Edited 2017 Being a strong contributing member of a veterinary hospital team is about keeping your education current. From information on diabetes or heart conditions to better bedside manner and handling end-of life issues, it’s this new information, new views plus, tricks and tips for doing anything better, that keep the job fresh. What’s one area of continued education that can affect medicine on all levels? Low Stress Handling®. It gives you the ability to treat more patients more effectively and efficiently regardless of the type of medical condition as well as putting clients at ease by demonstrating your compassion and

Do you ever wonder why seemingly loyal clients suddenly take a hike? Sometimes the issue is money or medical care; however, a surprisingly common reason is that they feel their pet has been mishandled. Just ask Carolyn Martin of Sylva, North Carolina. “I recently switched veterinary practices due to my displeasure at how my dogs were being handled at my previous vet.” She had been with her one hospital for a while before she realized that the handling was less than ideal. “While I had only small animals, I never noticed how they were (mis) handled,” she states. “I didn’t

Question: What exactly is the program, and how long have you been doing it?  Answer: In 2007, the Broad Ripple Animal Clinic opened Bark Tutor School for Dogs, a family-focused, dog-friendly training school designed to address the behavioral health needs of the clinic’s patients. The majority of canine students range between 10 weeks and 18 months old, but the training programs are designed for companion dogs of any age.      Question: How is this program different from others in terms of the overall structure?       small-dog_webgm Answer: The program is different from other training programs, at least in Indianapolis, because of

When pet owners and trainers think about the Treat&Train®, generally what comes to mind is how they can use the program for training their pet to behave better or for enrichment and training fun tricks. Another completely different but equally cool area where the Treat&Train is being used is in animal behavior research and as a teaching tool for animal behavior students! For instance, one professor, Dr. Christy Hoffman at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, uses her dog, Santiago, and the Treat&Train in her class called Research Methods in Animal Behavior. Canisius College is one of a handful of schools in the US

Story 1 Katie Kelly enlists the help of her neighbors to use the Treat&Train to help counter-condition her dog. Dog has a blast. In this story, Katie Kelly explains how she trained her dog, Minnie, to be comfortable and calm around Apartment Noises which had previously frightened her. Her full description was originally published in the Paws Abilities blog. I have used the Treat&Train with my dog, Minnie, to help with our recent moving situation. Previously, we have always had the luxury of private life in a house setting. However, recently we had to move into an apartment, which was an

One of the perks of lecturing around the world is that I get the opportunity to meet researchers and hear about their incredible studies. These are studies that shed light on how animals learn and perceive our world and consequently how we can better communicate and interact with them. These experiences are even more exciting when I find that the researchers are using the Treat&Train®, a remote controlled treat dispenser which I developed in 2004 to be used, especially where precision is needed in training. So, last year when I visited the Clever Dog Lab at the Messerli Research Institute in Vienna as well