ABOUT ME

SF SPCA certified trainer working with dogs of all ages

This photo shows me with 3 daycare friends.

If you click on the photo, you'll be taken to the Reno News and Review page.

I love helping people and dogs understand each other. The way our learning environments are structured in most schools and life, is that we are punished for undesireable behavior.

Because we practice what we're taught, our dogs are often punished for their undesirable behavior or we live with behavior that we don't like because we don't know how to change it.

We can learn new ways of communicating if we're willing to try something different and have skilled guidance.

There is a way to teach that is based on reinforcing behavior we like. We first arrange the environment so that the right behavior is the easiest choice and then make sure that behavior provides the most reinforcement for our dogs.

If you'd like to learn how to be an effective teacher using positive reinforcement methods to teach your dog, I'd love to meet you.

EDUCATION

I graduated from the San Francisco SPCA's Academy for Dog Trainers in 2001. After graduation, I stayed at the SF SPCA for a 2-month internship.

I worked with trainers on their behavioral rehabilitation cases involving dog-dog reactivity and resource relinquishment before moving to Reno.

In Reno, I worked as a trainer at the SPCA of Northern Nevada.

I worked with shelter dogs, taught dog training classes, provided assessments, new volunteer orientation, and recorded adoptable dog segments for the local news.

I currently care for a few dogs at a time in my home. This gives me the opportunity to live with and observe different types of dog behavior first-hand.

I am a lifelong learner and participate in continuing education in order to maintain and enhance my knowledge.

I've audited Living and Learning with Animals professional course

one to two times per year from 2014 through February 2021.

This is an 8-session course with live lectures and access to questions and answers from class participants and teaching assistants.

www.behaviorworks.org

facebook.com/behaviorworks

Natural Encounters, Inc. offers 1-week TEC talks - naturalencounters.com

2020 NEI TEC talks

2-3 sessions per topic: Least Intrusive Principle; Prompts; Shaping; FOCUS on Raptors; Trust; Control; Motivation

Education:

Living and Learning with Animals taught by Susan Friedman, PhD

Graduate November 2013