Interview Amongst Jean Donaldson On The Civilization Clash

To grade xx years since the publication of The Culture Clash, I spoke to Jean Donaldson close dogs too Canis familiaris training.

Jean alongside Brian (front) too friend's dog, Turtle

By Zazie Todd, PhD

This twelvemonth is xx years since the publication of Jean Donaldson’s influential mass Culture Clash. Funny, intelligent, too rattling much close the dog’s betoken of view, The Culture Clash is soundless highly recommended yesteryear Canis familiaris trainers around the world. The mass shows a potent commitment to grooming without aversives too provides the technical know-how too. doc Ian Dunbar called it “Simply, the best Canis familiaris mass I have got ever read!”

I was thrilled to verbalize alongside Jean close the book, how things have got changed for dogs, too how nosotros tin hold to alter things for the better.

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Zazie: It’s been xx years since the publication of The Culture Clash. It’s a mass that’s soundless inwards print, too it’s been tremendously influential too I retrieve a life-changer for many, many people. So it’s definitely something to celebrate. And I wanted to enquire you, how much do yous retrieve has changed for dogs since it was published?

Jean: I retrieve a lot. Things are so much shifted inwards price of the numbers, it would seem. It would live on keen if somebody really did a survey where nosotros had some sort of thought of the baseline numbers. So, how many people used to prepare using whatever sort of evidence-based attempts too how many people used to prepare using primarily aversives or a mix, too and so how many people do that now. But I fearfulness that that’s simply non something we’re ever going to know, so we’ve got to guesstimate based on what nosotros see.  And for sure what I reckon is that at that spot are to a greater extent than people doing it now. Most of the novel people coming inwards seem to live on automatically oriented towards grooming without aversives too getting a handgrip on the science.

And for sure i other affair that is clear is that at that spot is the specialty of pet Canis familiaris training, which when the Culture Clash was showtime published the Association for Pet Dog Trainers inwards the USA was only – it’s non yet a 30 twelvemonth former scheme – it was soundless construct new. So simply the rattling thought that pet Canis familiaris grooming was a specialty, rather than sort of a trickle downwardly of competitive obedience, is new. So I retrieve both the aversives orientation is much lower forthwith too the notion that pet dogs are a bona fide specialty inwards grooming is also almost construct new.

"Most of the novel people coming inwards seem to live on automatically oriented towards grooming without aversives too getting a handgrip on the science." 

Zazie: One of the things yous get down The Culture Clash alongside is this thought of the Disneyfication of dogs, of how people perceive dogs compared to how they really are. Do yous retrieve that’s soundless the same sort of number today?

Jean: Yes, I’m afraid it is. I soundless retrieve that, I hateful inwards spite of all the changes inwards the grooming world. And I should add together that fifty-fifty those trainers who are grooming using aversives, if they’re inwards the pet world, they seem to at to the lowest degree experience they have got to advertise that they’re non grooming alongside aversives. So they’re using increasingly obfuscating language, they’ll fifty-fifty construct claims that they’re quote unquote “positive reinforcement” too and so perchance they don’t proceed to do so. But at to the lowest degree they recognize that there’s a demand, too so that is a heartening thing. Yeah, I do retrieve that at that spot is soundless this tendency, people soundless honor it somewhat disappointing to honor out that they must motivate their dog. And that one, I retrieve it’s simply going to live on an ongoing struggle, we’re going to have got to hold pushing.

Zazie: Thank you. So i of the other things that features inwards The Culture Clash is lots of wonderful data close Canis familiaris training, which is also inwards your subsequent books. And I retrieve it’s non simply motivation, but many people retrieve that Canis familiaris grooming is going to live on easy, too and so they really honor it quite hard. Why is it so hard?

Jean: I retrieve for a twain of reasons. I hateful i is that it’s much to a greater extent than stride yesteryear step, too I retrieve people move into it alongside an supposition that there’s sort of a tipping betoken to the noesis transference. That, yous know, dogs understand concepts of sit down or the concept that he knows he should come upwards to me. That nosotros error a right response for total knowledge, every bit opposed to a right response that may have got been simply because of prompting or chance, or it was an piece of cake situation, too and so subsequent disobedience every bit agenda-driven instead of no, that was i right response too and so there’s a incorrect response. And if yous would similar to have got to a greater extent than responses that yous like, you’ve got to sort of add together grains of sand to a scale to alter the probability, rather than yous tell it, he does it, nail okay that parts over forthwith the residuum of it is simply if only he weren’t stubborn. And so I retrieve there’s that role of it. Then the corollary of that is that we’re living increasingly inwards a solar daytime too historic catamenia when people are over-booked, we’ve got lower tolerance for process, everything is lightning fast, yous know computers, nosotros want things when nosotros want them. And there’s no way that Canis familiaris grooming is ever going to move that sort of instant gratification speed.

Now for that argue I also retrieve that it’s expert for us, that it’s rattling grounding. It brings us dorsum to the natural globe where at that spot simply isn’t that sort of speed. But I retrieve it’s a rude daze for people to honor that out, that they’re going to have got to practise, practise, practise, practise, rather than simply explicate to the Canis familiaris ‘I would similar yous to do this’ too and so it’s simply going to happen. So betwixt the motivation too the step-by-step nature of training, it’s a collision for most people alongside their solar daytime to solar daytime lives.

Jean Donaldson alongside the tardily Buffy

Zazie: Definitely. So simply coming dorsum to motivation again, I retrieve increasingly people are using nutrient to prepare their dogs but there’s soundless a lot of people who are rattling resistant to the idea. How do nosotros alter their minds?

Jean: I’m non sure. My instinct is simply sheer repetition of the truth, which is, it’s sort of a drinking glass one-half total philosophy that people tin handgrip if nosotros simply tell it too nosotros telephone vociferation upwards on their adult nature too tell look, nobody does anything for nothing, at that spot simply isn’t that. Now nosotros humans, some of our motivations are of the type that nosotros similar to label every bit altruistic or higher or better, when we’re trying to do things for the mutual expert or to do goodness others or for anything that powerfulness live on philanthropic. Whereas dogs are a piddling fleck to a greater extent than similar iii twelvemonth former children inwards so far every bit yous know 'so what’s inwards it for me, how is it going to advance my objective', too that’s the bad news. The expert word is that dogs are really relatively piece of cake to motivate. There’s so many things that work. Food is pretty much universal. Unfortunately hurting too fearfulness are also universal too we’re stuck inwards this province of affairs where, when nosotros utilization food, it’s harder for us to cloak that inwards ‘well, he’s doing it for you.’ Whereas the hurting too fearfulness crowd, I retrieve they have got an easier fourth dimension disguising that every bit ‘you know, we’re simply fixing his mental attitude too the existent motivation is he’s doing it for yous too we’ve simply adjusted his mental attitude alongside the hurting too fear’. Or ‘oh no it’s non really scaring him, it’s simply showing him’, so nosotros have got a conflation of the ‘what’ too ‘why’ question.

And I retrieve that if nosotros force for transparency so that people say, okay there’s going to live on motivation whatever which way, too so your pick becomes carrot or stick. And I retrieve – at to the lowest degree my optimistic side likes to retrieve – most people volition too so elect carrot. So those 2 steps have got to happen. We’ve got to construct people start to live on a piddling fleck to a greater extent than critical every bit consumers too recognize fifty-fifty those trainers who are trying to exploit their want for the Canis familiaris to do it for altruistic motives, that those people are really bamboozling them, I retrieve that’ll help. But I don’t retrieve I have got whatever illusions, it’s a tall order. I mean, me too far amend people than me have got been pushing for this for decades, too it’s amend than it used to live on but it’s non an piece of cake i to fix.

"I retrieve that if nosotros force for transparency so that people say, okay there’s going to live on motivation whatever which way, too so your pick becomes carrot or stick."

Zazie: Definitely non easy. You touched on transparency, too a piddling spell agone yous started something called the transparency challenge, too nosotros saw diverse Canis familiaris trainers giving their answers to the questions inwards that challenge. Can yous tell something close the operate behind starting that?

Jean: Yes, the operate was to couch the Canis familiaris grooming issues, both the philosophy too the competence issues, every bit consumer protection, which is I retrieve quite right. Not only are at that spot Canis familiaris welfare issues, too I retrieve most people doing things towards other beings, if at that spot is less invasive, they’d prefer to live on less invasive.  And too so nosotros pick out a stride dorsum too so the query too so becomes yous know, tin nosotros acquire the project done? And too so nosotros demand to construct sure that people are non falling for gobbledegook linguistic communication that I referred to earlier when trainers who are less scrupulous construct all sorts of appeals.

For instance the other solar daytime somebody I know said that somebody else they knew, a friend of a friend basically, was taken for a ride yesteryear a Canis familiaris trainer advertising themselves every bit quote unquote “a Buddhist Canis familiaris trainer”, where they were trying to acquire the Canis familiaris centred too inwards the right nation etc, too and so proceeded to coerce this dog. And these people, who are educated, these are people alongside graduate degrees, living inwards Berkeley, who just, good they assume this someone wouldn’t have got got inwards to Canis familiaris grooming – Canis familiaris grooming is non a fantastically lucrative profession – thus anybody who gets into it must live on sure of motives, must live on altruistic, must honey dogs, too also they must know something nosotros don’t know. This vogue to never challenge the Canis familiaris trainer, it’s partly why the Canis familiaris whisperer is soundless on television, it’s partly why people don’t question, it’s partly why yous tin tell things similar “we’re centring his energy” or “we’re changing his centres” or whatever. Well essentially what you’re doing is yanking a Canis familiaris on a chain, but if nosotros acquire people to recognize it, that there’s going to live on a concrete physical globe motivator, too yous every bit a consumer tin really examine this out yourself, yous tin live on a consumer scientist. And say, okay if yous are really grooming this Canis familiaris alongside Buddhist loose energy beams, do it without the metallic chain on his neck; if you’re a Canis familiaris whisperer really doing this alongside energy, what’s the special collar, let’s reckon yous do it without kicking him?

If nosotros acquire people to recognize that this is simply market-speak, at least, inwards the USA at that spot is I retrieve a rattling potent instinct, too I retrieve it’s a expert one, that nosotros don’t want to live on taken. We want to know the ingredients inwards the jar, nosotros want to know what’s beingness done, nosotros want transparency, nosotros want to know earlier nosotros pass coin for goods or services if somebody is doing something that is non-ethical inwards that regard, they should live on prosecuted, literally too metaphorically that it shouldn’t happen. And I retrieve that’s an instinct that nosotros tin capitalize on yesteryear making people recognize that there’s ever a concrete existent globe motivator, it’s probable to live on i of these 5 or 6 things, seat it, too live on peculiarly wary of those trainers who don’t nation upwards forepart what they’re doing. I hateful it’s really sort of the informed consent model that I retrieve powerfulness assist the cause. I hateful it remains to live on seen whether it’s going to do so but that’s the rationale.

Three questions for Canis familiaris trainers

Zazie: So next on from that, do yous retrieve Canis familiaris grooming should live on regulated?

Jean: Yes I retrieve it’s high fourth dimension too it really is almost an embarrassment that it is non yet regulated. Given the involvement that people have got inwards populace safety, so whenever there’s an incident, a Canis familiaris bites or somebody is sadly injured or killed yesteryear a dog, there’s huge amounts of involvement inwards expending taxpayer coin to do things similar ban breeds. And yet inwards spite of that clear involvement inwards populace safety, the fact that Canis familiaris trainers are non regulated seems to live on a disconnect. And at that spot needs to live on minimum education, minimum competence standards too hopefully ethical requirements. I retrieve it’s in all likelihood going to range off inwards our lifetime, it’s simply a query of getting yesteryear the political difficulties that are inherent inwards cleaning upwards a profession.

Zazie: One of the arguments that people who utilization aversives often utilization is they claim that there’s no choice, that it’s a illustration of ‘aversives or death’ is the way nosotros tin sort of summarize it, that they have got to use, sometimes, aversives, otherwise the Canis familiaris is going to have got to die. What do yous tell to that?

Jean: I retrieve that’s a valid argument. If the query was, too I’m somebody who doesn’t wishing to utilization aversives, notwithstanding I do reserve that if at that spot was literally a query where somebody said facial expression we’re going to utilization aversives on this Canis familiaris or we’re going to kill him, I retrieve I would tell yeah of class let’s utilization aversives. But too so nosotros acquire downwardly to the reality, too the reality is that too so nosotros demand to trouble organisation human relationship for the thousands – if non in all likelihood tens of thousands – of practitioners who are already out there, daily, getting the project done both inwards training, behaviour modification, administration of animals, the total gamut of illustration types, too they’re doing so without aversives. And so, how would the aversives or death… they’d demand to trouble organisation human relationship for it, they’d demand to trouble organisation human relationship for me, they’d demand to trouble organisation human relationship for the thousands too thousands of other trainers. And they seem to sidestep that query altogether yesteryear making this imitation claim that we’re simply maxim well, yous know, euthanize the animate beingness – too that’s simply non happening. And so I retrieve there’s denial on that side. Which is understandable, I hateful if yous retrieve of the seat that they’re in, they’re electing to utilization aversives inwards a climate where at that spot is this huge chorus of people maxim yous don’t have got to do so. And so their choices, psychologically, are either they’re electing aversives needlessly, which is sort of psychologically untenable, or nosotros – the other side – are killing dogs. So I retrieve psychologically it’s close their survival too so it’s non surprising that they construct that claim because the alternative is unbearable.

"we demand to trouble organisation human relationship for the thousands of practitioners who are already out there, daily, getting the project done both inwards training, behaviour modification, administration of animals, the total gamut of illustration types, too they’re doing so without aversives."

Zazie: Switching topics slightly to ordinary people, to ordinary people when they’re grooming their dogs. If they’re committed to using reward-based grooming methods but they’re soundless learning, what is the most mutual error that people construct too how tin they improve?

Jean: The most mutual error – too everybody’s going to have got to forgive me for beingness such a broken tape – it’s non sufficiently addressing motivation. So, to set non also fine a betoken on it, basically failing to coughing upwards the chicken. Either non using plenty reward, often enough, beingness armed alongside it when necessary, having a high plenty value of reward, manipulating the economic scheme so the Canis familiaris isn’t total so if you’re using nutrient making sure that the Canis familiaris isn’t already full. That is a number i that fifty-fifty people who nominally have got bought into using rewards too so powerfulness proceed to sort of gradually inwards a slow-drip mode undermine the physical care for yesteryear trying to utilization every bit piddling every bit possible, every bit infrequently every bit possible, every bit depression value every bit possible, .. too things cease upwards non going so good too they tell good reward-based grooming isn’t working. And it really is sort of “I’m expected to move do my project but I’ve simply been given a pay cutting of 90%, too I have got pitiable piece of occupation weather too my surgery is starting to flag too so my boss assumes that coin thus isn’t motivating” etc, whereas “this whole fleck of materials close motivation doesn’t piece of occupation too nosotros should forthwith resort to electrically shocking me to acquire me to perform” etc.  So I retrieve that is soundless of epidemic proportion.

"The most mutual error is non sufficiently addressing motivation."

And too so after that there’s diverse mechanical things but they so pale inwards comparing to the reluctance that people have got to move far worth a dog’s spell to reply the query of ‘why should I do this?’. Here’s why yous should do it.

Zazie: Excellent. So simply to give a rattling concrete example, yous have got an extremely cute Canis familiaris called Brian, too I retrieve in all likelihood some people would facial expression at him too simply retrieve “he’s rattling sweet, why do yous have got to motivate him?” When yous really demand to motivate him, what do yous use? What’s his favourite reward?

Jean: He’s rattling close substitution nibs. He’s close this materials called Rawbble which is piddling sort of freeze-fried raw things. He’ll piece of occupation rattling nicely for chicken pectus too I cutting it into tiny piddling dice. He’ll piece of occupation for cheese. He’ll occasionally piece of occupation for a toy but non much, he’s non incredibly toy-driven too so I to a greater extent than often than non prepare him alongside food. And he tin move too go. When I showtime got him, earlier he was much hooked on training, he’d live on expert for perchance 10-15 minutes. Now he’s to a betoken it’s been over a twelvemonth too he tin move in all likelihood for an hr or so inwards a shape province of affairs too soundless hold working. And I should tell for the tape fifty-fifty though he’s a pocket-size Canis familiaris too I prepare him loads, he’s non the slightest fleck overweight. And most of the dogs I know who are owned yesteryear nutrient grooming trainers, their dogs are inwards superb condition, too at that spot are many people out at that spot who don’t prepare alongside nutrient whose dogs are obese. So I would enterprise to tell that if somebody were to written report this, I would predict that there’s non a correlation betwixt using treats to prepare too the dog’s medical status or weight, that that simply doesn’t happen.

Zazie: Go Brian, that’s rattling good! So if someone is getting a Canis familiaris for the showtime time, they haven’t had a Canis familiaris before, what do yous retrieve is the most of import affair for them to know?

Jean: That’s a keen question! I would tell the most of import affair for them to know is that they’re bringing some other species into their home, too that all kinds of things that the Canis familiaris is going to do are going to live on Canis familiaris things. And so fifty-fifty earlier they understand grooming too contingencies too so on that they hopefully opened upwards up to the actual sort of wonder of having this other being. You know, nosotros pay expert coin for cable channels so nosotros tin spotter shows depicting crocodiles too rhinoceroses too other cultures too whatever sort of beingness that’s different. We’re fascinated yesteryear that. And I retrieve we’ve move a piddling fleck contemptuous of the familiarity of dogs but they are rattling dissimilar too I retrieve role of the beauty of it is welcoming that they’re gonna do Canis familiaris things, too so.. I’m simply pre-normalizing a lot of it, that people tin access to up-to-date data on what dogs do too that it’s non all sort of an insidious plot, that it’s simply a Canis familiaris beingness a Canis familiaris too if nosotros tin sort of celebrate that.

"There’s all these things that are to me this shifting landscape from ‘you have got your Canis familiaris nether your thumb’ versus ‘are yous doing right yesteryear him? are yous making sure that he’s happy?’"

And I retrieve it’s also a alter that is rattling happy. It used to be, when I showtime started inwards dogs, this was long earlier The Culture Clash, the paragon of a expert Canis familiaris possessor was somebody who had their Canis familiaris quote unquote “under control”, that your Canis familiaris was quote “well-behaved” which meant he was non inconveniencing humans, wasn’t moving also much etc. Now, to a greater extent than too to a greater extent than we’re putting dogs into everything from MRI scanners too we’re trying to discern whether the Canis familiaris is happy. So the grade forthwith of a expert Canis familiaris possessor is somebody who is really fulfilling the dog’s basic needs. So letting the Canis familiaris live on a dog, grooming alongside the to the lowest degree invasive ways possible, making sure he’s got a veterinary experience that’s non going to live on total of fearfulness etc. There’s all these things that are to me this shifting landscape from ‘you have got your Canis familiaris nether your thumb’ versus ‘are yous doing right yesteryear him? are yous making sure that he’s happy?’ And that is inwards no way going to impairment the populace good, it’s not. These are perfectly aligned objectives. You tin soundless have got a Canis familiaris that is quote unquote “well behaved” too non unsafe too non a nuisance etc spell soundless beingness happy. The fact that we’re factoring inwards the dog’s character of life forthwith inwards a existent way too we’re trying to every bit objectively every bit nosotros tin too every bit faithfully every bit nosotros tin figure out what that is, I retrieve is a tremendous evolution that I don’t retrieve anybody would have got foreseen 30 years ago.

Zazie: And yous touched on veterinary attention every bit well, so how tin nosotros construct dogs have got amend visits to the vet?

Jean: Part of that is going to live on really tough because sometimes veterinarians – too groomers also I powerfulness add together – have got to do things that are necessarily going to live on painful too scary. Dogs are going to come upwards inwards hurt, injured, they’ve got to do emergency procedures, they’ve got to do surgeries on dogs. But I retrieve increases inwards agreement close fear, medications nosotros tin utilization for hurting management, for administration of anxiety, pre-preparing dogs, I retrieve all these things tin move a long way to mitigating what to dogs has got to live on a rattling hard thing. And I retrieve that the Fear Free motility deserves a callout, that it’s dove-tailing rattling nicely alongside what those of us inwards behaviour have got been maxim for a long fourth dimension which is that fearfulness is something that nosotros demand to pick out rattling seriously. And if it tin live on prevented, mitigated too ameliorated when it is on board, volition move a long way towards bettering dog’s character of life too keeping veterinary staff too the populace safe.

Zazie: Thank you. So you’ve been an educator for many years now, too must have got taught thousands of Canis familiaris trainers. What are the qualities of a expert Canis familiaris trainer?

Jean: Oh wow that’s also a expert question. I retrieve forthwith showtime too maiden of all it’s somebody who relishes, enjoys too has got skills at communicating alongside novice owners. People who don’t have got the same kinds of motivations every bit Canis familiaris trainers. When you’re grooming Canis familiaris trainers, role of the affair is trying to acquire the Canis familiaris trainer to live on efficient too non prepare similar a bat out of hell too piece of occupation the Canis familiaris for 2 hours etc. You know, we’re built to train, nosotros honey the physical care for too nosotros are close dogs too we’ve decided to devote our lives to it. Owners honey dogs too they adore their dog, but they don’t have got the same intrinsic motivation that nosotros do. And so I retrieve the powerfulness to pick out too run into owners where they are, too relish the challenge of making all the intricacies too pieces of Canis familiaris grooming accessible to owners. So that involves the powerfulness to triage, the powerfulness to understand alongside the possessor inwards a genuine way, to non live on judgemental that the possessor is non a Canis familiaris trainer. The only people who are entitled to have got dogs inwards their homes are non people who are already Canis familiaris trainers. We tin live on that sort of translator too nosotros tin acquire the dog’s character of life, nosotros want to protect the populace good, too have got the possessor enjoying their Canis familiaris more. It’s a rattling complex profession. And people who encompass that part, every bit opposed to simply wanting to advocate for dogs, I retrieve that is the Canis familiaris trainer of the future. And too so of class there’s all that technical knowledge, but I retrieve showtime too maiden of all – too that’s something that i can’t instruct – is somebody who really truly is curious close too likes treatment the people end.

Zazie: So yous run the Academy for Dog Trainers. I was rattling lucky to win a scholarship too and so graduate, so I know it’s a wonderful school. If someone is reading this, too they’re thinking of going to acquire to a greater extent than close Canis familiaris training, what is special close the Academy?

Jean: I retrieve in all likelihood the affair that makes it the most dissimilar are the standards, both inwards price of the length too reach of the program, the demands it makes. It’s really cry for a lot. Which agency that for some people they’re going to honor themselves inwards their element, but I retrieve it’s non for everybody. I retrieve it’s a fleck of a daze to the scheme of Canis familiaris trainers that upwards until fairly late – really inwards the terminal 10 or 15 years – the criterion for entering the profession has been extremely depression bar: read a few books, perchance set some titles on some dogs, move to a few seminars, set out a shingle. And we’re maxim it’s simply non enough. We want a lot more, nosotros want it structured, nosotros want it evaluated, too nosotros want 2 years’ worth of it.  And I retrieve for some people every bit I said they’re going to honor themselves right inwards their chemical component but it is non for everybody. So people thinking close the Academy demand to live on really sure they are upwards for a large commitment too I retrieve a complex profession such every bit ours needs that, but people demand to live on ready for that sort of challenge.



Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 huge give thank yous you to Jean for answering my questions! You tin read to a greater extent than close the Academy for Dog Trainers or follow them on Facebook or twitter.

has published interviews alongside talented scientists, writers, trainers too veterinarians who are working to promote expert animate beingness welfare. See the total list or subscribe to acquire to a greater extent than close how to have got happy dogs too cats.


About Jean Donaldson: Jean is the founder too regulation teacher of The Academy for Dog Trainers.  The Academy has trained too certified over 600 trainers inwards evidence-based Canis familiaris behavior, grooming too individual behaviour counseling since 1999. She is a four-time winner of The Dog Writers' Association of America's Maxwell Award, too her books include The Culture Clash, Mine! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Guide to Resource Guarding inwards Dogs, Fight! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Guide to Dog-Dog Aggression, Dogs Are From Neptune, Oh Behave! Dogs From Pavlov to Premack to Pinker, too Train Like a Pro.

Born inwards Montreal, Canada, Jean founded the Montreal Flyball Association, too Renaissance Dog Training, the showtime positive reinforcement-based schoolhouse too counseling service inwards the province.  Her ain dogs too dogs she has trained have got earned numerous titles too wins inwards diverse Canis familiaris sports including OTCh (Obedience Trial Champion), UD (Utility Dog), TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent), FDCh (Flyball Champion), CGC (Canine Good Citizen) too HIT (High In Trial).  While a student, she worked every bit an adoption counselor at the Montreal SPCA too afterwards served on its Board of Directors.  Before founding The Academy, Jean did only referral aggression cases for 6 years.  She lives inwards Oakland alongside her dog, Brian, adopted inwards 2015.


Zazie Todd, PhD, is the author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the pop weblog , where she writes close everything from grooming methods to the human-canine relationship. She also writes a column for Psychology Today too has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article inwards 2017. Todd lives inwards Maple Ridge, BC, alongside her husband, i dog, too 2 cats.

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