-

ucts.

Social Media MarketingKey social media sites and networking objectives should be usedby all small businesses. Sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Mer-chant Circle and Twitter are a few of the key tools that can beused to help drive traffic to your website. Remember that manypeople on social media sites are there for social activity and notfor hard sell experiences. Information based marketing can cre-ate great information that prospects enjoy reading and that caninfluence them to visit your site where you can offer a more per-suasive experience. A few recommended action items are:1. Have a professional branded Facebook page.2. Choose three or four social media sites you can focus

on and connect them for ease of posting. 3. Consider using a software such as Rignite as an option

for scheduling and managing social media posts across multipleplatforms.4. Set up a free blog account and post a couple of para-

graphs each week that are pertinent to your clients’ interests.

Personal SellingAs a pet industry professional I would recommend that you at-tend trade shows, events and local community gatherings to per-sonally promote your services and products. Personal selling isvery much part of the communication mix. It is two-way and per-sonal. A lot of your marketing focus should be placed on achiev-ing sales through referral marketing, both business-to-businessreferrals and customer referrals. Let us not have a negative con-ditioned emotional response to personal sales! What we do andfeel passionate about is helping pet owners, helping then solveproblems. We provide solutions for them. If personal selling is ap-proached in this way, they we can all quickly learn to enjoy andbecome competent at doing it. After all, this is a people-centricbusiness. I am going to address selling in a little more detail lateron. Why? Because each of our marketing actions is designed todrive people to make a purchase decision. Once someonereaches out and contacts you, they become a prospect. How youhandle that inquiry and how you handle the sales process will de-termine how successful you are in securing that person and con-verting them from a prospect to a client. A few recommended action items are:1. Attend community gatherings each month. 2. Work on broadening your professional referral market-

ing network.3. Cross sell products and services to existing clients.4. Distribute promotional toys, Frisbees or tennis balls to

local dog parks.5. Ask friends and family each month to distribute 10 of

your flyers or business cards.6. Deliver a professional veterinarian pack to at least two

veterinarians each month.7. Each month visit a minimum of one groomer, pet resort,

pet bakery or doggie wash business and talk to or visit with keydecision makers or employees.Selling is not hard if you believe in the service you provide

and LISTEN to your prospects. It is not as difficult as some maybelieve and depends on characteristics that are not commonlyconsidered typical “salesman” traits. The stereotypical “salesman”is an extrovert, a showman and maybe a little dishonest. None ofthese are needed to be an effective seller. What is needed thoughis the ability to listen to your customer and develop a sensitivityto their needs – whether they recognize them or not. Underpromise and over deliver, and always do what you say you willdo.People only pay for what they want, so give them what they

want. The best way to make a sale is to discover your potentialcustomer’s motivation and offer the service that satisfies it. Everypotential customer has needs, plans, goals and motivations. Lookfor their motivation.Once you have identified a client’s motivation, offer them the

service that meets it. Present your service as a solution to theirproblem or an answer to their motivation. Are they motivated tohave an agility dog or are they simply looking to exercise theirdog? If they ask for a service you don’t offer, don’t just say no. In-quire why they need that service. You, as the expert, can offerthem a better alternative from what you offer that will fulfill theirneed. However, never try to sell any service until you understandthe client’s motivation and needs and never argue with their rea-soning. It is better to listen, acknowledge their concerns andthen suggest a solution. In addition, never try to deceive or mislead a potential cus-

tomer. Instead, look for the win-win solution to their needs.Never try to talk anyone into buying a service because if you do,they will cancel at the first opportunity. Be honest at all times.Your ethics, principles and honesty are your greatest assets as abusiness person and this will be recognized by those you dobusiness with. Remember, much of the value in what you offer istrust and confidence. At the end of the day you are not going to successfully sell to

everyone because not everyone wants or needs your services.By listening and quickly determining whether someone is a likelyprospect you will increase your sales percentage and save your-self time and money. And don’t forget to look to current cus-tomers first for sales of new products and services. Selling newor upgraded products and services to existing customers is farmore profitable than finding new ones. n

Niki Tudge PCBC-A AABP-CDBT AAPB – CDT is founderand president of the Pet Professional Guild, www.petprofes-sionalguild.com, The DogSmith, www.dogsmith.com, a na-tional dog training and pet-care license, and DogNosticsCareer College, www.dognosticselearning.com, and presi-dent of Doggone Safe, www.doggonesafe.com. She has busi-ness degrees from Oxford Brookes University, UK and hasachieved her DipABT and DipCBST. Recently, she has pub-lished People Training Skills for Pet Professionals – Your essentialguide to engaging, educating and empowering your human clients.

ReferencesTudge, N. (2016, May). Marketing for Service Practitioners.BARKS from the Guild (18) 58-59. Retrieved May 31, 2016from, www.issuu.com/petprofessionalguild/docs/barks_from_the_guild_may_2016/58ResourcesPet Dog Ambassador: www.petdogambassador.com

Jane Ehrlich started out by taking ethology courses from Dr.Michael Fox (the ‘granddaddy of us all' according to Prof.Nicholas Dodman at Cummings School of Veterinary Medi-

cine at Tufts University) at university in the 1970s and spent 18years volunteering with the Royal Society for the Prevention ofCruelty to Animals in London, also UK while receiving mentor-ship, and then started her own business in her home townPhoenix, Arizona eight years ago. She has been engaged in catbehavior for over 28 years altogether, and is currently the onlyaccredited cat behaviorist in the state of Arizona.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your own pets:

A: My three cats are all rescues. I am owned by an oriental thecolor of plywood, Grace, aged 16 and a gentle lady; Bouvier(named because she resembles Jackie Kennedy), aged seven and aself-possessed diva calico from feral parents; and Lottie, a mostlyoriental tortoiseshell aged five, who has a good heart and lovessniffing other cats’ rear ends.

Q: Why did you become a cat behaviorist?

A: I had to, simply had to. It was a combination of loving psychol-ogy and being entranced with cats' character and beauty.

Q: Are you a crossover behaviorist/trainer or have you al-ways been force-free?

A: I have never believed in aversives such aswater spritzing or even raising one’s voice.Or scaring cats with coins in a can.

Q: What do you consider to be your areaof expertise?

A: Aggression towards humans and otherfeline idiosyncrasies.

Q: What drives you to be a force-freeprofessional and why is it important toyou?

A: It's decency, for heaven's sake.

Q: What is your favorite part of the job?

A: Connecting. When a cat ‘gets it’. Whenthe owner ‘gets it’ and is overjoyed with acat's ‘getting it’ and the owner loves her/hiscat again. There’s nothing like it!

In our ongoing series of PPG member profiles, this month BARKS

features Jane Ehrlich of Cattitude Feline Behavior in Phoenix, Arizona

Q: Who has most influenced your career and how?

A: Dr. Michael Fox. n

The Feline Connection


P R O F I L E

Jane Ehrlich with16-year-oldGrace

Registration NOW OPEN!

www.petprofessionalguild.com/Virtual-Pet-Care-Summit

Cattitude Feline Behavior is located in Phoenix, Arizonawww.cattitudebehavior.com

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Documents

BARKS from the Guild July 2016