Pet connection
caring for your animals
Diana’s approach to animal training focuses on cultivating and nurturing a healthy relationship between animal and owner, building a solid foundation to mold the pet into a well-balanced, confident individual who is a joy to live with. A healthy relationship with your companion pet requires the same elements as any other relationship, including trust, understanding and communication. Having a basic appreciation of the fundamentals of animal behavior is essential to effective animal training, so being able to “think” like your pet is a valuable skill. Fun for both owner and pet is an important component in Diana’s training style. When the relationship is based on mutual trust and communication is effective, the sky is the limit!
Diana teaches puppy classes at Planet Dog in Portland and provides private consultations.
Dogs do not know “right” from “wrong” - it is up to us to teach them the rules of living in our world
The Training Game
A good cross-species rule of living is this: behaviors that get rewarded get stronger and are more likely to be repeated [and vice versa]. “Traditional training” focused on telling the dog what NOT to do; with positive-reinforcement and clicker training, your pet takes an active, conscious and happy role in learning to make the right choices. Just think - there is an infinite number of 'wrong" answers - why not let your companion know what the right answers are?
Communicate with your companion animal in a way he understands
“Clicker Training?” What’s that?
The clicker, a small gizmo that makes a “clickclick” sound, allows us to precisely mark or highlight behaviors we like. Science dictates that "a behavior that gets rewarded is more likely to repeat itself." Your dog (or horse, or cat, or... goldfish...) can quickly make the association between a behavior and the resulting reward, and this will lead to more behaviors that you like!
Behaviors that work get stronger
Why is it so effective? It is mechanical, consistent, non-verbal (it’s hard to remember that our animals aren’t born understanding English!), simple and highly portable. Animals learn by association. Once the association between click and reward has been made, they quickly become aware of which behaviors “work”. The click sticks! Putting your pet on the payroll is a basic first step in training her. Clicker training actively engages your pet into the learning process; she is motivated to offer “good behavior” because she gets paid for it. With that, good habits are formed... and good habits are the foundation for a pet you love to live with. It’s a win-win situation!
For more information about clicker training, visit www.clickertraining.com. Heck, even your household goldfish can be trained using the same approach! (visit www.fish-school.com to see the famous agility-fish in action)
RATES:
$45 per hour*
$60 for first 1.5 hour visit
*a travel surcharge may apply to certain locations
“The most valuable thing Diana taught us is how dogs think and why they behave the way they do. Once we understood this, it was so much easier to train our dog effectively. This understanding has made us better dog owners. What a joy to work with a great trainer and to have such a well behaved and happy pet.”
Gordon & Christy Haldeman, Freeport
Gordon’s physical therapy practice is freeportpt.com
Lisa Peck, North Yarmouth
APDT Mission Statement:
The mission of the APDT is to enhance the human-dog relationship by educating trainers, other animal professionals and the public and advocating dog-friendly training.
the bond between a dog and her human: there’s nothing else like it in the world!
