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PPG Advocacy Panel: Beyond Belly Rubs with Niki Tudge & Louise Stapleton-Frappell

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In this episode, the panel is joined by special guests Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell to discuss their new book, Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian, How to Truly Connect With Kindness & Love, Your Guide to a Lifelong Bond, published by DogNostics Education. Your moderator: ⁠PPG Advocacy Task Force⁠ Chair Don Hanson Today’s panelists: Tasha Attwood and Dayle Pierce Relax 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!… Continued

Book Review – Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian by Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell

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by Don Hanson If you include a cat, dog, or horse as a family member, you and everyone who helps care for your companion animal will benefit from reading Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian, How to Truly Connect with Kindness & Love – Your Guide to A Lifelong Bond by Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell. More Than Words This book is not about training your precious pets; it is about something even more important: living a full, mutually beneficial, harmonious life with them. With our pets as family… Continued

Business Growth Awareness Week

Unleash Your Potential – Your FREE Virtual Event Sponsored by: Business Growth Awareness Week: Small Steps, Big Vision, Sustainable Growth  June 15–21, 2026 Are you ready to scale your passion into a thriving, sustainable business? While most pet professionals enter the industry out of a love for animals, we recognize that a “heart of gold” must be supported by a sustainable business model to truly impact and support pet guardians. We invite you to step back from the “daily grind” of leashes and litter boxes and join us for a high-impact week dedicated… Continued

Behavior Team of Pittsburgh, PA

Welcome to the Behavior Team of Pittsburgh, PA! Are you a Pittsburgh, PA, resident looking for professional training or care for your pet?  You’ve come to the right place!  The Behavior Team of Pittsburgh, PA, takes a community-focused approach to training and caring for your pets. Our team members were brought together by a shared philosophy and code of ethics and are dedicated to working in concert to support you and your pets with the highest level of care. We recognize that helping pet owners requires a village of professionals they can… Continued

Help Pets Avoid These Common Hazards

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by Don Hanson Tobacco & Nicotine Although not found in every home, tobacco and tobacco cessation products that contain nicotine can, sadly, be commonly found in the environment. The nicotine in tobacco and smoking cessation products can kill a pet. Nicotine is a psychoactive and highly addictive substance found naturally in tobacco. Tobacco products are a nicotine delivery system. These products include cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff. Since the advent of e-cigarettes and vape pens, humans can now ingest nicotine without ingesting tobacco. Additionally, most smoking cessation… Continued

Just in Case: Encouraging Preventative Muzzle Training

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by Annie Dowell-Caffrey Muzzle training is often misunderstood. For many guardians, the first time they think about a muzzle is when they are already facing a challenging situation, such as a stressful veterinary visit, an unexpected injury, or a behavioral concern that has escalated. Cooperative Care The Just in Case campaign from The Muzzle Movement aims to shift that conversation by encouraging dog guardians to view muzzle training as a normal, preventative life skill rather than something introduced only in moments of crisis. For trainers and behavior professionals, this idea may already feel familiar.… Continued

Why Every Dog Can Benefit from Muzzle Training – Just in Case

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by Annie Dowell-Caffrey When many people think about dog muzzles, they picture a dog who is aggressive or dangerous. But in reality, muzzles are simply a piece of safety equipment and muzzle training can be a helpful life skill for any dog. Another Everyday Life Skill The Just in Case campaign from The Muzzle Movement encourages dog guardians to think about muzzle training in a new way: not as something used in emergencies or behavior crises, but as a form of preparation. Much like teaching a dog to walk on a lead or feel comfortable with… Continued

Creating a Kinder World for Pets: What Professionals Can Do

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by Tasha Attwood In the recent Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel discussion, moderator Don Hanson brought together Dayle Pearce, Rebekah King, and myself to explore a deceptively simple question: How can pet professionals help create a kinder world for pets? It’s a big question. And the answers, as it turns out, are both practical and deeply human. Are We Expecting Too Much? The conversation opened with a reflection on a wider cultural shift. Since COVID especially, expectations placed on dogs seem higher than ever. A recent article by Professor… Continued

Behavior Team of Boston, MA

Welcome to the Behavior Team of Boston, MA! Are you a Boston, MA, resident looking for professional training or care for your pet?  You’ve come to the right place!  The Behavior Team of Boston, MA, takes a community-focused approach to training and caring for your pets. Our team members were brought together by a shared philosophy and code of ethics and are dedicated to working in concert to support you and your pets with the highest level of care. We recognize that helping pet owners requires a village of professionals they can… Continued

Behaviour Team of North London, UK

Welcome to the Behaviour Team of North London, UK! Are you a North London resident looking for professional training or care for your pet?  You’ve come to the right place!  The Behaviour Team of North London, UK, takes a community-focused approach to training and caring for your pets. Our team members were brought together by a shared philosophy and code of ethics and are dedicated to working in concert to support you and your pets with the highest level of care. We recognise that helping pet owners requires a village of professionals… Continued

Kindness and Cooperation: A Promise to Our Pets

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by Niki Tudge The Ethical Case for Kindness: Ten Core Principles 1. Acknowledgment of Sentience: Pets are not tools or accessories; they are sentient beings capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions, including joy, fear, anxiety, and pain. Ethically, we are obligated to recognize their capacity to suffer and we are obligated to actively prevent their suffering. 2. The Power Imbalance: We control every aspect of our pets’ lives: when they eat, where they sleep, and when they can relieve themselves. Because we hold absolute power over their world,… Continued

Why Do We Keep Punishing Our Pets? It’s Not What You Think.

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It’s a scenario many pet guardians know well: you walk in the door to find a “surprise” on the carpet, or your dog barks relentlessly at the mail carrier. In the heat of the moment, a sharp “NO!” or a frustrated tug on the leash feels like the natural, immediate response. And for a split second, it works, right? The barking stops for a moment, the dog cringes, and you feel like you’ve communicated your displeasure. However, here’s the deal: While reward-based training is overwhelmingly recommended by vets and animal… Continued

Behaviour Team of Greater Toronto, Canada

Welcome to the Behaviour Team of Greater Toronto, Canada! Are you a Greater Toronto resident looking for professional training or care for your pet?  You’ve come to the right place!  The Behaviour Team of Greater Toronto, Canada, takes a community-focused approach to training and caring for your pets. Our team members were brought together by a shared philosophy and code of ethics and are dedicated to working in concert to support you and your pets with the highest level of care. We recognize that helping pet owners requires a village of professionals… Continued

Top Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Professional Pet Sitter: A Checklist for Clients

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by the Pet Professional Guild Pet Care Division Team This resource is a product of PPG’s Pet Care Division: Kat Frizzell, CPPS, FFCP, PFACCI, PLBS; Kristi Jones, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, CET; and Roxanne Dockter, MSc., CPPS, FFCP, CFVA, PFACCI Pet professionals offering pet sitting services are highly competitive and there will be many service providers in your neighborhood. While they will all advertise and offer a specific service or services, they are not all equal in experience, quality, dependability, education, certifications, honesty and integrity. We recommend, at a minimum, you seek to find the answers to… Continued

Is ‘Pet Parent’ Appropriate?

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by Don Hanson How we describe our relationship with our dogs matters because, consciously or subconsciously, it affects how we treat them. So, is ‘pet parent’ an appropriate description of our role in our dogs’ lives? While some pet care professionals and other people cringe at the term, I believe it is an accurate description, demonstrating that our dogs are part of our family. While in the US, the law usually tells us our dogs are nothing more than property (like the sofa in your living room), the term “pet… Continued

Major Legislation Impacting Pets 2025

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The following is a summary of major legislation impacting pets in the United States from December 2024 through December 2025. The legislation is categorized by Federal (nationwide impact) and State (specific state laws with significant precedents). I. Federal Legislation (United States Congress) Note: Much of the federal activity in 2025 involved bills being introduced or moving through committee. Enacted federal laws are rare and typically take longer to finalize. 1. The PURR Act of 2025 (H.R. 597) 2. HELP PETS Act (H.R. 233) 3. Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act of 2025… Continued

Fear-Based Fails: Why Shock Collars Damage Pets and Trust

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The Pet Professional Guild actively discourages any training tool that relies on pain, force, or fear. Many veterinarians, animal welfare organizations, and behavior professional associations advise against using shock collars (also known as e-collars or electronic collars) as training tools. These devices, which can cause serious psychological and physical harm to pets, often rely on punishment, fear, and pain to discourage unwanted behaviors. While proponents of shock collars often prefer the terms “electronic collar,” “e-collar,” “remote training collar,” or “static stimulation” to differentiate modern devices from older, harsher models, the… Continued

From Hourly to High-Value: A Strategic Guide to Pricing and Packaging Your Pet Training Services

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by Niki Tudge Many pet trainers fall into a common trap: they view themselves as laborers selling their time by the hour. But when you trade time for money, you cap your income and risk burnout. To build a sustainable, profitable business, you must shift your mindset from selling “hours” to selling “results.” This guide covers how to restructure your pricing, protect your income with solid policies, and market your services to attract the right clients. The Psychology of Price: Pricing IS Marketing Before you open a spreadsheet, you must… Continued

PPG Appoints Dayle Pierce to Its Board of Directors

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Dayle brings a crucial international perspective to the organization’s leadership. The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dayle Pierce to its board of directors with immediate effect. Dayle, based in the United Kingdom, has held many roles since joining the organization in 2016. He became a member of PPG’s Steering Committee in 2018 and has co-led PPG’s British Isles Chapter with Nathan Watson and Tom Candy since 2021. He has served with PPG’s Shelter and Rescue Division since 2022 and also co-hosted PPG Chat and… Continued

Behavior Team of Toledo, Ohio

Welcome to the Behavior Team of Toledo, Ohio! Are you a Toledo, Ohio, resident looking for professional training or care for your pet?  You’ve come to the right place!  The Behavior Team of Toledo, Ohio, takes a community-focused approach to training and caring for your pets. Our team members were brought together by a shared philosophy and code of ethics and are dedicated to working in concert to support you and your pets with the highest level of care. We recognize that helping pet owners requires a village of professionals they can… Continued

Behavior Team of Southern Arizona

Welcome to the Behavior Team of Southern Arizona! Are you a Southern Arizona resident looking for professional training or care for your pet?  You’ve come to the right place!  The Behavior Team of Southern Arizona takes a community-focused approach to training and caring for your pets. Our team members were brought together by a shared philosophy and code of ethics and are dedicated to working in concert to support you and your pets with the highest level of care. We recognize that helping pet owners requires a village of professionals they can… Continued

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