Jill Breitner is the inventor of the Dog Decoder app! According to Jill, “Canine body language can be confusing, but with the help of Dog Decoder, you’ll understand any dog’s signals like a pro.”

To learn more about a pro like Jill keep reading!

What was your route to positive reinforcement training?

My route to positive reinforcement was ironically via Cesar Millan. When I started hearing about his show 10-15 yrs ago, I had to talk about the dominance theory in a way I never had to do before. While I was grateful for the new conversation because it made people pause and start to think, it also brought me to a deeper level of my own training which became more about learning to read dogs.

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

I studied psychology in college and then studied animal science, later becoming a vet tech. After a year as a vet tech and while seeing that during school and in the hospital few people really new how to understand dogs, I realized that this was going to be my path. That was almost 40 years ago.

I became interested in animals when I read about Jane Goodall observing chimps when I was around 10 years old and starting watching dogs and horses like she watched chimps. Learning how they communicated was fascinating to me and I didn’t understand why others weren’t as excited about this as I was.

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

The gift of observation that I got from Jane Goodall is the best skill set I’ve ever learned and have subsequently gotten really good at. I can read any animal and it’s a skill which can never be turned off once you learn it. It becomes part of you.

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

Advice: Jane Goodall. Observation and to have hope. These two pieces of advice that keep me going, today.

What is your favorite part of your day?

My favorite part of the day is seeing dogs play and getting to just be dogs. Actually, there’s really no favorite part of a day because being with dogs is all a joy and honor to witness. I love watching their play, their processing, their learning new things, their overcoming fears, their sheer joie de vie.

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

It’s not really challenging for me to work with animals. It just takes patience. I have that with them. The most challenging thing ins working with people and their pets is working with the people. People tend to want a magic pill. But, once they realize that there isn’t one, they come around and when they do, they see the shift in their relationship and bond with their dogs and this makes my heart sing.

What are some key skills required for animal training?

Number one in my book is speaking the language of the animal you’re working with. If you can’t read them, you can’t communicate. Period.

Other important skills include having patience, having the right timing, and the gift of communication to be able to educate the humans.

Thank you to Jill for sharing! If you would like to learn more about Jill you can connect with her at: www.dogdecoder.com or via: www.facebook.com/dogdecoder .

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

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/