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Arizona Humane Society Hosts Pet Professional Guild’s Annual Summit to Promote Positive-Reinforcement Training

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The partnership aims to positively impact the successful transition of rescued pets into their new homes while empowering and enhancing their welfare. The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) and the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) have partnered to host a summit featuring 25 world-class presenters from around the globe at the Arizona Humane Society’s Nina Mason Pulliam South Mountain Campus in Phoenix November 1-5. The “Homeward Bound” summit event will showcase the latest techniques in humane, ethical positive reinforcement–based training, helping both organizations reach their shared goal of ensuring that humane and… Continued

Chat & Chuckle with Tabitha Kucera About Cooperative Care for Cats

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Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Tabitha Kucera, RVT, VTS (Behavior), about cooperative care for cats—an important topic since significantly fewer cats than dogs see a veterinarian every year, and cooperative care can make vet visits less stressful and more comprehensive for cats!  Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, VTS (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training… Continued

Malena DeMartini: A Beacon of Light for Dogs Who Suffer When Left Home Alone

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  Malena DeMartini shares her personal and professional journey to creating her company that provides educational programs for dog professionals and guardians to help dogs with separation anxiety.   Who are you, and what makes you passionate about animal behavior? I have been a professional dog trainer and behavior consultant for over two decades and had a beautiful introduction to animal behavior via my education through the Academy for Dog Trainers. Initially, I worked with all manner of dog behavior, from jumpy puppies to human-directed aggression. However, I developed an… Continued

Kate LaSala Helps Dog Owners Accept Their Dogs for Who They Are

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  Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into animal behavior/training, and what you are doing now? I’ve been an animal advocate for over three decades. I became vegetarian as a teen and have championed animal welfare as a rescuer, transporter, shelter worker, foster, volunteer, and trainer. But my life trajectory changed forever when our dog BooBoo arrived in our lives. I’ve been in private training for nearly 10 years now andremain committed to continuing education, helping people have better lives with their dogs, and… Continued

Cooperative Care with Cora: A Case Study

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  by Jennifer Van Valkenburg Cooperative care is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I have come to appreciate how important body autonomy and choice can be, especially when experiencing a painful and difficult medical diagnosis. Having some control over even small things can make a huge difference in our emotional state and comfort level. The same is true of our pets. The more they can participate in their own healthcare, the better for everyone involved. I started down the road of learning about cooperative care… Continued

I’ve Been Rescued by a Pet

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This blog post is the Runner-up 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. This week we celebrated Dezra’s Gotcha Day! Ten Years!! We adopted Dezra on August 17, 2013. Ten years ago, I could not have imagined where I am now. Dezra truly changed my life, and the lives of many other dogs when she joined our family. After our dog Theo passed away, my husband and I were looking to… Continued

Becoming a Cat Person

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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

Member Publications

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Looking for a Fun Way to Enrich the Life of Your Cat? Give Agility a Try!

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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

Chat & Chuckle with Katenna Jones About Working with Dogs and Cats Together

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Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Katenna Jones of ⁠Jones Animal Behavior⁠ about working with dogs and cats together. Animal behavior is not a new field for Katenna, nor a hobby turned into a career—it’s all she’s ever done. She became a shelter volunteer in 1998 while earning a Bachelor’s degree in biology, then went on to earn a Master’s in psychology with a focus on animal behavior from Brown University. Katenna is Rhode Island’s only Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Cat Behavior Consultant,… Continued

About Pets and Their People

Welcome to Pets and Their People – Your online tips, tools and resources! You’re busy. You really, really love your pets. So, where do you turn with day-to-day pet care challenges and questions: Can I feed this to my dog? Why does my horse do that? How do I find a reliable pet sitter? Why does my cat think that’s the litter box?? It’s okay – you got this and we’re here to help. We’re on a mission to provide resources and practical tips to pet people…with a dose of encouragement and humor! Our… 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

Abusive Dog Training Practices and Informed Consent, Ethics and “Do No Harm”

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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

PPG Professional Membership

Which Membership Is Right for You? Here are some tips to help you determine which PPG professional membership suits you. Behavior & Training Professionals If you are a pet behavior or training professional, choose the Behavior and Training Professional membership. You can indicate which species you work with and what services you provide during your application process. During the application process for each member, you will be prompted to select the species you work with and the services you offer. Choose a yearly or monthly membership, then click “Sign Up.” Pet… Continued

When Pet Surrender Is Your Best Option

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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

British Isles Chapter

Dayle Pierce with PPG Staff Member Phoenix Your chapter co-leader and a member of PPG’s Steering Committee Email Dayle Nathan Watson Your chapter co-leader and a member of PPG’s Steering Committee Email Nathan Tom Candy Member of PPG’s Steering Committee representing the British Isles Chapter Email Tom At its heart, the UK Dog Behaviour & Training Charter™ is a code of conduct, ethics and methodology. More than that however, the Charter is a collaboration of many of the UK’s leading behaviour and training membership organisations who for the first time… Continued

What Do Dogs, Cats, Cars and Chairs Have in Common?

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The Need for a New Legal Definition of Living Property by Niki J. Tudge Are Pets Family? According to The Harris Poll (2015), “nearly all pet owners (95%) … consider their pets to be members of the family.” Yet, legally, pets are still considered property or chattel. “Technically in the eyes of the law, [cats and dogs] are no different from a couch or a car” (Grimm, 2014). The terms “property” and “chattel” may be defined as follows: Property: Anything that is owned by a person or entity. Property is divided… Continued

Shock-Free Coalition

Coalition Purpose and Function The  Shock-Free Coalition has been developed purposely to bring together parties that have mutual business interests and a personal investment in the welfare of pets. The Coalition embraces stakeholders of similar values and interests, enabling all parties to combine their resources and become more successful in achieving the stated goals. Strategic Approach The key purpose of the Shock-Free Coalition is to build a strong and broad movement committed to eliminating shock devices from the supply and demand chain. This goal will be reached when shock tools… Continued

Members-Only Programs & Events

Divisional Meetups Divisional meetups are informal members-only gatherings that are hosted by the individual divisions. They feature guest speakers and provide PPG members opportunities to meet, chat and learn about specific topics pertinent to that division. Meetups are held via Zoom to enable the use of Closed Captioning. The events are recorded for members to watch after the fact. If you are interested in being a guest on a divisional meetup, then please click the button below to complete a short form. The Positive Bookworm The Positive Bookworm The Positive… Continued

Nelly the Desert Dog: Once a Feral Night Roamer, Now a Super Trooper

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  by Sarah Bartley We arrived in the Arizona desert at the beginning of August 2022. What a relief—no stray dogs. Military bases are like gated communities. Resident dogs are always on leash or contained in a yard. A few months later, in November, is when I first saw the little orange dog curled up on the side of the road, just outside of base. I have no idea how she got there. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. I had been on my way out for a… Continued

About Barks

About BARKS BARKS is an online publication for pet professionals including trainers, behavior consultants, pet care providers, animal shelter and rescue workers, and all those working in the broader pet services industry. It is the official trade publication of the Pet Professional Guild. BARKS covers all things animal behavior and training, specifically in the fields of canine, feline, equid, and avian, with an occasional foray into pocket pets and exotics, as well as advocacy, business, sales, marketing, and consulting. Educational Platform In a world where there is often information overload, BARKS provides a platform… Continued

Cats and Kids

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by Andrea Carne “And in breaking news … a child was left scratched and in tears after a play session with his pet cat went horribly wrong …” Ever heard that on the nightly news bulletin? No, of course not. We may hear about dog bites from time to time and much has been written over the years about children and dogs. Indeed, many pages of books, articles and blogs have been dedicated to the topic and some fabulous commu­nity education and classroom programs have been developed to edu­cate children—and their… Continued

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