Every veterinary behaviorist’s dream is to have a technician who is certified in behavior. And if you’re a veterinarian in general practice, after you read this article, it may become your dream too. In this Q&A, Melissa Spooner, a licensed veterinary technician (LVT) with a Veterinary Technician Specialty in Behavior, answers questions about how she uses the Treat&Train® remote-controlled positive reinforcement training system during behavior consults to train dogs to settle down and to convince owners that she and the behavior team can indeed help them change their dog’s behavior. Spooner is the Special Events Coordinator at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services where she

One of the best parts about being a part of a strong network of animal behavior professionals is that I get to learn about interesting experiences with animals, clients and behavior products from a completely different perspective. For instance, last month at the North American Veterinary Conference, I met up with Dr. Lisa Radosta, a board certified veterinary behaviorist who lectures extensively and runs Florida Veterinary Behavior Service.  I don’t have any human kids, nor do I want any, but Lisa does and, as a result, she was able to make a statement about the Treat&Train®, the remote controlled reward-based dog

Are you disheartened by your dog’s barking, lunging and overall difficult behavior on walks? If so, you are in good company. Judging by the number of dogs that morph into maniacs when they see me walking or jogging by with my terrier, Jonesy, it seems like over 50% of the dog population must suffer from this behavioral affliction. How can this situation be turned around? The trick is not some vague recommendation to be more confident or to be a leader, rather the solution is in specific techniques and skills. Skills that can be practiced in drills like a sport,

In Part 1 of this article, I interviewed Greg Snyder, Tristan Christianson, and Fred Schechter, three engineers who formerly worked for The Sharper Image, to learn about the process of developing a pet product. In this article, I continue with interview and learn about the project that brought them back together. Question: Dr. Yin: So, tell me about this product, The Foobler.  Who decided to make this product, and when did you guys decide to get together and work on it? Answer: Tristan: Foobler we’ve been working on for about a year now. It is, basically, if you’re familiar with smart

Have you ever seen a product for pets and thought, “that company should change the product just a little and it would be perfect for me and my dog,” or noticed a lack of product on the market and thought, “If only someone made something that did THIS, everyone would buy it! I wonder why this product hasn’t already been made?” Well, today I want to introduce a new product, the Foobler, a time-release treat ball food-dispenser, and show you what goes into the making of a product. In 2002, I had the pleasure of working with The Sharper Image

Howdy Ya’ll. Today is part 3 of my wonderful tricks and stunts class. Today, you’ll see how I learned how to pull a tissue out of a bag. This was the easiest trick of the Christmas video. Back as a wee young-un, I learned how to pull Kleenex® out of a box in response to a “sneeze” cue.  But how did I learn the Kleenex® trick? First off, I already knew to fetch. If you don’t know how to fetch yet, go here to see how your human can help teach you. In that video, she uses a Treat&Train® but you could just use