The magazine for force-free pet professionals

No results found.

Visit our pet owner publication!

Filter by Categories
Advocacy
No results found.

Latest Advocacy Articles

The Challenge of Breed Discrimination

The Challenge of Breed Discrimination

By Kym Iffert      It was finally a beautiful day in Chicago so I grabbed my bag, my leash, a pocket full of treats and tennis ball and set out for a walk. The neighbors were out and it was the perfect opportunity for a social outing - but not for me and my dog. As we ...
The Topic of Microaggressions for Identification and Educational Purposes!

The Topic of Microaggressions for Identification and Educational Purposes!

Introduction To some degree we are all products of cultural conditioning that instills within us biases and prejudices that can impregnate our behavior towards others. The term and concept microaggressions was first identified and termed in the 1970’s by Chester M. Pierce. The term refers ...

More Articles

The Words We Use!

The more I work as a behavior consultant, the more I realize how much we are all influenced by both the opinions and attitudes of those around us and, possibly more importantly, how the words we, and other people, use. One of the challenges ...

PPG Publishes Open Letter to Veterinarians on Referrals to Training and Behavior Professionals

Expresses concern that, in an unregulated industry, pet owners may be referred to individuals who do not use scientific protocols or adhere to the premise to do no harm, regardless of credentials WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - Jan. 16, 2017 - ...

Countering The Aversive

Some pet dog trainers that are either using aversive methods or some that call themselves “balanced”, and use a combination of both aversive approaches and food rewards, may carry the notion that positive reward based trainers are against ...

Proper Education, Not Faulty Legislation For Pet Dog Trainers

The profession of companion, or “pet” dog training is one that requires little more than the willingness to do it and promote oneself. There is no licensing required. Let me state right up front that given the appalling lack of education and ...

No More Henrys

A headline a few weeks ago caught my eye: PetSmart, groomer are sued in death of dog. Obviously, this should never happen. Reading the article just made me sad, and angry. The dog, Henry, a year-old dachshund, went to the groomer to get his ...

Ad Hoc Advocacy

Advocacy opportunities sometimes pop up unexpectedly, as happened to me in November 2016. I contribute a column to a local weekly newspaper and while perusing an issue I found an interview with the public works director of a nearby village. He ...

Project Trade: Economics 101

In the spring of 2016 The Pet Professional Guild rolled out Project Trade, an “international educational advocacy program promoting the use of force-free pet equipment by asking pet guardians to swap choke, prong and shock collars” (1). In ...

Pet Professional Guild Lines Up Canine Behavior Specialists for Podcasts on Breed Specific Legislation

In light of ongoing events in Montreal, PPG podcasts will feature a host of dog training and behavior experts to explain why breed bans are ineffective in reducing frequency of dog bites Starting next month, Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is ...