CANINE BEHAVIOR
CONSULTANT, TRAINING INSTRUCTOR, & COACH
I believe a qualified canine
behavioral consultant and training instructor is one who is well educated in
the field they are working in and one who has a proven track record of experience
in successfully achieving the results you are looking to achieve.
CERTIFICATIONS & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
CERTIFICATION IN CANINE ASSESSMENT & COUNSELING, CCAC
The Canine Behavior Academy
The CBA was led and taught by Trish King, who is one of the best canine behaviorists and trainers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her CBA builds a solid foundation in understanding canine behavior, problem solving, understanding all dog training methods, and working with clients.
- Certification Requirements: I obtained my certification in 2012 and it required successful completion of a long term significant behavior modification project (I successfully modified my GSD's aggressive behaviors), completing 80 hours in-class instruction by attending CBA I & II (The Canine Behavior Academy), teaching group dog-training classes, passing a final exam, and diagnosing & developing private consult behavior modification training plans
- Instructional Topics: covered Canine Ethology, Social Theory, Body Language, Breed Differences, Safe Handling, Behavior Observation and Evaluation, Canine Learning Theory and Types of Training, Equipment Usage, Training Exercises, Behavior Problems, Assessing & Successfully Modifying Unwanted Behaviors, and How People Learn
ASSOCIATE NOSEWORK INSTRUCTOR, ANWI
The National Association of Canine Scent Work
Logged ~300 hours to-date teaching and working with dogs in K9 Nose Work™, for either the purposes of behavior modification and/or for the competitive sport. I obtained my ANWI certification mid year 2013. I've also met all the requirements for CNWI with the exception of a 2 day class which is scheduled for Feb 2014 (that's the earliest class I could schedule).
- NW Group Classes & Private Lessons
- Taught all three levels (NW1, NW2, NW3) to the general public for their own companion animals, in both group and private lesson formats.
- Taught primarily Introduction To Nose Work in a group class setting to animal-shelter staff members and volunteers for utilizing with the shelter dogs, both for the purposes of enrichment and for behavior modification.
- NW Titles For My Dog, Sadie
Titled my own dog, Sadie, at the NACSW NW1 and NW2 levels.
Despite being very environmentally sensitive, quite shy, and reactive since she was a puppy, she obtained her NW1 title on the first try and after only 6 months of training when she was 1 year, 4 months old. We were also Pronounced In Trial when she obtained her NW1 title, which is a rare and special recognition given to teams for demonstrating exceptional performance and teamwork in all 4 elements at the same trial.
Sadie then obtained her NW2 title six weeks after obtaining her NW1 title, while being handled by my husband in the NW2 trial (again titling during her first attempt at that level).
While training for her NW3 title, I had to retire her from all sports because she developed significant ongoing health issues.
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- April 2012: began NW training(she was 10 months old)
- September 2012: Passed ORTs for Birch, Anise, Clove
- October 2012: NW1 title and we were Pronounced In Trial
- December 2012: NW2 title (she was 1.5 years old)
- March 2013: retired Sadie from NW due to health issues
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- Participation at NW Trials
- Attended 7 NACSW K9 NW trials, for full-days, including NW1, NW2, and NW3 levels and observed searches and hide placements for all elements.
- Held the following positions during the trials: Element Lead, Videographer, Timer, Photographer, and I also worked in the Score Room.
- Judged one mock trial and co-led another mock trial for all three competition levels and in all 4 elements.
- Consequently, I've worked with and/or observed over 230 dog-handler teams search at NW competitions for all 3 levels and in all 4 search elements.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- IAABC, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Supporting Member
- APDT, Association of Professional Dog Trainers, Member
- Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research subscription
TEACHING, COACHING, & LIFE EXPERIENCE WITH ALL TEMPERAMENTS
Teaching & Coaching Clients + Breed Experience
I have worked at quite a few animal shelters in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past 2.5 years and logged close to 200 hours working with approximately 350 dogs, in the following roles:
- Co-teaching and/or assisting group dog training classes to the public such as basic manners, companion dog, tricks, reducing dog-dog leash reactivity, puppy playgroup, puppy socialization, puppy kindergarten, and K9 Nose Work™
- Utilizing K9 Nose Work™ with shelter dogs for behavior modification prior to them being placed up for adoption
Living With Dogs
I brought my first dog, a Corgi puppy, into my houshold over 20 years ago. I have raised puppies (including very fearful and shy temperaments) and brought rescue dogs into my household ever since (I grew up with dogs too). In that time, I have successfully managed and/or modified the following unwanted behaviors: strong territorial aggression, mild aggression between dogs in a multi-dog household, mild to moderate resource guarding, excessive barking, leash aggression, dog-dog aggression, vet phobias, mounting, and quite a few other issues.
I currently live with a shy and quite sensitive high-drive working-line female GSD who is extremely protective with highly territorial aggressive behaviors, high prey drive, mild resource guarding tendencies, challenging health issues that created some extreme
vet phobias, and with previously intense dog-dog leash reactivity. She has been a
wonderful teacher dog and working with her has filled in the gaps in my
knowledge of what really works vs. doesn’t; and has also illustrated what methods seem to work in the short term, but instead cause more unwanted behavior problems down the road. And many of
the unwanted behaviors I saw in her as an adolescent, or that developed as a
result of accidental bad life experiences, I have been able to successfully modify while I chose to manage the remaining few.
I also share my household with my husband and an orange tabby cat. And despite having very high prey drive, my GSD lives
peacefully and fully integrated with our cat.
ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP & TEACHING EXPERIENCE
I have almost two decades of experience working in manufacturing, quality, customer service,
supply chain, education, human resources, and/or process excellence roles. I obtained a Bachelor
of Science and a Masters of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and held
engineering as well as domestic and global leadership roles while working for
global corporations in the Pharmaceutical, BioTech, High Tech, and Fine
Chemical industries.
I became enamored with teaching
and coaching when I took on my first educator role teaching a chemical
engineering class while I was an undergraduate working on my BS degree; and I
have held many educator and coaching roles since then. I also own 3 US Patents and am published in peer-reviewed
scientific journals such as Biotechnology & Bioengineering and Journal of
Chromatography.
Many of the skills I’ve had the
good fortune to develop during these roles are directly translatable to working
in the canine behavioral sciences field and in coaching people working with
their dogs:
- Educating others on the most
current scientific and successful approaches in a given field
- Gaining buy-in to a particular approach, coaching individuals, and teaching groups to achieve their specific goals
- Utilizing science and the scientific mindset to
discover what truly works vs. what is “urban legend”
- Utilizing my problem solving skills developed through my engineering experience to design customized and practical solutions along with straightforward training approaches for each unique dog and family situation
- Applying my knowledge of fluid flow, obtained through the chemical engineering discipline, to the unique sport of K9 Nose Work™ - air is a fluid and how particles/molecules (odor) move through fluids in a variety of different circumstances was the focus of many chemical engineering projects
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Below is an itemized list of the recent seminars I’ve
attended, plus some of the books I’ve read, some of the DVDs I’ve watched, and
a few reference books I find myself referencing more often than others. I will soon add a section to the site
that includes information around recommended materials plus the materials I
have in my own personal library.
Seminars
- Steve
and Jen White: Raising The Bar, 2
day Seminar, June 2013
- Grisha
Stewart: Behavior Adjustment Training,
2 day Seminar, May 2013
- Amy
Herot: K9 Nose Work Teamwork, From
Foundation To Trial Day, 1 Day, April 2013
- Trish
King: attended 35 hours of seminars covering the topics of Fear In Dogs, Dog-Dog Aggression, In-Home Aggression, Multi-Dog
Household, Bully Breeds, Adolescent Dogs, Socialization, Dog Parks, Puppy
Playgroups, May – Aug 2012
DVDs
- Puppies, by Trish King
- Puppies… Are They Really Clean Slates?, by Sue
Sternberg
- BATting 1000, by Grisha Stewart
- Play With Your Dog, by Patricia McConnell
- The Language of Dogs, by Sarah Kalnajs
- Crate Games, by Susan Garrett
- The Shape of Bow Wow, by Virginia Broitman
Books
- Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog,
John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller
- Help For Your Fearful Dog, Nicole Wilde
- Click To Calm: Healing The Aggressive Dog, Emma
Parsons
- Control Unleashed: Creating A Focused And
Confident Dog, Leslie McDevitt
- Behavior Adjustment Training: BAT For Fear, Frustration, and
Aggression in Dogs, Grisha Stewart
- Don’t Shoot The Dog: The New Art of Teaching And
Training, Karen Pryor
- Parenting Your Dog: Develop Dog-Rearing Skills
for a Well-Trained Companion, Trish King
Reference Materials
- Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs & Cats, Dr. Karen Overall, published June 2013
- The Right Dog For You, Daniel F. Tortora, PhD
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