PPG Advocacy Panel: How Do the PPG Guiding Principles Differ From LIMA?
Listen as the PPG Advocacy Panel addresses these five important questions: Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Division Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Niki Tudge, Dr. Eduardo Fernandez, Dr. Zazie Todd, Sue Kocher, Debbie Sheridan, and Kim Silver Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion of misunderstood facts about dogs! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: How Do We Stay Motivated and Afloat During Challenging Times?
In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses ways to stay motivated and afloat during challenging times. Your host/moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your panelists: Laura Donaldson, Dayle Pierce, and Sam Wike Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or, you can click on the play button below to listen to the episode now! Recorded April 16, 2025. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: Why Positive Reinforcement?
In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses why we use positive reinforcement in pet training. Your host/moderator: Kim Silver (filling in for PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson) Your panelists: Beth Adelman, Pat Miller, Debbie Sheridan, Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Niki Tudge, and Dr. Karolina Westlund. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or, you can click on the play button below to listen to the episode now! Recorded March 19, 2025. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: The Importance of Ethics in the Pet Care Professions—It’s Not Just Tools
In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses ethics—what they are and why they are so important in the pet care professions. Your host/moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your panelists: Allison Hunter-Frederick, Dayle Pierce, Kim Silver, Holden Svirsky, and Niki Tudge. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or, you can click on the play button below to listen to the episode now! Recorded February 19, 2025. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: What People Skills Do Professionals Need in Order to Teach, Counsel, and Advocate?
In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses the people skills animal trainers and behavior consultants need to teach, counsel, and advocate. Your host/moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your panelists: Kristi Benson, Dayle Pierce, Debbie Sheridan, and Sam Wike Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or, you can click on the play button below to listen to the episode now! Recorded January 15, 2025. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: Pet Obesity
In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses pet obesity. Your Host: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your panelists: Beth Adelman, Daniel Antolec, Judy Luther, Debbie Sheridan, and Kim Silver Grab a healthy snack and enjoy the discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Recorded November 20, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: Conversations About Compassionate Care and Connection with Dr. Karolina Westlund
Don’t miss this special episode from PPG’s Advocacy Task force in its series, Conversations About Compassionate Care and Connection. These special Advocacy Panels feature a special guest and two co-hosts. The special guest for this Advocacy Panel is Dr. Karolina Westlund! Your Co-hosts: Judy Luther and Debbie Sheridan Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson This discussion is based on Dr. Westlund’s blog post, Animal Welfare and Her Fairy Godmothers: https://illis.se/en/animal-welfare-fairy-godmothers/ Learn more about Dr. Westlund’s course, Animal Emotions, here: https://illis.se/education/courses/animal-emotions/ Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to… Continued
PPG Advocacy Panel: The Most Misunderstood Facts About Cats and Their Behavior
Join PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson as he hosts a clowder of feline training and behavior experts for a discussion about the most misunderstood facts about cats and their behavior. Your panelists for this discussion are Dr. Zazie Todd, Beth Adelman, Allison Hunter-Frederick, Holden Svirsky, and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison. Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded July 17, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
Welcome to Hotel Bruno: How I Transformed the Space Beneath Our Basement Stairs into a Storm Shelter
This spring has brought frequent severe weather, requiring us to take shelter in the basement due to tornadic activity. I was motivated to create a storm shelter beneath the basement stairs and described how to plan ahead for people, and their pets. I describe how I built and stocked the shelter. Considering the nearly daily severe weather events all across the nation, this may help families stay safe. Meteorologists just a few years ago hesitated to link local weather catastrophes with climate change, but now it is common for them… Continued
PPG Advocacy Panel: The Importance of Empathy and Compassion in Animal Training—Why There Is No Need for Violence … Ever
Listen as the PPG Advocacy Panel addresses these important questions: Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your Panelists: Daniel Antolec, Pat Miller, Dayle Pierce, Holden Svirsky, Melissa Taylor, Jennifer Van Valkenburg, and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded June 19, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: How Do We Turn Prospects Into Clients?
Listen as the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses ways to turn prospects into clients. Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your Panelists: Dr. Eduardo Fernandez, Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Beth Adelman, Daniel Antolec, Allison Hunter-Frederick, Judy Luther, Sandra Machado, Debbie Sheridan, and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded May 15, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
How to Train Your Equid to Stand for a Foot Soak
From softening the hoof so that it’s easier to trim in dry weather, to drawing out an abscess or treating a hoof condition, there are many reasons why you might need to soak your equid’s feet. Here is a brief guide to training your equid to stand for a soak. Step 1: To teach your equid to stand for a foot soak, I like to start with training them to stand on a mat. This behavior is useful for many different things, and the more you strengthen this behavior, the… Continued
PPG Advocacy Panel: Conversations About Compassionate Care and Connection with Dr. Laura Donaldson
You don’t want to miss this special episode! It’s the first for a new Advocacy Task Force program called Conversations About Compassionate Care and Connection. These special Advocacy Panels feature a special guest and two co-hosts. The special guest for this Advocacy Panel is Dr. Laura Donaldson! Your Co-hosts: Judy Luther and Debbie Sheridan Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded April 17, 2024. Find out… Continued
PPG Advocacy Panel: Unrealistic Expectations: Where Do They Come From and How Do We Diffuse Them?
In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses unrealistic expectations for pets, where those expectations come from, and how to diffuse them. Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Dr. Karolina Westlund, Daniel Antolec, Kristi Benson, Kim Silver and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded March 20, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
Best Practices
Best Practices At PPG, we encourage professional autonomy within the confines of our mutually agreed principles. Written by Debra Millikan, Dip.ABST, Dip.DTBC, PABC As members of PPG and in accordance with PPG’s Guiding Principles, “Members understand force-free to mean, no shock, no pain, no fear, no physical force, no compulsion-based methods are employed to train or care for a pet.” It is also the belief that experienced trainers must begin their behavior change programs with the least invasive and least aversive training protocols necessary to change the problematic behavior. Education is one… Continued
PPG Advocacy Panel: Changing a Pet’s Behavior by Changing Human Behavior
In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses changing a pet’s behavior by changing human behavior. Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Dr. Zazie Todd, Dr. Karolina Westlund, Beth Adelman, Daniel Antolec, Judy Luther, Sandra Machado, Pat Miller, Debbie Sheridan and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded February 21, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: Are We Trainers or Teachers? What Best Describes What We Do for Our Clients?
Listen as the PPG Advocacy Panel answers the questions, “Are we trainers or teachers? What best describes what we do for our clients?” Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Division Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Beth Adelman, Judy Luther, Sandra Machado, Kim Silver, and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.
PPG Advocacy Panel: The Why and How of Teaching Our Students the Importance of Understanding Our Pets’ Emotions and Body Language
Grab your favorite snack or beverage, and settle in to listen as the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses the why and how of teaching our students the importance of understanding our pets’ emotions and body language. Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Division Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Beth Adelman, Daniel Antolec, Judy Luther, Sandra Machado, Kim Silver, and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion of misunderstood facts about dogs! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’… Continued
Meet LT Taylor, Whose “Hyperfixation” on Dogs Led to a Career in Animal Training
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into animal behavior and training, and what you are doing now? My mother is a dog breeder, so our house always had several dogs growing up, from Jack Russell terriers to Old English mastiffs. I became interested in behavior and training as a teenager, but then veered toward humane education and spent several years working at the San Francisco SPCA after graduating college. I loved working in sheltering but wanted to be more involved with the operations… Continued
How Writing a Book on Canine Behavior Changed My Life
by Annie Phenix When my publisher’s acquisition editor called me out of the blue in July 2021 to ask if I would write a second edition to my first canine behavior book, The Midnight Dog Walkers, my immediate response was a firm “no.” I had many reasons to decline. I had removed myself from the arena, so to speak, and wasn’t active in training groups or going to conferences. I considered myself semi-retired, and while I still consulted with dog owners, my focus was not on the dog training industry… Continued
Winter Weather Tips for Pets
Like people, some pets love the winter snow and cold, and others hate it. Our dog Dulice was not deterred by the snow but found a terrier’s dream as it allowed winter burrowing. My current dog Muppy, a rescue from Mississippi, hated her first seven winters in Maine. However, Muppy enjoys a good roll in the snow today as long as the temperature doesn’t drop below 30 F. Our cat Boomer enjoys outdoor journeys on a harness and leash and lying in the summer sun, but when it comes to… Continued
Cat Introductions – One Step at a Time
Since starting my cat behavior consulting business in 2019, the issue that I have been most often contacted about is that of cat introductions. While there are some cats that will roll out the welcome mat almost immediately for a newcomer, most need a more structured approach. 1. SAFE ROOM The first introduction step is to start your new cat in a safe room. This room should have all the major resources that a cat needs: feeding station, litter box, scratching post, bedding, and toys. One benefit of a safe… Continued
Canine Enrichment with Scent Detection
By Emily Coleman In early November 2022, my dog Deja and I journeyed off to the sunny climes of Crystal River, Florida, in search of adventure! And odor … By this I mean we attended the Pet Professional Guild’s three-day Scent and Scentability workshop. Expert detection-dog handlers Dr. Robert and Karen Hewings, both retired professional police dog handlers, provided loads of valuable insight. Robert and Karen now run the UK College of Scent Dogs and were kicking off an international tour. In total, they presented five days of quality… Continued
Fire Safety for Pets
We have all heard news stories about tragic home fires where the pets did not survive. Sadly, incidents where the pet woke the family, and everyone was spared are the exception. A fire is scary for everyone involved but listed below are several facts that are especially important for those of us with pets. Approximately 80% of all fires occur in a private home; therefore, if your pet encounters a fire, they are most likely to do so in your home. We often leave pets alone in our homes,… Continued