Author archive: Terrie Hayward

According to Victoria Stillwell, “Positive-reinforcement teaching techniques use non confrontational methods to work a dog’s brain – rewarding positive behavior, establishing rituals and training actions that are incompatible with negative behavior, and lessening a dog’s anger and frustration – all while enabling the dog to feel good inside.”

I wanted to spotlight a series of colleagues and friends who use science based, positive reinforcement training.

My next featured trainer is Nancy Tucker of Canada!

What was your route to positive reinforcement training?

Although I’ve never used anything other than R+ professionally, I was a user of choke collars and punitive methods with my own dogs for many years prior. It wasn’t until I adopted a dog who needed special attention that I looked into a better way to train him, and literally stumbled onto R+ information online while searching for ideas. I KNEW there had to be a better way! (I HATED “correcting” my dogs, as prescribed by all the training gurus of the 80s).

Were you always interested in science or did behavioral science peak your interest at a later time & how?

Once I learned about training using R+ (in the mid-2000s), it morphed into digging deeper and deeper into the science of learning, which of course has become an endless thirst for all things behaviour!

Are there specific skill sets from previous career paths which have aided you in your current role?

Oh my, yes! I had years of experience in the service industry (how to deal with paying customers), and several years of experience as a freelance journalist (how to ask the right questions to get to the heart of the matter), followed by several years working in Marketing & Public Relations (how to market myself as a small business owner).

What is one piece of advice from someone that you consider a “mentor” that you’d like to share?

My most favourite thing ever is a phrase I heard Dr. Chris Pachel (vet behaviourist) say at a conference once. It floored me when I heard it, because at that very moment, I had been teetering on the edge of burnout, of compassion fatigue, and what he said changed how I approached my work, and has since literally changed my life for the better (personally and professionally). He said, “I will work as hard as my client.” So simple, and so absolutely crucial to keep in mind. In this business, we pour our heart and souls into making life better for the dogs, and by extension, for our clients. If the client doesn’t put as much effort into our plan as we’d hope, it can be exhausting, worrisome, frustrating, and emotionally taxing. But in the end, you can’t worry yourself sick over things you can’t control. You have to let go, and look out for you.

What is your favorite part of your day?

Mornings. I love mornings. The earlier, the better.

What do you find to be the most challenging in working with people and animals?

I find it can be incredibly challenging at times to ensure that everyone’s needs are met, because inevitably, the needs of our human client and the needs of the dog are often very different, sometimes even at odds. It’s important to try to find the common denominator so we can nail our starting point, and work from there to make sure everyone’s happier after we’ve done our work as the hired help.

What are some key skills required for animal training?

Besides the obvious mechanical skills, I’d say: Patience. And yes, patience is a skill. It can be learned, practiced, and honed. Patience with people, and patience with dogs. Empathy, too! Lots and lots of empathy. And then some more patience. And a sense of humour!

A big, “thank you” to Nancy for taking the time to share! If you would like to learn more about Nancy you can connect with her at: www.nancytucker.ca or via www.facebook.com/NancyTuckerDogs

Note: For anyone out there who is looking to become a certified, professional, positive trainer, come and join me in Miami! Applications being accepted now: https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/dog-trainer-professional/national/miami-fl

Does Your Dog Suffer from Separation Anxiety? Keep an eye out for the following behaviors:

1. Vocalization when you are gone: This means more than a few barks when you walk out of the door, but rather ongoing & sometimes escalating barking, crying, or whining. Often folks only find out that this is happening when a neighbor lets them know

2. Destruction when you are gone: While puppies & even some dogs may rip apart a toy, be mindful if this is only occurring when you are away from home, or even in another part of the house that they are unable to access.

3. Crate breakouts: Crate training is wonderful for so many behaviors. Susan Garret’s, Crate Games, is a valuable place to begin training your dog to love the crate. However, if your pup is attempting to break out of the crate, eat the crate, or eliminating in the crate, you should be wary.

4. Eliminating in the house: Once, more, when you aren’t home, but when your dog has had ample time to relieve themselves prior to your departure this may be a sign of separation anxiety. In this instance, we aren’t referring to house-training, where a dog does not understand to use the bathroom outside, but rather, while you are out, for a reasonable amount of time & they have gone, often repeatedly, each time, indoors.

5. Pacing & Panting: If your dog is unable to settle &/or is panting excessively, having not exerted themselves, we may be looking at anxiety. If this anxiety occurs when left alone, even for a short amount of time, we could be dealing with separation anxiety.

6. Food: With separation anxiety we often don’t begin with food, nor treats, food puzzles nor food toys. If you, however have left your dog with their favorite delicious goodie & they have left it untouched, you may be looking at an anxious pup & sometimes this can also be a sign of separation anxiety.

PAW-Positive Animal Wellness is a certified, separation anxiety trainer (CSAT) specializing in helping find resolution with this difficult situation. Contact us today for a (free) consult on how we can help! http://positiveanimalwellness.com/contact/

Positive reinforcement, science based training has some real super stars! In fact, in December, 2015 Karen Pryor Academy graduated its 1000th Certified Training Partner.

There is a lot of conflicting information available online about “how to train dogs”. In order to focus on some great work being done by some fantastic trainers I wanted to publish a series highlighting some colleagues and friends.

Our first featured trainer is Jay Andors. Not only is Jay a KPA certified trainer, but he is also a master level groomer.

 What was your route to positive reinforcement training?

“For me it was an evolution. Like all of us we started out using corrections and molding in order to get behaviors, which by the way worked to some extent, but not to the point where where I could get really high levels of finish to the behaviors that I was training.

It was at that stage that I started to research more and more. I joined the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (now the Association of Professional Dog Trainers), went to conferences, attended lectures, and bought books. One book in particular made a tremendous impression on me,”Don’t Shoot the Dog,” by my mentor Karen Pryor. This book changed my life! I went on to become a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. Today for me there is no other way to train.”

Were you always interested in science or did behavioral science peak your interest at a later time and how?

“I was always interested in science. My interest in behavioral science came along my route to positive reinforcement training. When I had my first “ah ha” moment that sealed the deal. Now I am what you might call “a behavioral science junkie.” I attend lectures, seminars, and take ongoing continuing education courses through the Academy. The more I learn, the more I’m interested.”

Are there specific skill sets from previous career paths which have aided you in your current role?

“I am a Master Groomer on all breeds of dogs. I use positive reinforcement in my grooming practice. I am a clicker trainer. I also studied flute, piano, and acting which, I guess made me creative and good with my hands. Since animal training is an art and a science and a mechanical skill, this has helped me.”

What is one piece of advice from someone that you consider a “mentor” that you’d like to share?

“I consider my mentors to be Karen Pryor, Ken Ramirez, Dr. Susan Friedman, and Steve Benjamin. There is a line of thought regarding training that runs through them all, “break behaviors down to the smallest parts and train each part separately until you put them together to reach your goal.”

What is your favorite part of your day?

“My early morning walks with my dog Meiko. I love him so much!”

What do you find to be the most challenging in working with people and animals?

“Of course people, as they have the most baggage. The fun part is working with the animals. People are always a challenge, although Tag Teach has helped me a lot with people.”

What are some key skills required for animal training?

“Observation, patience, having a good training plan, developing good clicker mechanics, and the ability to change and re-evaluate when something is not going as you would’ve liked.”

Thank you to Jay for taking the time to share! If you would like to learn more about Jay you can connect with him at: https://www.facebook.com/nyclickertraining/?pnref=lhc, http://www.nyclickertraining.com

Note: For anyone out there who is looking to become a certified, professional, positive trainer, come and join me in Miami! Applications being accepted now: https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/dog-trainer-professional/national/miami-fl