Podcasts about american veterinary society

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    Recently, dog training advocate Zak George asked me about crossover dog trainers, and framed the question in such a different way that it inspired replying with a podcast episode. When I crossed over from balanced training to reinforcement based training in 1996, many people asked me why and told me it would not work. I'm sharing my start in dog training, pivotal moments, people and dogs that led me to change my approach, what I learned about myself along the way, and the reasons I never went back.    In this episode, you'll hear:   • About my transition to becoming a crossover dog trainer. • The question from Zak George that inspired this episode. • When I decided to leave balanced training behind. • What I learned from my terrier puppy, Shelby. • The book that changed my thinking - Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor. • When I first saw true autonomy in dog training and how choice transformed my approach. • About my "Shaping Badly" era. • How learning from Bob and Marian Bailey helped me refine my training with clarity and intention. • The shift to shaping with success. • Why judgment holds trainers back. • That change is possible. • Reasons trainers resist crossing over to a positive reinforcement approach. • A special offer for podcast listeners who want to be coached by me and my team.   Special Discounts to Join or Gift our Online Programs Check out our 300TH Episode & 5th Anniversary Celebration Page - https://dogsthat.com/celebration-central/   Resources:   1. Zak George - https://www.youtube.com/@zakgeorge 2. Podcast Episode 146: Balanced Dog Training: Does It Really Exist? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/146/ 3. Book: Don't Shoot The Dog! By Karen Pryor - https://shop.clickertraining.com/en-ca/products/dont-shoot-the-dog-karen-pryor?srsltid=AfmBOoqkL4DLKYAPB1xQMDtJGYDwa1AR0r-AdPOhXo5LFMYe2REoECS7&variant=33778264965258 4. Podcast Episode 34: Time Outs for Dogs: Does Your Dog Need One? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/34/ 5. Bob and Marian Bailey: Behavior by Bailey - http://www.behavior1.com/ 6. Podcast Episode 245: Make Dog Training Easy! Quick Guide To Antecedent Arrangements - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/245/ 7. Podcast Episode 71: Pro Dog Trainer's Secret to Help Your Naughty Dog - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/71/ 8. Podcast Episode 295: Fear Of Criticism? Why Facing The Camera Is The First Step To Becoming A Better Dog Trainer - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/295/ 9. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior - https://avsab.org/ 10. The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants - https://iaabc.org/ 11. Podcast Episode 297: Why In 2025 We Still Have Dog Trainers Who Believe “Reinforcement Dog Training Doesn't Work” - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/297/ 12. Podcast Episode 290: The Red Flag Of Dominance Based Training: Why It's Hurting Your Dog And What To Do Instead - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/290/ 13. DogsThat YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DogsThat 14. DogsThat YouTube Playlists - https://www.youtube.com/@DogsThat/playlists 15. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/rajGh9u8gkw

In this episode, recorded on November 6th, I recap some of the weird moments having to do with pets and other animals in the run up to the election, from Peanut the Squirrel to Kristi Noem shooting her puppy, several stories about people eating dogs and beyond. But the apex of the weirdness came to me in in a speech where Carlson Tucker starts off talking about how American's are too nice to dogs, and then devolves into talking about how those on the left need to be, well… spanked. As a positive reinforcement trainer, I cannot help but reflect on the Trump's win through the lens of animal behavior, as I've come to understanding it through working with dogs. This leads me to wonder what would happen if political governance wasn't rooted in punishment? Is it possible that helping people to better understanding and applying positive reinforcement in dog training could have broader implications for society? Maybe? Maybe. Maybe if we all spent more time training, we'd at least spend less time doomscrolling… This episode includes parts from the last two chapters of my new book, How To Train Your Dog With Love + Science, one about studies that have been done on spanking kids and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's recommendations on using punishment with dogs, and the other on BF Skinner's suggestion for change people's behavior on a societal level without force.An audiobook version of the book has just been released from Tantor Press, narrated by Eunice Wong. If you'd like a review copy of the audiobook, I have a handful of download codes I can share to the first few people who email me to ask! Put audiobook in the subject.Ruff timeline:00:00 Reflecting on the Election Through a Behavioral Lens 00:52 Donald Trump's Childhood and Authoritarianism 02:01 Weird Moments in the Presidential Campaign Note: I edited both the Carlson and Noem clips here for length but without changing the meaning. I felt that playing the clips in full was just too inhumane. 05:54 Tucker Carlson's “Daddy's Home” Speech 07:05 The Role of Punishment in Behavior 08:19 Positive Reinforcement in Dog Training 11:28 The Importance of Good Dog Trainers 13:02 Book ExcerptLinks: Boston Globe article I wrote about Romney and his dog in 2012Mary Trump's Too Much and Never Enough Youtube: Dog BonkingAudio montage clips:Trump “Eating The Dogs”RFK Jr whale incidentRFK Jr denies eating dogRFK Jr bear cub story Kristi Noem reads from her bookJD Vance on peanut the squirrel JD Vance on cat ladies Tucker Carlsons's Georgia Speech This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dogtraining.substack.com

Episode 25 – Dominant Dogs – Do they exist?   This is a big topic and one that often sparks quite a bit of controversy! Dr Katrin unpacks the sometimes-confusing subject of Dominance Theory and why this does not apply to our domesticated dogs and certainly not to their relationships with humans.   In this episode you will learn: 1.      The difference between the colloquial use of the word “dominance” and its technical definition in ethology. 2.      How our domestic pet dogs differ from wolves in so many ways. 3.      Early wolf experiments by biologist David Mech and how these have influenced training methodologies. 4.      Why dominance and aversion-based training can be SO harmful for our pet dogs. 5.      Better ways of looking at the value of resources and how associative learning plays a big role.   Here are the papers and references Dr Katrin mentions during the podcast: 1.    Bradshaw, J. W. S., Blackwell, E. J., & Casey, R. A. (2009). Dominance in domestic dogs-useful construct or bad habit? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 4(3), 135–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2008.08.004   2.    American Veterinary Society on Animal Behavior. (2008). Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory. 1–4. https://avsab.ftlbcdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dominance_Position_Statement-download.pdf   3.    Dominance in Dogs – Fact or Fiction, Barry Eaton, Dogwise Publishing   If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!   Facebook Group: Join The Pet Behaviour Community on Facebook   You can CONNECT with me: Website: Visit my website Trinity Veterinary Behaviour Instagram: Follow Trinity Veterinary Behaviour on Instagram Trinity Veterinary Behaviour Facebook: Join us on Trinity Veterinary Behaviour's Facebook page Trinity Veterinary Behaviour YouTube: Subscribe to Trinity Veterinary Behaviour on YouTube LinkedIn Profile: Connect with me on LinkedIn   Thank you for tuning in!

Hi friends in this episode we discuss keep kids and dogs safe and I share a history of the relationship changes between people and dogs that fostered family unit changes. studies in favor of relations between dogs and the alarm from pediatric community to provide more education to help reduce risk of bites.  the grim reality of bites statistics in the U.S.I provided a learning framework if you live with children and dogsWe also  covered challenges many families expereince ranging from the social pressure and soft manipulation of advertisers and the social behavior we engage in including digital social media  I ended with directing you to resources - both existing and developing educational products we are working on at the Center for Canine Behavior Studies with our  BEBiteSmart free children educational initiative Learn more:Be BiteSmart Educational Initiative: https://www.centerforcaninebehaviorstudies.org/bebitesmartFamily Paws Parent Education: https://www.familypaws.com/Postpartum Help Call National Maternal Mental Health Hotline  or text 1-833-852-6262Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers: https://www.ccpdt.org/ American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior: https://avsab.org/International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants: https://iaabc.org/FearFreePets: https://fearfreepets.com/CattleDog Publishing Home of Dr. Sophia Yin Low Stress Handling: https://cattledogpublishing.com/As always thank you for listening and sharing this episode with others. If you haven't already a question or topic of interest please let me know. I can be reached by email vivian@dogbehaviorandconsulting.com  Know I appreciate you and all you you do for your dog. Until the next time keep up the good work.RESOURCESClaire S.E. Giraudet, Kai Lou, Alan G. McElligott, Mia Cobb, Are children and dogs best friends? A scoping review to explore the positive and negative effects of child-dog interactionsHawkins, Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals & Williams, 2020d'Angelo et al., 2022Patterson et al. (2022) Patterson KN, Horvath KZ, Minneci PC, Thakkar R, Wurster L, Noffsinger DL, Bourgeois T, Deans KJ. Pediatric dog bite injuries in the USA: a systematic review. Acoustic morning leaves TunePocket This podcast is suitable for people living with dogs, not living with dogs or planning to soon. It is ideal for anyone working with dogs or interested in learning about humane best practices. Pet dog guardians, shelters, rescue staff/volunteer fosters, adopters, veterinary professionals, animal trainers, behaviorists, research scientists and anyone interested in learning about dogs, human dog relations, and evidence based behavior interventions. All content provided on this podcast is for educational information purposes only. The podcast host makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information. The host is not liable for any errors or omissions in the information. The host will not be liable for any losses, injuries or damages from the display or use of information. All information provided is not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any conditions. There is no guarantee of human or non human behavior change. If a sudden behavior or behavior persists, please first contact a qualified veterinarian, or board certified behaviorist .

In this exploration, we'll contrast the dog culture in various parts of the world, specifically drawing parallels between the US and Germany. Here, we'll see how a simple walk with your dog transforms into a lesson in maintaining tranquility and mutual respect. I'll also spill the beans on those adrenaline-filled dog parks and doggy daycares - weighing their advantages against potential risks. From my discussion with YouTuber Robert Cabral and world champion sport dog trainer Ivan Balabanoff, we highlight the need for civil discourse about dog training methods and the challenges in engaging in them.Are electronic collars, prong collars, and even choke collars an essential part of training your furry friend? Or can we achieve the same results with early and consistent socialization? Join me, Will Bangura, as I share my experiences as a balanced trainer, and why I firmly believe that these controversial tools are unnecessary. Together, we journey into the heart of pet care and training, exposing the controversies seeping into the industry and discussing the unregulated use of aversive methods by trainers who often fail to understand the root causes of a pet's behavior.Our journey ends with a deep dive into the significance of early exposure and socialization for your pet, as endorsed by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviorists. We'll discuss the importance of puppy vaccinations and the effects of over-crowded dog parks, striking the perfect balance between exposure and comfort. By the end of our exploration, you'll have a deeper understanding of dog socialization, training controversies, and how to ensure your pup grows into a well-behaved and balanced pet. Dog Training with Will Bangura, M.S., CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCPSupport the showIf you need professional help please visit my Dog Behaviorist website.Go here for Free Dog Training Articles

Just when you thought you knew your pet well, it turns out they can be your best adviser when it comes to your relationships. Tune into Pet Talk Today, as I, your host Will Bangura, share intriguing insights into how Lenora's Yorkie, Sigmund, might be trying to warn her about her new boyfriend. Journey with us as we delve into the complex dynamics between pets and their humans. In our conversation, we also blow the whistle on Augusto de Oliveira, aka the 'Dog Daddy.' We break down why his methods are not just dangerous but possibly border on animal cruelty. Hang in there with us as we tackle the controversy surrounding The Dog Daddy,  dog training methods. We bring light to the voices of experts from reputable organizations like the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the American Animal Hospital Association, and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, that condemn the use of punishment in training. We take you through why this could do more harm than good, causing long-term psychological effects on your beloved pets. We also caution you on "quick-fix" training methods and emphasize the importance of patience in teaching our furry friends. This episode promises to be an eye-opener for all pet parents, making you rethink how we treat our canine companions. Dog Training with Will Bangura, M.S., CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCP Visit the Pet Talk Today Website DOG TRAINING PODCASTSupport the showIf you need professional help please visit my Dog Behaviorist website.Go here for Free Dog Training Articles

"My puppy's feet can't touch the ground until he's fully vaccinated."  Is this the best advice for a puppy? The Primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.  Learn more about when and how to socialize your puppy in this episode of The Naughty Dog Podcast. Get a Well-Behaved Dog: FREE Dog Training Checklist: 10 Tips to a Calm Dog without Training https://www.allabouttrainingdogsonline.com/dog-training-checklist   FREE Masterclass: 3 Secrets to Get Your Dog to Listen without Corrections or Collars https://www.allabouttrainingdogsonline.com/masterclass-sign-up-042022   Video Tips on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/allabouttrainingdogs/   Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/allabouttrainingdogs?ref_=pe_2415550_258655370   Services https://www.allabouttrainingdogsonline.com/ ********* Articles mentioned in this episode: American Veterinary Medical Association https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/welfare-implications-socialization-puppies-and-kittens

I recently had the fantastic opportunity to chat with the delightful Dr. Zazie Todd, an expert in dog psychology, canine behavior, and positive reinforcement dog training. Her enthusiasm for strengthening the bond between pets and their humans is genuinely infectious! She shares her wisdom on pet-friendly training methods, dog behavior science, and animal welfare in an engaging, supportive, and non-judgmental manner, truly believing that providing quality information can help people improve their relationships with their dogs and lead to happier lives for all.Our conversation focused on the importance of acknowledging that dogs and other animals have emotions and are sentient beings. Dr. Todd's insightful book, "Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy," offers practical advice for enhancing your dog's well-being and deepening your bond with them through evidence-based dog training techniques. We chatted about the significance of offering positive experiences for dogs and understanding the science behind their behavior.We touched on the value of positive reinforcement in dog training, highlighting how it is essential to avoid aversive techniques. Our discussion also covered the development of the five domains model of animal welfare and the heartwarming connection between humans and their canine companions.Dr. Todd emphasized the importance of using reward-based methods, like treat training, when working with dogs, noting that aversive techniques can have negative effects on a dog's welfare and the relationship between the dog and their guardian.Throughout our conversation, we covered various topics, including understanding your dog's preferences for treats, addressing dogs with sensitive stomachs, and sharing tips for training outdoors. We also emphasized the significance of consistent practice in helping dogs become fluent in a behavior and the vital role that early socialization plays in a puppy's life.Dr. Todd underscored the importance of socializing puppies during their sensitive period, even with vaccination concerns in mind. She mentioned that the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends good puppy classes for puppies aged seven to eight weeks. These classes should provide positive experiences with a variety of people, animals, objects, and surfaces, helping puppies grow into friendly, happy, and confident adult dogs while preventing potential behavior issues.In conclusion, my enlightening conversation with Dr. Zazie Todd shed light on the importance of understanding dog psychology, canine behavior, and adopting positive reinforcement dog training techniques to strengthen the bond between pets and their guardians. By providing positive experiences for dogs, acknowledging their emotions, and using reward-based training methods, we can contribute to their overall well-being and happiness.  Let's embrace Dr. Todd's valuable insights and work together to create a happier, brighter future for our beloved furry companions, fostering a deeper connection and lifelong bond with our canine friends.Follow Dr. Todd at https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/Do you know your doodle's learning style? Take our free quiz to find out and make training together easier and more fun! Visit https://thedoodlepro.com/learning now! Test your Doodle Body Language knowledge with our FREE quiz!https://thedoodlepro.com/bodyVisit instagram.com/thedoodlepro for behind-the-scenes peeks at the doodles Corinne works with daily!

In this episode I was joined by the wonderful Cheryl Kolus. From Colorado, USA, Cheryl is a veterinarian who specialised in behaviour, working with shelter animals (primarily cats) and with pet owners to help them better understand their dogs and cats and manage or resolve unwanted behaviors in their pets. She and her colleagues even published research on cat clicker training. Although no longer in clinical practice, Cheryl remains passionate about animal behaviour and welfare and is always looking for learning opportunities in those fields. She is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, served on the board of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, and is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and the International Society for Equitation Science. Cheryl has been riding horses since she was about 12 years old, mostly doing once-a-week lessons with periods of a few years here and there where she was lucky enough to ride more often and compete on others' horses. Although most of her clicker training experience has been with cats and dogs, including teaching puppy and cat training classes, she actually first learned of clicker training through reading Alexandra Kurland's book on clicker training horses about 20 years ago and has presented locally on equine clicker training. Last year, Cheryl finally purchased her first horse, an off-track thoroughbred mare, Cheerio, and she is enjoying clicker training Cheerio and her baby, who is now a yearling. Here is the clicker training research article that Cheryl was part of https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/7/10/73/htm Here is a link to Cheryl's YouTube channel, it has some cat training tutorials (and she's hoping to eventually add some cooperative care videos with her mare, Cheerio): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtY2iVhf64P7MeWfC2S8ZvA/videos And CLICK's YouTube channel - most of these videos show shelter cats clicker training but mainly they are to promote the adoption of the cat, so sometimes they just show the cat's personalities through petting and playing. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4lMSdccsod13dnSaQXVsBg/videos

What is aggression?   Aggression is hostile or violent behavior or attitudes towards another, and/or readiness to attack or confront.   While some people reference aggression as a personality trait, it is a behavior by definition, and it is a normal behavior. It is important to remember that even with a very solid behavior plan, any animal can show aggressive behavior.   With that being said, it is still not desirable behavior, so in this episode, I am getting into what aggressive behavior looks like for pets, how to tell whether or not it is pathological, how to retrain a pet's brain to respond differently or prevent it in the first place and more.   If you have friends that think you have a “mean” cat or dog, it is likely that your pet is stressed or uncomfortable. Being able to understand where their aggression is coming from and whether it is offensive or defensive is really going to help you, and whoever you are working with, define a treatment plan.   Tune in to this episode to learn more about this and what you should do if you experience this behavior with your pet! Resources Mentioned: American College of Veterinary Behavior: https://www.dacvb.org/  American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior: https://avsab.org/ Fear Free Pets: https://fearfreepets.com/ Low-Stress Handling: https://directory.lowstresshandling.com/ Behavior Success Club: https://www.stephaniebeeson.com/behaviorsuccessclub I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram! Show notes are available at www.StephanieBeeson.com/podcast!

Supporting the human animal bond with Dr. E'Lise Christensen (DVM, DACVB). In our first episode, I talk to Dr. Christensen about understanding fear and anxiety in dogs, signs that a behavior professional is needed, and her passion for helping families and their pets.Recorded April 7, 2021.  Dr. Christensen's bio:Dr. E'Lise Christensen DVM is a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and an international lecturer and author. Dr. C received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2002. She first became interested in veterinary behavior as a high school student when she worked at a veterinary practice and began training animals for pet therapy at a local substance abuse facility. While in veterinary school she researched separation anxiety in shelter dogs, was an assistant trainer at an animal shelter, and studied with numerous board-certified veterinary behaviorists.Dr. Christensen has contributed to articles in Dog Watch, Cat Watch, Cat Fancy, Dog Training Solutions, Real Simple, Newsday, and various other print media. She has been a contributor and guest on Foxnews.com's “Pet Health” and “Studio B with Shepard Smith”, ABC News' “Nightline,” and many other radio programs, television programs, and newscasts. She enjoys lecturing nationally and internationally on an array of behavior topics including, but not limited to, small animal behavior, public health and animal sheltering topics.Dr. C is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) Speaker's Bureau and the American Veterinary Medical Association.Dr C is always working on new ideas to support animals, families, trainers, and veterinary colleagues as they learn more about behavior and managing animals with behavioral disorders. Links:Behavior Vets website (you can find Dr. Christensen here)Theme music composed and performed by Andy Sells

Humane training methods are incredibly important not only for raising dogs with the right temperament, but also to create that incredible human-animal bond with your pet. Dr. Steve Edwards of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) joins Steve to talk about proper training methods. If you've been to the veterinarian and been surprised by the bill, you need to hear this interview. Compared to what the costs are for human medicine, the treatment we receive for our pets is a bargain! Dr. Dana Varble of the North American Veterinary Community talks to us about all that goes into veterinary medicine. Steve's got tips for pet-friendly workplaces and helps listeners by phone and email.

American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) has a new position statement on Humane Dog Training (and it’s free). Steve talks about humane dog training Dr. Fiia  Jokela, AVSAB immediate past president and a resident with the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Dr. Jokela says, “We’re fighting a lot of what’s out there is the popular media.” She’s referring to […]

American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior Position Statement on Humane Dog Training Why do some dogs only listen when you have food and how to combat this. When owners want to see the 'other vet' Flynn's Talk Podcast returns with a great episode interviewing a new graduate vet - worth the listen https://www.flynnswalk.com.au/flynns-talk This episode is proudly supported by Zylkene from Vetquinol- a safe way to help your dog or cat that may be stressed or have a mild anxiety - safe in the young, the old, the big and the small, in the Canine, or the Feline. This Episode is Also proudly brought to you by Delicate Care, an Australian Made, and Australian Owned diet, focusing on diets for various life stages and disease states. Check out the Website for more details. Did you know that for as little as $2 per month, you can become a Patreon supporter of the podcast. That's only $0.50 per episode! But if you want you can sign up to one of the other options, and get some sweet TVTP merch! With Q&A sessions , outtakes, and bonus episodes available for you to listen to now, sign up and get yourself amongst the fun! If you have any questions that you'd like to ask Lewis and Robbie send us an email at twovetstalkpets@gmail.com, or you can contact us or find us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/twovetstalkpets/message

Nora Moran is a director at Puppies Behind Bars, a program that employs prisoners to raise and train puppies who will grow up to become service dogs, therapy dogs, and working dogs. She first learned about the program when she herself got the opportunity to raise a puppy while incarcerated at New York's Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Since her release in 2008, she has been working to help more prisoners raise dogs and learn about training. She and Annie discuss the kinds of work the prisoners are doing with the dogs, and talk about the transformations that take place as prisoners welcome dogs, and behavioral science, into their lives. In this episode, Annie also reads the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's recent position paper on humane training. Learn more about Puppies Behind Bars at puppiesbehindbars.com Read the AVSAB position statement at http://schoolforthedogs.com/humanetraining Mentioned in this episode: Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer's World View Can Improve Your Life by Karen B. London, PhD http://amazon.com/Treat-Everyone-Like-Dog-Trainers/dp/1952960002 AVSAB's Recommended Reading List: 1. Decoding Your Dog (American College of Veterinary Behaviorists) 2. Decoding Your Cat (American College of Veterinary Behaviorists) 3. From Fearful to Fear Free (Dr. Marty Becker, Dr. Lisa Radosta, Dr. Wailani Sung, Mikkel Becker) 4. Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy (Zazie Todd) 5. Puppy Start Right (Dr. Kenneth Martin and Debbie Martin) 6. The Power of Positive Dog Training (Pat Miller) 7. Don't Shoot the Dog! (Karen Pryor) 8. How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves (Dr. Sophia Yin) 9. The Other End of the Leash (Patricia McConnell) 10. Control Unleashed: Reactive to Relaxed (Leslie McDevitt) 11. Animal Training: Successful Animal Management through Positive Reinforcement (Ken Ramirez)

This week, Jess and Scott discuss the new position statement for the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) on “humane dog training.” The organization specifically stated that it is taking a stand against aversives used in dog training this past week.   Has your vet tried to preach a certain methodology onto you in the past? How much behavioral training do vets actually receive?  Does it matter what my vet thinks? For the “Stay In Your Own Lane… and Wear Your Muzzle” blogpost, visit: https://caninehealing.com/stay-in-your-own-lane-and-wear-your-muzzle/ For more information about Scott and Jess and their strategies, please check out: https://caninehealing.com To learn more about our podcast and to keep us with our Quirky Tips, join us at: https://thequirkydogpodcast.com/support Have you ever wondered why your dog behaves a certain way? Are there things you need help with or support? Join Scott and Jess Williams each week as they explore these and other topics. Follow and Watch Us On: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caninehealing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtlRQjjeIHOgEAAlgB3MviA Listen to Us On: PodBean: https://thequirkydog.podbean.com/ #CanineHealing #TheQuirkyDog #DogTraining #Studio21PodcastCafe #UnitedPodcastNetwo

Join host Michele Forto as she discusses the recent position statement on humane dog training by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.  The ASVB supports evidenced based dog training methods and suggests that dog trainers use rewards-based training methods for all dogs. 

Join host Michele Forto as she discusses the recent position statement on humane dog training by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.  The ASVB supports evidenced based dog training methods and suggests that dog trainers use rewards-based training methods for all dogs. 

Lauren and JJ chat with highly credentialed dog trainer Shea Baker about the myths and realities of the discipline. Sources: 1. Meredith E. Stepita, Melissa J. Bain, Philip H. Kass; Frequency of CPV Infection in Vaccinated Puppies that Attended Puppy Socialization Classes. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 1 March 2013; 49 (2): 95–100. doi: https://doi.org/10.5326/JAAHA-MS-5825 2. AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization. American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Puppy-Socialization-Position-Statement-FINAL.pdf Special Guest: Shea Baker.

Today we're talking to Dr. Jennifer Summerfield of Brown Veterinary Services in Wayne, West Virginia. Dr. Jen is a veterinarian and certified professional dog trainer - knowledge assessed and is a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).  Dr. Jen is here today to help guide us through the tangle of information out there surrounding vaccinations and socialization, as well as some other common puppy problems that are best directed towards a veterinarian! This podcast is supported by our members on Patreon. For as little as $3 per month, you can support this podcast and get perks like submitting questions for us to tackle at the end of each episode. Sign up over at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy. 

I'm joined by guest Zach Smiley, CTC and owner of Evolved Dog Training to discuss the importance of puppy socialization, what it is, the best time to do it, steps to doing it properly, and things to consider overall.  - American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) Position Statement on Puppy Socialization:  https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf - The Pet Professional Guild Puppy Socialization Checklist: https://petprofessionalguild.com/Resources/Documents/Puppy%20Socialization%20Check%20List.pdf - Today's episode was brought to you by PupFord. Check out their freeze dried training treats at https://pfrd.site/pupford-treats. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dogtrainingaudioex/support

One of the most important aspects of successfully working aggression cases is often collaborating as a team with a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist.  I'm super excited to bring in another Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist for this season. I get to chat with Dr. E'lise Christensen, who is the chief medical officer for Behavior Vets, with locations in NYC and Colorado. We talk about how to know if behavior meds are actually working, the effects of spaying and neutering on behavior, and how noise sensitivities can affect aggressive behavior, and much more! And this episode is sponsored by AggressiveDog.com, where you can find a variety of educational offerings with a focus on helping dogs with aggression, including the Aggression in Dogs Master Course, the most comprehensive course available anywhere in the world on helping dogs with aggression, and The Aggression in Dogs Conference, a three day virtual event happening from Oct. 2-4, 2020 with ten amazing speakers, all experts in their field.  You can find out more about the conference by going to thelooseleashacademy.com. Dr. E'lise ChristensenBehavior Vets NYChttps://behaviorvetsnyc.comBehavior Vets Coloradohttps://behaviorvetsco.comDr. E'Lise Christensen DVM is a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and an international lecturer and author. Dr. C received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2002. She first became interested in veterinary behavior as a high school student when she worked at a veterinary practice and began training animals for pet therapy at a local substance abuse facility. While in veterinary school she researched separation anxiety in shelter dogs, was an assistant trainer at an animal shelter, and studied with numerous board-certified veterinary behaviorists.After veterinary school Dr. C began a rotating small animal internship at SouthPaws Veterinary Referral Center in Springfield, Virginia. While working there she continued her studies in veterinary behavior. She practiced feline-only medicine in Arlington, Virginia and general medicine in Bloomingdale, New Jersey before entering the Behavior Residency Program at Cornell University in 2004. During her residency she researched the behavior of dogs, cats, and horses and treated behavioral problems in a number of different species. Her most cited research involved evaluating the efficacy of canine temperament tests in the shelter system.Dr. Christensen has contributed to articles in Dog Watch, Cat Watch, Cat Fancy, Dog Training Solutions, Real Simple, Newsday, and various other print media. She has been a contributor and guest on Foxnews.com's “Pet Health” and “Studio B with Shepard Smith”, ABC News' “Nightline,” and many other radio programs, television programs, and newscasts. She enjoys lecturing nationally and internationally on an array of behavior topics including, but not limited to, small animal behavior, public health and animal sheltering topics.Dr. C is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) Speaker's Bureau and the American Veterinary Medical Association.Dr C is always working on new ideas to support animals, families, trainers, and veterinary colleagues as they learn more about behavior and manage animals with behavioral disorders. Work-life balance is her last unicorn. She is also on a crusade to rescue the Oxford comma.

Are you ready to talk behavior?  Grab that cup of coffee and join us for our conversation with Tabitha Kucera, RVT, CCBC, KPA-CPT.  It was such a joy to chat with her-she's so passionate about behavior you can't help but be drawn in by her excitement.  She drops some serious knowledge in this one, and will hopefully inspire you to look at your own clinic environments and patient interactions to be more mindful of patient well-being.  We'll talk all about training and certifications, CE, patient visits, home consultations, pain scales, and so much more!  We just know you're going to enjoy this episode as much as we did!   Links: (SO MANY LINKS!) Tabitha's behavior consultating - https://www.chirrupsandchatter.com/ Fear Free certification - https://fearfreepets.com/ Fear Free Happy Homes - https://fearfreehappyhomes.com/ Karen Pryor Academy - https://karenpryoracademy.com/ American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior - https://avsab.org/ Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians - https://svbt.org/ Karen Pryor's Book "Don't Shoot the Dog" - https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Shoot-Dog-Teaching-Training/dp/0553380397 Debbie Martin and Julie Shaw's Book "Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians" - https://www.amazon.com/Canine-Feline-Behavior-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/0813813182

Welcome back to Your Dog Wants You To Know This! Today we are excited to have Melissa Bain, DVM, DACVB, MS, DACAW, professor of Clinical Animal Behavior at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She is board-certified in both veterinary behavior and veterinary welfare. She also has a Master’s degree in advanced clinical research and is a past president of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.   We are going to dig into anxiety, aggression and why dogs eat feces. When it comes to a dog with generalized anxiety, the best thing a behaviorist can do is manage the expectations of an owner and determine what really needs to be addressed versus what an owner might want to see.   In this episode we’ll cover: The owner’s perception of anxiety vs. the behaviorist’s Managing an owner’s expectations for their pet Behavioral medications for dogs with generalized anxiety Prioritizing needs vs. wants Managing feces-eating behavior Not all dogs are anxious, but they all can experience anxiety. This episode is full of interesting information about the latest studies on medications, best practices for a usually calm dog experiencing anxiety, and why dogs seem so interested in eating poop that you won’t want to miss.    If you’re loving what you’re learning on this podcast every week – Please subscribe, rate and review it by heading to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.   Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Website: https://www.caninecanceracademy.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaninecanceracademy/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caninecanceracademy/ American College of Veterinary Behaviorists: https://www.dacvb.org Find a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709 2020 Veterinary Behavior Symposium: https://www.dacvb.org/page/symposium Decoding Your Dog: https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-Your-Dog-Explaining-Behaviors/dp/0544334604 Decoding Your Cat: (Coming Soon!)

Niki Tudge chats to Dr. Zazie Todd about her new book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. Dr. Todd is well-known among pet professionals for her blog Companion Animal Psychology, but she is also a featured blogger on Psychology Today. Zazie Todd Ph.D. (psychology, University of Nottingham, England) MFA (creative writing, University of British Columbia, Canada) graduated with honors from Jean Donaldson's Academy for Dog Trainers and has a Certificate of Feline Behaviour with Distinction from International Cat Care. She is a shelter affiliate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, a multispecies professional member of the Pet Professional Guild, a volunteer at the BC SPCA, and an affiliate member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.

Dog Behavior and Training - Dominance, Alpha, and Pack Leadership - What Does It Really Mean? By Debra Horwitz, DVM, DACVB & Gary Landsberg, DVM, DACVB, DECAWBM    Behavior Despite the fact that recent studies have reevaluated hierarchy models and have modified our understanding of behavior in the wild wolf, the concept of a hierarchal relationship among dogs and humans continues to be perpetuated. To ensure a well functioning family group, a family needs to know more about canine behavior than outdated strategies focusing on pack structure. In fact recent research has clearly indicated that the longstanding theory which maintained that alpha wolves control through aggression and relentless management is more myth than fact. These theories have been refuted by wolf biologists and if this theory is no longer considered true for wolves, then how can it be considered true for our dogs? New research on canine learning patterns indicates dogs understand us far better than we understand them. How do wolves behave in the packs? Aren't dogs just like wolves? Decades of observation by wildlife biologists of free-ranging wolf packs have revealed startling insight into the lives of these majestic canids. For instance, seasoned leaders of wolf packs actually survey from near the back of the pack when traveling, rather than taking the lead position. Also, in times of scarcity, the leaders allow the young to eat first, rather than feeding themselves first. Wolf behavior experts, such as L. David Mech, have dedicated their lives to observing wolves in their natural state. Some interesting observations include: There is an absence of reports of wolves seeking high positions over the pack, there are no signs of a leader rousting a subordinate from a desired resting place, and an alpha wolf rarely initiates pinning (a dominance behavior). These experts who study wolf behavior describe the role of the wolf leaders as parents— guiding, teaching, and caring for their pack members. When the wolf offspring mature, they do not compete to overthrow the pack leader; instead, they leave the pack, find a mate, and start a family of their own. A parent-family model better describes wolf-wolf relationships than a competitive hierarchy model. Aren't dogs just trying to be in charge? Dominance hierarchy based training methods assume dogs are committed to a battle of supremacy and constant challenge with family members. This premise is incorrect and not supported by scientific study. Trainers advising families to take charge of the pack by eating first, walking through doors first, occupying a higher position and worst of all, pinning the dogs into submission are ignoring the current scientific research and subjecting the dog to unnecessary and sometimes cruel training methods. In reality, dogs have an intra-species relationship and a pattern of behaviors with their human family members that are driven by a variety of motivations, including: genetics, socialization, available resources, fear, conflicts, learning, behavioral pathology and disease. Furthermore, application of scientifically based principles of positive reinforcement, operant conditioning, classical conditioning, desensitization and counter-conditioning programs have been shown to successfully teach dogs desirable behaviors and prevent behavior problems while enhancing the human-pet bond. Pack Leadership Rules: myth or fact? 1. Myth: Don’t let your dog walk ahead of you. If he is ahead of you on a walk, he will walk all over you in all other areas of your relationship! Fact: Dogs may pull when walking on a leash for a variety of reasons. They may have the desire to play, explore, investigate or be social. This can become a learned behavior that is self rewarding; the reward being successful attempts to experience a new area’s odors, other dogs, and people. In other cases, dogs pull to get out of a fearful situation! The second part of this myth is actually more damaging: how a dog walks on a leash does not reflect your relationship, it simply means you haven’t taught your dog to walk on a leash. Teaching a dog to walk nicely on a leash will not improve separation anxiety, aggression or phobias. However, this should not be confused with the fact that dogs that show excitable or aggressive meetings and greetings on walks may need to learn to walk calmly by the owner’s side as part of the behavior management program. Mostly walking nicely on a leash is about manners, training and enjoying something you should do with your dog frequently. 2. Myth: A Tired Dog is a Good Dog Fact: It is essential to meet the exercise and behavioral needs of your dog (and breed) by providing a variety of forms of enrichment. However, exceeding the exercise needs of your dog may actually be unhealthy especially for dogs with health concerns such as heart, respiratory or joint diseases. The fact is that exercise needs will vary according to breed, age, health and individual personality. In addition there are many ways in addition to exercise to enrich the lives of our pets including social, exploratory and mental stimulation (see Working for Food and Enrichment, Predictability, and Scheduling). A 2-mile run, a swim, and a chance to play with another dog may be ideal for some Labrador retrievers, while a bichon’s needs may be met by a short walk to the coffee shop and doing tricks for the other patrons. However, fulfillment of basic exercise needs alone does not prevent problems of boredom or unruly problems. Exercise does not prevent aggression, separation anxiety, phobias, or compulsive disorders. There are many athletically fit dogs that demonstrate aggression! 3. Myth: Your dog should wait while you pass through doorways before your dog. Fact: Dogs should be taught nice manners at doorways: go out when told, wait when asked to and don’t knock people over. Doorways are man-made structures that have little significance to a dog. Most wolves have a narrow inconspicuous opening to their den and wolf biologists do not observe confrontations regarding the order wolves utilize a den entrance. This is relevant for manners and safety – your dog should not knock you over as you pass through a doorway and he should not escape past you. In addition, if your dog tends to pull excessively or show aggression when meeting or greeting new people and pets, he should be trained to follow you out the door. However, adherence to these guidelines does not signify your dog’s respect, admiration or allegiance. In fact, a dog that is punished may learn not to go through a doorway when a specific person is around because he has learned from past experience punishment occurs; this is fear, not respect. 4. Myth: Eat before your dog; this shows him you are his alpha leader. Fact: Dogs naturally associate food rewards as an indication the immediately preceding behavior was appropriate. Dogs are scavengers by nature and while he may longingly desire what you are eating, he is not reflecting on his place in the pack while he watches you eat. Simply put, because we provide the food, our dogs cannot eat unless we give them the food regardless if we eat first or second. Dogs learn best by operant conditioning and food rewards facilitate that learning process much like a wolf would learn how to hunt a prey. A successful hunt means that a wolf will likely try that strategy again. By the way, wolves in packs do not display a meal time hierarchy: in times of plenty; everyone eats together and in times of scarcity the parent wolves make certain their offspring are fed first. 5. Myth: Don’t allow your dog on the furniture or on your bed. If you allow your dog to be on the same level as you, you are elevating his status and lowering yours. Fact: Neither dogs nor wolves use elevated positions to infer social meaning. Wildlife biologists who have spent their lives observing natural wolf pack behavior do not observe acquisition of higher places to be associated with confrontation or challenge among wolves. Dogs or wolves may choose to occupy a comfortable location. They may select a location to observe prey or approaching enemies. The pertinent questions become: Do you want your dog on the bed, couch or chair? Is it safe to have your dog in those places with you? Do you enjoy that interaction with your pet or would you rather not have dog hair in your bed? This is a personal decision based on how you enjoy interacting with your pet and if it is safe. This matter only becomes relevant for behavior issues if a dog is aggressive to people while in these vulnerable positions. So, cuddling in bed with a dog that may wake up suddenly and react by startled aggression is a bad idea because it puts people at risk for an aggressive episode not because the dog infers some hierarchal privilege by being in the bed. 6. Myth: If you establish eye contact with the dog, the dog must avert his gaze first. Fact: Teach your dog to watch your face on cue; then you have his attention and if your dog is watching you instead of something else many problems can be avoided. Dogs do display submission or appeasement by diverting their eyes. It can also mean fear, conflict or anxiety (see Canine Communication – Interpreting Dog Language). New research suggests that dogs have the innate ability to observe and learn from human gestures and eye gaze. Curiously wolves did not display this ability. Dogs can also be taught to watch a person’s face on cue and this can be very helpful in the prevention and treatment of behavior problems. For example, if a dog doesn’t like other dogs then while passing other dogs he can be given a “watch” cue and rewarded for watching his owner Aren't behavior problems resolved by pack leadership and obedience training? Dogs are simply not trying to take over the pack or be in charge. Dogs are learning how to interact by assessing what works and what doesn’t with each interaction. Dogs are great students of human behavior and draw conclusions based on your actions. Punishment, deference and fear as training methods do not foster a mentally, emotionally and behaviorally sound dog. A mentally and emotionally healthy dog is not necessarily achieved with obedience training. Families that focus on socialization, positive reinforcement, avoidance punishment based strategies and clear and predictable interactions will be rewarded by a dog that is an enjoyable member of the family. Additional reading: Visit the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior website www.avsabonline.org and read each of the position statements but particularly those on dominance and punishment. "The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species" David Mech "Dominance Fact or Fiction" Barry Eaton Family Dog Project Ádám Miklósi http://familydogproject.elte.hu/index.html

What is one of the most common forms of pain in our pets, yet usually goes undetected and untreated? Chronic muscle pain, known as "myofascial pain syndrome" (MPS). Our animals are masters at hiding this pain, and experience far more discomfort than we realize. Learn ways to reduce their pain, as Charly Kayle goes to the expert, Dr. Ilana Strubel, MA, DVM, CVSMT, CCRT, to find out what we can do.... as well as what all those letters mean!  On today's episode: 1:45 - What do all those letters after your name mean? 3:30 - What is MPS - myofascial pain syndrome? 10:35 - An often undiagnosed ailment 13:00 - Treatment options 19:20 - Simple home remedies  Dr. Ilana Strubel, MA, DVM, CVSMT, CCRT, owner of A Well Adjusted Pet Veterinary Services in Pacifica, CA, has a special interest in Integrative Medicine – treating her patients' entire well-being: body, mind, and quality of life – especially tackling behavior problems, pain management, and mobility issues. She holds a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois, a certification from Donald G. Low-CVMA Practitioner Fellowship at UC Davis, and is certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy (VSMT/Chiropractic), Animal Acupressure, and Canine Rehabilitation Therapy (CCRT) with additional training in Sports Medicine and Conditioning, Geriatric Patient Rehabilitation, Nutrition, and Veterinary Orthotics & Prosthetics. She is a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the College of Animal Chiropractors, and the Association of Animal Rehabilitation Veterinarians (AARV). She currently serves on the board of Paw Fund (vet care for low-income pet owners in the East San Francisco Bay Area), volunteers with the veterinary department of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue,founded Veterinary Street Outreach Services (VET SOS) (vet care for the pets of San Francisco's homeless community), and has served on the board of Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS-SF), San Francisco Aid For Animals (SFAFA), and Rocket Dog Rescue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summary: Dr. Jennifer Summerfield is a veterinarian and Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), with a focus on treating behavior problems including aggression to humans or other animals, separation anxiety, and compulsive behavior disorders. She also teaches group classes and private lessons in basic obedience for pet dogs, and coaches students getting started in dog sports such as agility and competitive obedience.   Jennifer is proud to be a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). She is a passionate advocate for positive, science-based methods of training and behavior modification, and loves helping pet owners learn to communicate more clearly with their dogs. Links mentioned: Behavior Medication: First-line Therapy or Last Resort? Dr. Jen's Blog Dog Talk with Dr. Jen (Podcast) Train your dog now! by Dr. Jennifer Summerfield (book) Next Episode:  To be released 8/10/2018, featuring Nancy Tucker, talking about how to stop your dog from going crazy at the door. TRANSCRIPTION: Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online school dedicated to providing high-quality instruction for competitive dog sports using only the most current and progressive training methods. Today we’ll be talking to Dr. Jennifer Summerfield. Dr. Jen is a veterinarian and Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), with a focus on treating behavior problems including aggression to humans or other animals, separation anxiety, and compulsive behavior disorders. She also teaches group classes and private lessons in basic obedience for pet dogs, and coaches students getting started in dog sports such as agility and competitive obedience.   Jennifer is proud to be a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). She is a passionate advocate for positive, science-based methods of training and behavior modification, and loves helping pet owners learn to communicate more clearly with their dogs. Hi Jen, welcome to the podcast! Jennifer Summerfield: Hey Melissa. I am excited to be here. Melissa Breau: To start us out, can you share a little bit about your own dogs, who they are, and anything you’re working on with them? Jennifer Summerfield: Definitely. I have three dogs at the moment. They are all Shelties. The oldest one is Remy. He just turned 10 years old this year, so double digits now. He’s my old man. We were really excited this past summer because he just finished his PACH, which so far is our highest pinnacle of achievement in agility, and it only took us ten years to get there, so, you know, better late than never! So that’s been really exciting for him. And I finally just got the courage worked up to enter him in AKC Premier in the next trial that we’re entered in, in August. It’s a bit of a new adventure for us because we’ve never tried that before, but I figure what the heck. My middle dog, Gatsby, is 4-and-a-half years old, he’ll be 5 this November, and he is working on his agility titles as well. He currently is in, I want to say, Master Jumpers and Excellent Standard. His agility career has been a little bit slower than Remy’s. He’s had some stress-related weave pole issues that we’re working through, and he also had some really significant dog-reactivity issues when he was younger, so we spent a lot of time when he was about a year and a half to 2 years old or so just working through that to get him to the point where he could even go to agility trials successfully without having a meltdown. So for him, just the fact that he has any titles at all and can occasionally successfully trial is a pretty great accomplishment. But I have him entered in a couple of trials this fall as well, so hopefully we’ll keep building on that. And then my youngest dog, Clint, he is 4 years old now, and his history was a little bit different. He came to me as an adult, almost a year old, because I really wanted a dog to show in conformation. When I got Gatsby as a puppy, he was supposed to be my conformation dog. That’s what we were hoping for, but … I don’t know how much you know about Shelties and conformation, but the height thing is a killer. It looked like he was going to be in size on the charts and everything, and then when he got to be about 6 months old, he was over. So I got Clint a little bit later at a year old from his breeder, and he was already a finished champion at that point, so he knew what to do, which was perfect because I was a total beginner. So I had a really good time showing him for about a year after I got him. We finished his Grand Championship together, so that was really cool. And now we’re branching out and he’s starting to learn some agility and some other things as well. So that’s my guys in a nutshell. Melissa Breau: I’ve got a bit of a chicken-or-egg question for you here. Did dog training come first, or did becoming a vet come first? How did you get into all this stuff? Jennifer Summerfield: Funnily enough, I’ve been interested in dog training and dog behavior from as early as I can remember, even before we had a dog. When I was a kid, I was really crazy about dogs, and I was fascinated by dog training. I had books and books and books, just shelves of books on training dogs, obedience training, and also a bunch of random stuff, like, I had books on Schutzhund training, and books on herding training, and books on service dog training, and just everything I could get my hands on. One of the really formative experiences of my childhood was that my aunt took me to an obedience trial that was at that time … I don’t remember what the name of the kennel club is, but our local kennel club in Charleston — I live in West Virginia — used to have their show at the Civic Center every year, and they would have an obedience trial as part of that. And so my aunt took me one year. I must have been 8 or 9, something like that, and I just remember being absolutely riveted by watching the dogs in the obedience trial, which I guess is maybe a funny thing in retrospect for an 8- or 9-year-old to be riveted by, but I was. I remember watching that and thinking it was absolutely the most amazing thing I had ever seen, and I wanted to do it more than anything, hence all the books and all of that stuff. I wrote to the AKC when I was a kid to ask for a copy of the obedience regulations, because I had read that that was how you could get them. This was back before everything was online, you know, this would have been the early ’90s. So I wrote to the AKC and I remember being super-excited when they sent the manila envelope back that had the obedience regulations in it. I read them and I was just super-fascinated and I knew that was what I wanted to do. We got my first dog when I was about 16, and he was a Sheltie named Duncan, so I did a lot of training with him. We were never very successful in the obedience ring, which was completely my fault, not his. But I’ve just always been really fascinated by the idea of being able to communicate with another species that way, being able to have that kind of relationship with a dog where they understand what you want them to do and there’s all this back and forth communication going on to do these really complicated, fancy things. So when it came time to start thinking about what I actually wanted to do with my life, around junior high school, high school, getting ready to go to college, I always knew that I wanted to do something related to dog training or dog behavior, and I thought about several different ways of going about that. I considered the idea of just being a professional dog trainer straight out, but I was a little bit nervous about that because I wasn’t quite sure if it was easy to make a living doing that, or how one got established, and I was a little bit concerned. It didn’t feel very stable to me, but who knows, but I wanted something that felt like there was more of an established career path for it, I guess. Of course I thought about veterinary medicine, because that’s one of the most obvious things that everybody thinks about when they want to work with animals. And I did actually give some thought in college to going to graduate school and getting a Ph.D., and then possibly becoming an applied animal behaviorist that way, but there were two reasons I opted not to go that route, and one was that I discovered in college that research is really not my thing, and I knew that unfortunately that was going to be a big part of life getting a Ph.D., so that was kind of a strike against it. So what I ultimately decided to do instead was go to veterinary school, and what I liked about that idea was that I felt like I would always have something to fall back on, regardless. I knew that I could do behavior, hopefully relatively easily, I could get into doing that with a veterinary degree, but I could also just be a general practice veterinarian too, if need be, and actually I really like that aspect of my job right now. So that’s how I ended up in vet school, but it really was always kind of a back door way to get into the world of behavior. Melissa Breau: That’s awesome. It’s fantastic that that appealed to you at such a young age. I think that a lot of people who listen to this podcast can probably relate to that. Jennifer Summerfield: I think this was probably the audience that would relate to it. It’s only in retrospect that I realize what a strange little child I probably was. Melissa Breau: Hey, you’re not alone out there. Dr. Jennifer Summerfield: That’s right! Melissa Breau: So how did you become interested in it from such a young age? Were you always a positive trainer? Is that how you started out, or did you cross over at some point? How did that happen? Jennifer Summerfield: I do consider myself to be a crossover trainer, and I think a lot of that has to do with the kind of information that was out there at the time that I first started getting interested in these things and I was first collecting all my books and reading everything. This was the ’90s, for the most part, so positive training I know was starting to become a thing around that time, but it wasn’t, as I recall, super mainstream, at least not where I was, and in the things that I was reading and the classes that I was going to. Most of the books I had, of course, probably like a lot of people at that time, were pretty correction-based, and they talked about how you needed to be in charge, and you needed to make sure that your dog knew who was boss, and that you had to be really careful about using cookies in training because then your dog gets dependent on them, and of course you don’t want your dog to just be working for cookies, you want them to be working for you, and I thought all that made a lot of sense at the time. When I was first working with Duncan, I had this book that was about competitive obedience training, specifically, and I remember working through this book and just working religiously on doing everything it said. I remember teaching him to heel, and the way that the book said that you taught your dog to heel was you put a choke collar on them and you walked around in circles in the yard, and every time they got in front of your leg, you gave a leash correction and you jerked them back and you just did that until they figured it out. That’s how Duncan learned to heel, and obviously if I had it to go back and do it over again, I would do it differently. But he was a good dog, and he learned, and it worked reasonably well. Like I said, we never got to the point of having any great successes in the obedience ring, for probably a lot of other reasons besides that, but that’s kind of how I got started. As I got older and I started reading more things, one thing that I remember that was a big turning point for me was reading Jean Donaldson’s book The Culture Clash. I know that probably a lot of your listeners are familiar with that book, because I know it’s kind of a classic in the world of behavior, but it’s very much about how most of the things our dogs do that bother us are just dog things. They’re just doing things that dogs do, and those things happen to bother us, and that’s reasonable sometimes and we can teach them not to do those things. But that was such a revolutionary thing for me to think, like, You mean it’s not all about that my dog is trying to be in charge and he needs to know that this stuff’s not allowed. She just made so much sense. At that time I had never heard anybody put it that way before, and I want to say that was really the first time that the idea of positive training was presented to me in a way that made a lot of sense. As I got older, of course, and started to learn more about the scientific side of things — you know I’m a huge science nerd, as probably most people are who go to the trouble of getting a veterinary degree — and so as I learned more about the scientific side of things, then I was sold, because obviously the scientific consensus is unanimous that clearly there’s a way to do things that works a lot better than using correction-based techniques, and that there’s lots of really valid scientific reasons to use positive reinforcement training. So I would say by the time I started vet school, I was pretty solidly in that camp. The other thing that probably cemented it for me was seeing the difference in how quickly Duncan learned things, for one thing, once I switched. He learned to heel the old-fashioned way, but he learned to do his dumbbell retrieve with a clicker, and he loved his dumbbell retrieve. He would find his dumbbell, if I forgot to put it away after a training session, he would find it and bring it to me and sit, and he just had an enthusiasm for it that he never, ever had for the things we learned when I was still teaching the old way. And then, when I got my dog Remy, who was the second dog I had, the first dog after Duncan, who by that point I was pretty solidly in the positive reinforcement camp, and he learned to heel with a clicker. Looking at the difference between the two of them, both in terms of how technically good their heeling was, but also just looking at their attitude differences and how much they wanted to do it, I knew, I think, after I had done a little bit of work with Remy and seen that kind of difference, that I would never train another dog with corrections again. Melissa Breau: Sometimes the proof really is in the pudding. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t go back. Jennifer Summerfield: Yeah, and I guess that’s a pretty common experience, I think. I feel like I hear a variation of that from a lot of crossover trainers, that it’s a combination of understanding the science, but also when you see it, you see the difference in your own dog or in a client’s dog and you say, “Why on Earth did I ever used to do it a different way?” Melissa Breau: Absolutely. I’d imagine that being a vet and a dog trainer, you’ve got a lot of knowledge there. How does one body of knowledge inform the other, and how have they both influenced your career? Jennifer Summerfield: I’m really glad, looking back, that I did make the choice to go to vet school, because I think that’s a good skill set to have. Obviously I like being a vet. I am in general practice. Even though I spend a fair amount of my time seeing behavior cases, I do general practice stuff too, which I really enjoy. But that skill set is definitely useful for seeing behavior cases because there are a lot of behavior issues dogs have, and training issues, that have a physical component to them, and it’s very handy to have that knowledge base to fall back on, so that if somebody comes in and they say, “My dog’s having house training issues all of a sudden again, and he’s always been house trained, but now I don’t know what’s going on,” to be able to say, “Well, you know, your dog might have a urinary tract infection,” or “Your dog might have Cushing’s disease,” or “Your dog might have diabetes.” These are things that sometimes people think they have a training problem or behavior problem when actually they have a medical problem. So it’s definitely useful to have that knowledge base to be able to say, “Well, actually, maybe we should look at this.” Both being a veterinarian and being a dog trainer are fields that I think people feel like they have to do with dogs, or they have to do with animals, I guess, more broadly, being a veterinarian. And that’s true, but what sometimes I think people don’t realize, if you’re not in one of these two professions, is how much they have to do with people, because all of the animals come with a person, and it would be rare, being either a dog trainer or a veterinarian, that you’re dealing much directly with the animal. Your job in both of those fields is to coach the owner on what they need to be doing and figuring out what works for them, and engaging in some problem-solving with them and figuring out what they’re able to do with their lifestyle, whether it’s training their dog not to jump on people or whether it’s managing a chronic disease like diabetes. So I think that in a lot of ways that skill set, the people skills part of things, is something that has gotten to be strengthened and developed by doing both of those things. So I think all in all it worked out for the best. Melissa Breau: The last guest we had on — you’ll be right after Sue — the last guest we had before that was Deb Jones, and we were talking all about that piece of it, just the idea that if you’re a dog trainer, you’re training people, you’re not training dogs. It’s such a big difference. Jennifer Summerfield: Yeah. We do Career Day periodically for a lot of the elementary schools, but also junior highs and high schools in the area, because everybody wants a veterinarian to come for Career Day. And it’s amazing, of course, the common thing that you hear from people sometimes is, “Oh, I want to go into veterinary medicine because I really like animals but I don’t like people.” I say, “Well, then, I don’t know if this is the career for you, because it’s very, very, very, very people-centric. It’s all about people, so you really need to like dealing with people and enjoy that aspect of it too.” Melissa Breau: To shift gears a little bit, I know you’ve got a webinar coming up for FDSA on behavior medications, so I wanted to talk a little bit about that stuff too. At what point should someone start thinking about meds versus training for a behavior problem? Jennifer Summerfield: What I always harp on about this, and I actually have a blog post that I wrote a while back on this topic specifically, is that I really wish we could get more into the habit of thinking about behavior medication as a first-line treatment option for behavior issues. I see so many cases where I think people want to save that as a last resort, like, “Well, we’re going to try everything else first,” and “We’ve been working on this for a year and a half, and nothing’s helped, and maybe it’s time to consider meds.” I totally get where they’re coming from with that. I know that there are a lot of reasons people are nervous about medication. But it makes me sad in a lot of ways because I see so many dogs that I think, My goodness, their quality of life could be so much improved with medication, or The training plan that they’re working on could go so much smoother, and be so much less stressful for both the owner and the dog, if they were willing to consider medication earlier in the process. So for me, when I see behavior cases, certainly not every single one do we go straight to medication, but I would say that, gosh, probably a good 70 or 80 percent of them we talk about medication on that first visit, because usually if there are things that are legitimate behavior issues rather than training problems — which I can touch on here in a second, too, if you want — but if it’s a behavior issue that is enough of a problem that the owner is willing to schedule an appointment for it and pay for the consultation and sit down with me for three hours and talk about it, chances are that it’s something that could benefit from medication of some kind. I see so many dogs that do better on meds, and there’s very few downsides to them, so in general not anything to be scared of, and not anything that you have to feel like you have to avoid until nothing else has helped. I think of it more as it’s just like if your dog had an infection. You wouldn’t say, “Well, I really want to try everything we can possibly do until we put him on antibiotics.” Or if he had diabetes, “I really don’t want to use insulin. I just really, really don’t want to use it.” I think we just think of behavior medication differently, which is too bad in a lot of ways, and I would love to see the mainstream thinking about behavior medication move more towards the same way that we use medication for anything else. Melissa Breau: You said you could touch on the behavior stuff in a second. I’d love to have you elaborate. What did you mean? Jennifer Summerfield: As far as determining whether you have a behavior problem versus a training problem, which I do think can be a little bit of a muddy line sometimes for owners, the way that I usually try to break that down for people is that if you have a training problem, this is usually your dog is normal. Your dog is doing normal dog things that happen to be annoying to you or to other people, which is fine. And that’s legitimate, that’s still definitely something that we want to address, so I’m not saying that as like, “See, this isn’t a problem.” It’s totally a problem if your dog is flattening old ladies when it tries to say hi, or something like that. That’s a problem, but it’s a training problem. If your dog is friendly but otherwise normal, it’s not something that we would treat with medication, because this is just something that we need to teach your dog a different behavior to do in that situation. Whereas things that we think of more as behavior issues are things that have some kind of emotional component to them, so things that have an anxiety component, that’s probably the most common. The vast majority of behavior issues that we see do have an underlying anxiety component. But it’s that, or it’s a compulsive behavior issue, or it’s something that’s not normal, a genuinely abnormal behavior that the dog is doing. That’s when at that point that we think they’re more of a candidate for medication. Melissa Breau: That makes sense. It’s kind of, “Is this a normal behavior or is this …” Jennifer Summerfield: Exactly, exactly. I can’t remember who it was, but I know one year I was at a conference and I was listening to a talk on behavior medication, and I remember the way that the speaker put it, which I really liked, was one of the ways they look at whether it’s a true behavior problem that needs medication or not is, Is it something that’s bothering the dog, or is it just bothering you? Which was a great way to word it. Melissa Breau: Yeah, I like that. I’d love to include a link to the blog post that you mentioned that you wrote a while ago in the show notes. Would you be willing to shoot me over a link to that when you get a chance after we’re done? Dr. Jennifer Summerfield: Absolutely, yeah, I could definitely shoot that over to you. Melissa Breau: Awesome. To get back to the behavior meds thing, what are some signs that medications might really have a positive influence on a behavioral problem? Is there something about a problem that you go, “Oh, that, definitely. We can work on that with medication”? Jennifer Summerfield: Yeah, I would say a little bit of what we touched on a minute ago, in that anything that we think has a significant anxiety component to it, which is a lot of things. That encompasses things like separation anxiety, or thunderstorm phobia, or dogs that are generally anxious and constantly on edge and have trouble settling. Anytime we get the sense that, “Hey, this dog seems to be abnormally fearful or worried about things that are pretty normal in life that a ‘normal’ dog shouldn’t be fearful or worried about,” then that’s a pretty good indicator that medication would probably be helpful. The other big thing that makes me think, We should consider meds here is if the people have already been doing some work as far as training or behavior modification that’s appropriate, something that’s like, “OK, that sounds like a pretty good plan,” and they’re just having a really hard time making any headway, that, to me, is a strong indication that we could probably help that process along quite a bit with medication. The problem with a lot of dogs, especially if we’re working on something like, say, leash reactivity, for example, where we know how important it is from a behavior mod standpoint, how important it is to keep the dog below threshold while we’re working with it, for some dogs that are just so sensitive, that’s incredibly difficult because it doesn’t take anything at all to send them over threshold, and it can be really hard to find that little window of opportunity to even start working on training in a way that’s going to be successful. So in a dog like that, for example, medication can be really helpful to just bring things down enough that the dog is able to think, that you’re able to get that little toehold of space where the dog is able to see the trigger and not react so that you actually have some room to do your training. Melissa Breau: If somebody is considering this, they’re looking at medication or they’re thinking it might be good for their dog, what are some resources that they can use, or that they can turn to, to learn more about some of the options out there and the meds, or even just behavior modification training specifically? Jennifer Summerfield: That is such a great question. I think in terms of learning about behavior modification in general, there is some great stuff out there. There are tons of obviously really knowledgeable people in the field who have blogs and podcasts that are easy that anybody can access for free. You can find some great webinars through, of course, FDSA, but also through organizations like the Pet Professional Guild or the Association of Professional Dog Trainers or the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. There are online courses you can do. I really think that for a lot of dog owners, they might even consider, if they’re into this kind of thing, attending a conference like ClickerExpo or the APDT National Conference, or something like that, if it’s nearby. I find that a lot of dog owners sometimes don’t think about that, or don’t realize that they can go to things like that, but anybody’s totally welcome at those conferences. I know the last couple of years when I’ve been at ClickerExpo, certainly the majority of people there, I would say, are professionals in the field of one kind or another, but there’s always a good smattering of people who are just dog owners who want to learn more about this stuff, and I think that’s really cool. So lots of opportunities to learn more about behavior science and behavior modification. On the behavior meds side of things, I actually wracked my brain trying to come up with some good resources that are available for dog owners for that, and there just really are not a lot, which is one of the reasons that I’m excited to do this webinar, because I do think there’s a lack of good information that is easily accessible for people about behavior meds, other than the very basic stuff, like, “Hey, behavior meds are a thing, you might consider it for your dog.” But beyond that, it is difficult to find much information. Melissa Breau: Now, I know you specialize in behavior. If somebody goes to their average veterinarian, is that person going to have enough of an understanding to start that conversation, or should they really be seeking out somebody who specializes? What’s the guideline there? Jennifer Summerfield: The answer is that it really does depend quite a bit on your veterinarian and whether that’s something that they have an interest in or not. That’s true in general of general practitioners about really anything, so I don’t mean that at all to sound like, “Well, if your vet doesn’t know this stuff, they’re lousy.” Believe me, if you are a general practitioner, you cannot know everything about everything. All of us have areas that we know a lot about and then areas that we know very little about. I know anytime somebody comes to my clinic and they have questions about orthopedic issues, or their dog has a broken leg that it needs pinned or something like that, I send that out the door so fast because I know nothing. That’s not my area and I’ll be the first to say so, and there are some general practitioners who are fantastic at it. So behavior, to me, is a lot like that. There are some GP’s who are going to be great at it and really know their stuff and going to be really well-versed in all the medication options, and then there are others that that’s just not an area that they deal with much, they may not know a lot. But one option that is available that I think a lot of pet owners don’t always realize is an option is that if you don’t have a veterinary behaviorist nearby, or a veterinarian who is good with behavior and sees behavior cases, and your vet says, “I’d really like to help you, I just don’t know that much about this stuff,” many veterinary behaviorists will do a remote consultation with your vet, which can be super-helpful. They can’t do it directly with you, and that has to do with the legalities of the Practice Act and things that we legally cannot make recommendations directly for an animal if we haven’t met them in person. But what they can do is they can talk to your veterinarian, and your veterinarian can give them the whole write-up and details of the case, and they can say, “Oh, OK, I understand. Here is what I would consider as far as a behavior modification plan. Here is what I would consider as far as medication for this dog.” And then your vet can take that information, and they’re the ones who are actually in charge of doing the prescribing and overseeing the case directly, but they can keep in contact with the specialist about the case and make changes as needed and all that kind of stuff. I think that is a really underutilized service that sometimes people don’t realize is out there, but it is. So if your vet’s not super-well-versed in this stuff, but they’d like to help you and you’re willing to do something like that, talk to them about it, because they may not realize it’s an option either. But I think that can be a really good happy medium sometimes if you don’t have somebody in your area who you can work with in person. Melissa Breau: I think that’s an awesome thing to have you mention on something like this, because like you said, maybe people don’t know that it’s an option out there. I certainly wouldn’t know. Jennifer Summerfield: Yeah, definitely. I know I am going to talk a little bit about that in the webinar as well, so I’ll have more details on how that can work and on how people can specifically seek that out, if it’s something they’re interested in. Melissa Breau: Obviously, during the webinar, you’re not going to be able to give dog-specific advice. Like you said, you have to see the dog, hands on the animal in order to do that. But I would love to give people just a little more of an idea on what you plan to cover, especially since I know we’re doing two webinars back-to -back in the same evening. Can you talk a little bit about what you want to cover? Jennifer Summerfield: Yes, I’m super-excited, and I guess this is kind of unprecedented for FDSA to do the double-header. Melissa Breau: It’s our very first one. Jennifer Summerfield: It’s going to be great. It’s going to be a behavior pharmacology extravaganza, and I could not be more excited. The first webinar is going to be an introduction, basically, so meant for people who want some basic information about behavior meds. It’s going to talk about things like how do you know if your dog might benefit from medication, because I know that’s probably a question that a lot of people will have who are watching the webinar. I’m assuming a significant portion of people will be watching because they have a specific dog in mind that has some issues. So we’re definitely going to talk about how to decide that for your own dog, is it something that might be helpful. We’re going to go over all the different classes of drugs that we use for behavior cases, because there are actually quite a few different options now. It just to just be Prozac and Clomicalm, but there’s a lot of other options out now, which is really cool. We’re going to talk about what our goals are when we use behavior meds, so how that works with a training plan and what kinds of things to expect that way. We are going to spend some time also talking about natural supplements and calming aids and things that can help either by themselves or as an adjunct to medication. In the second webinar, that one is going to go into more detail as far as things like how do we actually choose for real specific cases what medication to use, because there are a lot of options. So we’re going to go into factors that we look at to help us decide what medication we think is going to be best for this particular dog. We’re going to talk about combinations, because for a lot of cases we do actually use more than one medication together, so we’re going to talk about how that works and how you decide whether you want to go down that road, and if you do, what things can go together, what things can’t. We’re going to have several case studies to go over, and examples to use for discussion, which I’m really excited about, because I think that’s where sometimes you get the most information is seeing how it applies to some actual cases rather than kind of getting everything in the abstract. And we will be talking in that second webinar, because we know that the FDSA audience obviously is a lot of performance dog people, we are going to talk specifically about considerations for performance dogs, so things like how do behavior meds impact learning and memory, are there any ethical questions that we need to consider when we’re thinking about medicating dogs who are actively showing and competing, that kind of stuff. So I think that will be a really interesting discussion too. Melissa Breau: That sounds so interesting. I’m actually really excited to dig into it. Jennifer Summerfield: Me too. I’m so excited! Melissa Breau: In addition to the webinars and your work as a trainer and a vet — you’re a pretty busy lady — you also blog, and you’ve recently started podcasting. I wanted to point listeners to those resources a little bit. Can you share a little bit on what you write about and talk about, maybe some of the recent topics you’ve covered, and where they can find that stuff? Jennifer Summerfield: Sure, definitely. My blog is Dr. Jen’s Dog Blog, so you can search for that and it will come right up. I’ve been doing it since, gosh, I think July of 2016, maybe, so I’ve got quite a few posts on there. I think the most recent one I did was on accidental behavior chains that sometimes we teach without realizing to our dogs, which was interesting. I know some of the posts I have had in the past on that blog that people have found really helpful have been on things like I have a post on behavior euthanasia, which actually a lot of people have written to me about and said was helpful for them. I have a post on fear periods and single event learning, which I think a lot of people have found pretty interesting. And then I have some posts on specific topics like leash reactivity and odor-directed aggression and things like that. So if anybody’s curious about those topics, a lot of times I do try to include case examples when I write about those too. Melissa Breau: Lots of sticky issues. Jennifer Summerfield: I know, I know. They are sticky issues, but actually those are some of my favorite things to write about because I think that sometimes there’s a lack of honest conversation about some of those things, and I think it’s sometimes useful to just say, “Well, here is something I deal with every day in my job, and here’s some thoughts, here’s my perspective on it.” And I know that I do get a lot of e-mails from people about those sticky topics that they found them helpful, which is really nice to hear. The podcast is pretty recent. I just started that here earlier this year and it’s been super-fun so far. I only have a few episodes of it out so far, but of course I’m actively doing that and the blog, so there will be more coming. The most recent one I did was on teaching reliable recalls to your dog. That’s a topic I get a lot of questions about and a topic that we troubleshoot a lot in our Basic Manners classes. And I’ve had some past episodes, I know I did one on car ride anxiety, and then I’ve got some basic topics like puppy socialization and housetraining and that kind of stuff. I guess I should probably mention here I do have a book out as well, if it’s something that people are interested in. The book is called Train Your Dog Now, and it is basically a reference guide, like a handbook to pretty much anything that might come up, behavior- or training-related, with a dog. So it has sections on teaching basic obedience cues and tricks, but it also talks about how to teach your dog to cooperate for grooming and handling — nail trims and teeth brushing and ear cleaning and that kind of stuff — and then there is a whole section on behavior issues. So it does talk about leash reactivity, it does talk about odor-directed aggression, it talks about aggression to visitors, and there is … it’s a brief section, but there is a section in the book also about behavior medication and supplements. So for people that like to have a hard copy of something they can look at in their home, that might be a good option to consider. Melissa Breau: To round things out, since it’s your first time on, there are three questions I try to ask every guest their first time on the podcast, and I’d love to do those. So first off, what’s the dog-related accomplishment that you’re proudest of? Jennifer Summerfield: I would have to say, and there are so many, that’s always a question that’s hard to narrow down, but honestly, if I had to pick one, I would probably say getting my dog Remy’s CD would be my biggest accomplishment. From the time that I went to that obedience trial when I was a kid, and I watched the dogs and I just wanted to do that so bad, and with Duncan we muddled along and we did a little bit, we dabbled very briefly in competitive obedience and it didn’t go super-well, but I learned a lot from that, obviously. And then with Remy I did things a little differently, and it still took us a long time to get his CD finished, but the day that we finished it was just like … I went back to the crate and I cried. It was such a big deal for us. And I know obviously, for a lot of your listeners, they have much, much higher accomplishments in the obedience ring, but for us, that was huge. Sort of the second part of that, I guess, obviously finishing the title itself was such a big thing for me because it was something that we worked so hard on. But one of the things that kind of was the cherry on top about that trial was I remember when we were packing our stuff up and getting ready to go back to the car, there was a woman that came up to me. I didn’t know her, but I guess she had been standing around, watching the obedience ring, and she came up to me afterwards and she congratulated me on finishing my title. I said, “Thanks,’ and she said, “I just wanted to tell you how much fun I had watching you and your dog because he looked so happy,” and that was huge. I probably still feel the greatest about that of everything that we’ve done in our competition career or anywhere. So that was a great feeling. Melissa Breau: That’s amazing, and I just want to encourage everybody who’s listening, hey, listen, people remember when you say that kind of stuff about them and their dog. It’s worth it. Jennifer Summerfield: I don’t remember very much about that lady now except that that was what she told us, but she made my whole year, my whole decade. So thank you, whoever that lady was, if you’re listening. Melissa Breau: And if you see somebody have a really awesome run and you feel something like that, absolutely step up afterwards and let them know how awesome it was. Jennifer Summerfield: For sure. It makes a big difference. Melissa Breau: It’s such an amazing thing to hear. That’s just awesome. Jennifer Summerfield: Thank you. Melissa Breau: So my second question here is, what’s the best piece of training advice you’ve ever heard? Jennifer Summerfield: What I would have to say — and this is not technically dog training advice, I guess I’ll preface it that way, but I think it can apply to dog training, and I think about it in regards to dog training a lot. It’s actually a quote from Maya Angelou. It gets paraphrased a lot, but the actual quote is, she said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” That has always struck me as being such a great way to look at life, a lot of things about life in general, but specifically about dog training, because I think for probably a lot of us who are crossover trainers, I think it’s probably a pretty widespread thing to have some degree of regret or guilt, maybe, about how we did things with our first dog, or how we taught some things that we wish if we could go back and do it differently. I love that quote because it’s so true that there’s no reason to feel guilty or to feel ashamed about doing the best that you knew how to do at the time, and that’s all any of us can do. But when new information comes along and you realize that there’s a different way to do things, that you just adjust your behavior and you do it differently. So I’ve always found that really helpful in terms of thinking about myself and my own choices, but I also think it’s so helpful to keep perspective when I’m thinking about clients and the people that I work with in my job as well, because I think it’s so easy for those of us who do this professionally, and we know all the science and we do this day in and day out, it’s so easy to get a client and to feel like, “Oh, can you believe this person’s been using a shock collar on their aggressive dog,” or “This person’s been alpha-rolling their dog,” and these things that are things that obviously are probably not the ideal way to handle whatever behavior issue they’re having. But I think it’s so helpful to remember that people are just doing the best they can. That’s so powerful, that people are just doing the best they can with what they know, and that’s all any of us can do. We all were there at one point, too, and that thinking about it from that perspective, that our job is to say, “Hey, you know, I totally understand where you’re coming from, and I understand why that seems like it makes sense, but let’s look at some other ways to address this that hopefully are going to be a little bit more effective and don’t have some of the side effects that those methods have.” I think about that frequently, both in terms of my own life and also working with clients, just to try and keep that perspective that it’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt that we’re working with, too, and remember that everybody is just doing the best they can with what they know. Melissa Breau: For our last question, who is somebody else in the dog world that you look up to? Jennifer Summerfield: All three of your questions are very hard because there are so many choices. I have two for this one, if that’s OK. For the first one, as far as being a really well-known public figure in our field that I have always looked up to, I would have to say Dr. Sophia Yin for that. For veterinarians especially, she was such a pioneer of changing the way that we deal with dogs in the clinic, and of course she did a lot of behavior stuff besides the low-stress handling as well. But I think she was such a tremendous role model for all veterinarians in the way that she dealt with animals and the way that she dealt with people, and so I look up to her tremendously, and I think she did great things for the field. The other person that I would have to mention, she’s not overly famous, I don’t think, but she is a great clinical applied animal behaviorist that I worked with when I was in veterinary school, and her name is Traci Shreyer. I worked pretty closely with her through the four years that I was there, because she was very involved in the puppy class program at that school, which I worked with quite a bit, and then she was involved in teaching some of our classes, and things on behavior as well, and working with us, the behavior club setups and some things with her, and so I dealt pretty closely with her the whole four years. What I loved about her and really took away from that experience is she was great with dogs and animals in general, she was fabulous, but she was also so, so great with people, with clients, and she was always reminding us … I think, again, for many of us in this field, being empathetic towards the dogs is easy, that’s kind of what drew us in in the first place, but I think it’s so, so important to remember that we have to have empathy for our human learners too, that what we’re asking them to do is hard, and that they deserve just as much consideration and kindness and respect as our dog patients do. She was probably the single best example of that that I have ever seen. She was fantastic, and that is a lesson that I definitely took away from working with her. So I would say she’s the other person that I still really look up to in the field. Melissa Breau: That’s awesome, and that’s such a great compliment to have given somebody you learned from, to say that they are so empathetic and so good with people. Jennifer Summerfield: Yes, it’s a hard skill, such a hard skill, but it’s so important. Melissa Breau: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast Jen. Jennifer Summerfield: No problem. I’ve had a great time! Melissa Breau: And thanks to our listeners for tuning in! We’ll be back next week with Nancy Tucker, to talk about getting better door behaviors. Don’t miss it. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or the podcast app of your choice to have our next episode automatically downloaded to your phone as soon as it becomes available. CREDITS: Today’s show is brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Special thanks to Denise Fenzi for supporting this podcast. Music provided royalty-free by BenSound.com; the track featured here is called “Buddy.” Audio editing provided by Chris Lang and transcription written by CLK Transcription Services. Thanks again for tuning in -- and happy training!

Your cat makes all sorts of different vocalizations and does a pretty good job of communicating its message but for those of us who don’t talk cat, they can be confounding. Hear some examples and find out what those silly sounds mean. Then, during the first three months of your puppy’s life, the experiences it has, will greatly determine its ability to get along well with both people and other dogs. Find out the fun and easy things you’ve GOTTA   do to ensure your dog has every chance to become a confident, socially well- adjusted adult. Resources for the episodeCat sound effects by Soundsnap Click here to find the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) position on puppy socialization and vaccinations. Click here for the article by Dr. Anderson about his belief that Puppy Vaccination and Early Socialization Should go together.

Are you too preoccupied in creating "perfect" content? Dislike mistakes? Want everything to be perfect before releasing your content? Is it causing delay or anxiety? Listen in on this episode and find out how we help our guest deal with these struggles, and take her online business to the next level. Our guest at the Flipped Lifestyle podcast this week is the very passionate, veterinarian extraordinaire, Carolyn Lincoln, DVM. Carolyn and her husband, have 4 awesome children --with their youngest almost ready for college -- 2 Australian Shepherds, and two wonderful cats. Dr. Lincoln had practiced in the Cleveland area since 1990 and always had a special interest in Behavior Medicine. She became more and more involved with the American Veterinary Society for Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and now proudly holds the title of Corresponding Secretary, top that with her passion for the sport of dog agility with almost 10 years of experience, her credentials just goes on and on and on. Caring for pets with behavior issues part-time throughout her career, seeing the tremendous need their owners have first-hand, her mission was clear... she followed her heart and it led her to create Play To Behave, a website that provides a more realistic, hands-on approach to addressing pet behavioral issues without the restraints of clinic hours, etc. Carolyn has identified herself as a perfectionist and this has been holding her back from sharing her content online. Join us as we help Carolyn overcome this hurdle by giving her tips and tricks to get her started in the right direction based from our personal experiences in online business. No gurus, no perfect speeches, just real people reaching out to other real people. [Tweet "If you want to make serious money, you have to solve a serious problem."] [Tweet "Get something done. Get it out there. Something that's finished is always better than something that's perfect."] [Tweet "Don't just set arbitrary deadlines on your calendar, you need deadlines with consequences."] [Tweet "People would want to KNOW you, LIKE you, and TRUST you before they decide to purchase something from you."] [Tweet " Any content you charge for MUST deliver a result. People will come back to you for the next step."] You will learn: Why passion and expertise are key ingredients to your online business' success. How to be get people to buy from you more than once. Spotlight Syndrome and why you are your biggest critic. The magic of taking the leap and making it work anyway. Bulk is better: How to use your membership to get the income flowing. Get your leads through that funnel and build that membership. Now. Links and resources mentioned in today's show: Flipped Lifestyle Flip Your Life Community Play To Behave Elementary Librarian Enjoy the podcast; we hope it inspires you to explore what's possible for your family! Click here to leave us an iTunes review and subscribe to the show! We may read yours on the air! Can't Miss Moments Each week Jocelyn and I share moments that we might have missed if we had not started our online business. We hope these moments inspire you to see the possibilities and freedom online business could provide for your family. "We took off to Dollywood, down in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We all just kind of shut everything down on a Wednesday to have some fun with the kids, our executive assistant and her son." You can connect with S&J on social media too!   Thanks again for listening to the show! If you liked it, make sure you share it with your friends and family! Our goal is to help as many families as possible change their lives through online business. Help us by sharing the show! If you have comments or questions, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post. See y'all next week!   Can't listen right now? Read the transcript below!

In our last episode, we discussed methods consistent with a "positive" training approach for eliminating unwanted behaviors. This week, we talk about punishment, the negative effects it can have on your training agenda, and the official position statement from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) on Punishment. All that, and we answer a BUNCH of viewer mail and calls! Show Notes and Links: Deaf Dog Education Action Fund Raw Diet (BARF) on Wikipedia Comparing the Best Raw Dog Food Diet Plans at Whole Dog Journal Patricia McConnell's "Cautious Canine" Gentle Leader Harness The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) Punishment Position Statement Don't forget to join our Group on Facebook!