Becoming a Cat Person
This blog post is the Winner in our Pets and Their People PPG Summit Blog Contest which invited entrants to submit a blog post on the topic of being rescued by a pet. I was never a cat person. First of all, I had a cat allergy. A few hours near a cat and my nose started dripping like a faucet. Strike one. Soldiering through my congestion, the animal-lover in me desperately wanted to pet my aunt’s cats when we visited for holidays. She led me into the bedroom and let… Continued
Ask a Trainer: Help for a Dog Who Growls at Strangers
Q. My newly adopted 2-year-old female golden retriever is lovely with my husband and I, but growls (and has once snapped) at strange men. I realize she was probably abused by some man in the past. How do I help her get over this problem? – via Facebook Messenger A. I would ask a few questions if you were to come to me as a client with this situation. First, how long have you had her? Dogs in a new environment need time to decompress before meeting people. Were the men… Continued
What Do You Do When You’re the Only Force-Free Professional in Town?
by the Pet Professional Guild Advocacy Panel This article was excerpted and edited from the PPG Advocacy Panel discussion on January 18, 2023. Moderator: Don Hanson: Chair of the PPG Advocacy Division and Shock-Free Coalition, board member of the Pet Professional Guild, and owner of Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, Maine Panelists: Niki Tudge: President and founder of the Pet Professional Guild Debbie Sheridan: Owner of Debbie’s 4 Dogs in West Hartford, Connecticut Sue Kocher: Owner of Hendo Dogs in Hendersonville, North Carolina Kim Silver: Owner of Building… Continued
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Looking for a Fun Way to Enrich the Life of Your Cat? Give Agility a Try!
Modeled after the equestrian sport of show jumping and adapted first by the dog world, feline agility is a team sport whereby a handler directs a cat through a preset obstacle course. By the very fact that agility is a team sport, it can strengthen the bond between you and your cat. Agility has physical and cognitive benefits too. It gets everyone off the couch, burns calories, and builds muscles. Because it draws on environmental memory, agility helps cats adapt more easily to new situations. Finally, agility uses cats’ natural… Continued
Pet Owner Membership
PPG Offers Two Levels of Pet Owner Membership. You can join PPG for FREE and enjoy using the website and all of our resources. Joining at the FREE level provides you with access to member news, updates on new programs, and advocacy initiatives. You can also select to join the Pet Owner directory and show your support for our Mission, Vision, and Values. Upgrade Your Membership To Pet Owner Plus For the low cost of just $30 per year, Pet Owner Plus members of PPG can access all of these… Continued
Top 5 Stress Busters for Pet Parents
Sharing your life with a pet can be wonderful; they offer us so much in companionship, comfort, and unconditional love. But let’s face it, pet parenting is tough. The responsibility of having a living creature completely dependent on you, and the desire for them to be well-behaved pet citizens can become overwhelming and a source of much frustration and anxiety. The simple truth is training any pet doesn’t always go as planned. Stumbling blocks and setbacks are completely normal and should be expected. There will be exercises and training that… Continued
Leadership Team
Volunteer Committee Chairs TBA – Feline Division Michelle Martiya – Equid Division Don Hanson – Advocacy Task Force Sam Wike – Canine Division Debra Millikan – Education Division Lorena Patti – Inclusivity Division Holden Svirsky – Shelter & Rescue Division Christina de Juan – Assistance Animal Division Nathan Watson & Tom Candy– British Isles Chapter Guild Publications Paula Garber – Editor, BARKS from the Guild Dr. Pam Shultz – Editor, Pets & Their People Administration Niki Tudge – Executive Director Rebekah King – Director of Operations Kelly Fahey – Corporate Sales… Continued
Founder & President
Niki Tudge – M.B.A, PCBC-A, PCT-A, Six Sigma Black Belt, HCITB TS1, TS2 & TS3 Niki was born and raised in England but at an early age set out to fulfill her dream of seeing the world. Her career in hotel executive management from London to the West Indies, the Middle East and Africa, not only provided her with the means to work and live in many different countries, but it also gave her real-world business experience. In addition to business degrees from Oxford University, Niki is also a qualified… Continued
Inclusivity Committee
Lorena Beatriz León-Patti Your committee chair and a member of PPG’s Steering Committee Email Lorena Welcome to the Inclusivity Committee! Here at PPG, we are committed to being more purposeful in enhancing inclusivity and diversity within both our membership and the wider pet professional community. When we speak to diversity, we mean the presence of differences in race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, disability, age, religious commitment and political perspective. Equity is about promoting justice, impartiality and fairness within the procedures, processes and distribution of resources by our organization. Inclusivity is… Continued
Pet Training Science Alliance
Help PPG Support Science to Advance the Dog Training Industry! We are delighted to announce that the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is supporting an ambitious research project by Dr. Jamie Deleeuw of Community Research+. Despite the public’s increasing demand for dog training, there remains a notable lack of research dedicated to the professional pet dog training community. The studies included in this breakthrough project will provide an in-depth investigation into why dog trainers use specific training techniques and the prevalence and predictors of change in training method usage over time. The findings will… Continued
Visiting Public Dog Parks, or Not
It seems public dog parks are popping up all around the county I live in, and clients frequently ask me “What do you think about dog parks?” to which I reply, “I like the concept, but not like the consequences.” What Is the Concept of a Dog Park? A fenced property is provided for public use where folks may take their dogs to either play by themselves or with other dogs. Some parks have a single fence while others are divided into small dog spaces and large dog spaces.… Continued
Abusive Dog Training Practices and Informed Consent, Ethics and “Do No Harm”
by Niki J. Tudge Dog trainers who use punishment-based approaches and equipment designed to work by causing fear and/or pain commonly market themselves under a variety of verbiage and marketing slogans such as “balanced,” “positive relationship,” “natural methods,” “relationship building,” “positive only,” and “no food necessary.” These are all taglines that are bandied around but mislead unsuspecting owners who are looking for humane ways to train their pets. Meanwhile, the terminology used may be carefully crafted to appeal to pet guardians who may not always understand the various training methods… Continued
Meet Kim Silver: A Dog Trainer Who Dabbles in Training Parrots
“Dogs are misunderstood, and our cultural ideas about them are hurting them. Dogs need a voice, and often it’s their dog trainer who is speaking up for them. I love being that person for a dog.” —Kim Silver Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into animal training, and what you are doing now? I have been a professional dog trainer for 12 years. My interest in dog training was born from a compulsion-based dog training class I attended with my dog Eve in 1997. I learned… Continued
When Pet Surrender Is Your Best Option
It is sometimes perceived that people who surrender their pets to a shelter don’t care about them or want what’s best for them. In pet rescue, a field that is frequently overburdened, underfunded, and rife with compassion fatigue, our brains may adhere to the most convenient scapegoat. But that same overwhelm and lack of resources is not exclusive to the shelter worker; it may plague the surrenderer as well. Those surrendering their pets would often prefer to go another route but are lacking in time, money, energy, and/or support. If… Continued
How to Make Your Pet’s Space Cozy
We all have a favorite place to relax and unwind. For some of us it might be our bed, favorite chair or a peaceful reading area. Our pets are no different, and although they can’t curl up with a good book, they do like a comfortable, safe space to relax and rest. Rest and relaxation is as important for our pets as it is for us. So how do you go about creating the perfect resting spot for your pet? Choosing the right spot for your pet to relax The… Continued