How did I get here?
Back in the day when you didn’t leash your dog and they roamed free, my family had tiny bold and crazy cockapoo . She was a nut and we took her everywhere. Then as a young adult I had a deaf Australian Cattle Dog. Learned a lot with him. Luckily he was easy on us as we were clueless! As family we adopted a herd dog mix and I took my first training classes. It was old school- leash pops, loud ‘commands’ and no treats. Again, this dog was an angel and, now I realize, somewhat fearful. I regret not treating her with more respect. But you do what you know until you know better.
Every dog trainer has a “gateway” dog. That dog you bring home and then realize you just don’t know what to do with them. Ranger is an outgoing friendly herd dog mix. With some major phobias around noises and weather. He needs help dealing with scary things. I didn’t realize that a lot of his “problem” behaviors were related to fear.
The rescue I got him from told me to use a prong collar to make him walk nicely on leash. It didn’t feel right to punish a dog when he didn’t have the skills to walk on a leash. And it didn’t get him to stop pulling. I started classes at a positive reinforcement training studio that used clickers and food. A light went on over both our heads. This can be fun! I am forever grateful to the folks at Ahimsa to showing us the way. It took me a while to really “get it” but I was hooked on dog behavior. Ranger brought me to animal behavior and we are having a ball!
I earned my certificate in Applied Animal Behavior from the University of Washington (2016) then earned my Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Professional designation(2017). Since then, I’ve dived deep into all kinds of behavior studying Applied Behavior Analysis with Dr. Susan Friedman(2018 and 2021) and participating in Convergence of Human and Animal Training and Technology, Control Unleashed conferences as well as multiple KPA Clicker Expos. I completed FearFree Shelters. Attended Aggression in Dogs Conferences.
I volunteered at the Seattle Animal Shelter, starting as a dog walker then as an instructor for dog walkers and as a member of the Dog Behavior Team. The many dogs I have worked with there have taught me so much about stress, fear and reactivity. I fostered two young challenging Border Collies so I can empathize with how tough it is to live with a stressed out dog.
I continue to study as dog training and science is rapidly changing. It is an exciting time to be involved. My focus has evolved from stopping behaviors after they happen to helping people and their animals (and other family members) set themselves up for success. It is more enjoyable to look for good things your dog is doing and reward those than to have them do something “bad” and punish it. Plus it works!
My goal now is to teach humans and animals with kindness and empathy. I want to share what I am learning about behavior in animals with the people I meet. Take a look at my resources page for the books and articles that have influenced me.