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Confident pets through teamwork and rewards

Let's work together creating a foundation built on a trusting relationship between you and your companion. Behavior comes from emotions, physical and mental needs, and predictability. This means challenging behaviors have underlying motivations and by changing the outcomes we can encourage different behaviors.

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By utilizing studied and informed behavioral science, we can tackle behaviors such as:​​

  • basic manners (sit, stay, down, recall)

  • crate training

  • leash reactivity

  • aggression

  • dog - dog behaviors 

  • dog - cat interactions

  • dog - children interactions

  • voluntary veterinary behaviors

  • fearful and anxious behaviors

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A Guiding Hand Goes a Long Way

As an advocate for teamwork and growth, you will see these themes in every session. My goal is helping you find the best connection between you and your pet through training in the lens of positive reinforcement and operant conditioning. 

Animal training is a lifelong commitment and never an overnight fix, all most people need is a little help finding their direction.

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My methods avoid fear and avoidance. Tools such as as e-collars, prong collars, shock collars, or physical corrections can be effective in the moment but contribute to increased stress, aggression, or shut-down responses. I search for the underlying need of your pet's behavior and identify environmental, physical, and mental aspects that may be contributing to the challenges at hand. 
 

So what is operant conditioning and positive reinforcement?

A quick overview of learning theory...

or as brief as decades of research can be!

The Four Categories of Operant Conditioning provided by Low Stress Handling: developed by the late Dr. Sophia Yin.

Download here

Operant conditioning is a learning theory developed by Edward L. Thorndike and expanded on by B.F. Skinner in the 20th century. To put the decades of research in a nutshell, learning happens in cause and effect sequences. "If I do this, then that will happen." From there we observe different functions, or motivations, for the behavior to happen (the why) and the outcome which leads the behavior to happen or to not happen again (was it worth it).

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Here is where we start getting into the scientific jargon: the quadrants.​

We have positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative reinforcement, negative punishment.

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Reinforcement and Punishment refer to how the outcome of the behavior leads to the behavior happening again or not.

  • Reinforcement means the behavior is likely to happen again (increases the likelihood).​​

  • Punishment means the behavior is less likely to happen again (decreases the likelihood).

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What's Positive and Negative? It refers to adding (positive) or removing (negative) something that the learner finds reinforcing or punishing.

  • Positive Reinforcement = add something that the learner likes --> the learner does the behavior again.

  • Positive Punishment = add something that the learner does not like --> the learner does not do the behavior again.

  • Negative Reinforcement = remove something the learner dislikes --> the learner does the behavior again.

  • Negative Punishment = remove something the learner likes --> the learner does not do the behavior again.

A reinforcer is a stimulus that the learner likes (also called an appetitive). An aversive if a stimulus that the learner does not like.

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Now that we got some definitions, how does this all apply?

Behavior does not happen in a vacuum, meaning there are an infinite number of reinforcers and punishers happening at all times. And in different scenarios the behavior may be influenced by different stimuli. So training looks not only at the immediate behavior you want to change but at the greater picture.

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We encourage behavior we want to see by providing reinforcers or removing aversives.

The dog looked at you instead of chasing the cat? They get a delicious treat.

(Positive Reinforcement to encourage looking at you instead of chasing by giving a treat.)

The dog jumped up so you turn your attention away? The dog stops jumping, then you can give them attention.

(Negative Punishment to reduce the jumping behavior by removing your attention.)

The cat is fearful of the broom and attacks when you sweep? The cat looks at the broom, is calm and does not attack, then we move the broom away.

(Negative Reinforcement to encourage remaining calm by removing the broom.)

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What about Positive Punishment? Study after study supports that though it can be effective, positive punishment leads to increased stress, fear, and aggression. My methods follow current research and I do not employ force or intimidation, preventing fallout and encouraging the highest wellbeing we can strive for. Click here for the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's statement on humane training written in 2021.

IAABC -
Who and Why?

The purpose of seeking credentials in an unregulated field.

​Dog training is an unregulated field which means anyone can call themselves anything, no matter the level of knowledge, skill, and expertise. I chose to pursue credentials through the IAABC - the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. As shared on their website here: "In most countries, there are no competence, education, or licensing requirements to take animal behavior clients" and only recently has there been a push for standards and credential processes. Earning credentials helps the field seek improvements for animal wellbeing, consumer protections and client outcomes. The IAABC offers not only US - based knowledge, but offers online professional development, networking, and connects trainers and behaviorists across countries and continents.

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"The IAABC Accredited Dog Trainer credential (IAABC-ADT) indicates a trainer with a sound foundation in the principles and practices of animal training as well as the ability to apply this skill set to a wide range of behavior issues. Accredited credentials are open to any dog trainer and behavior consultant who has experience leading to them working independently with clients." - IAABC 

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This credential required 2 years of experience and working knowledge of learning theory, husbandry (care), training, seminars, mentorship and continual research. The process included letters of endorsements from clients and colleagues, an application which comprised of 108 essays on topics including learning science and general knowledge, scenarios, and training questions.

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These open essays were scored through independent scoring committee members with a standard rubric. Each application section and question has lists of specific aspects and answers that must be discussed. Final staff then review the application to ensure scoring accuracy and that each scorer followed the policies and procedures.

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Each section required a passing score of 80% and an 80% overall rate. My lowest score was 88% and my overall score was 91%.

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