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August 2020: Issue 56 Geek Week Extends Early Bird Rates, Announces Final Speaker Lineup and Releases Schedule
PPG’s virtual event Geek Week, taking place online on November 11-15, 2020, has extended its early bird rates to September 30, 2020 to give you more time to register. The same applies to exhibitor rates. Early Bird (before September 30, 2020): Member* $200 / Public $380 Regular Registration: (post August 30, 2020): Member* $220 / Public $440 Geek Week Features:
 Register Today!
Want to know more about Geek Week? Listen to Niki Tudge and Denise O'Moore, chair of INTO Dogs, discuss PPG's virtual November event in this BARKS podcast. PPAB Gains CANZ Accreditation
The Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) is now an accredited organization with Companion Animals New Zealand (CANZ). CANZ believes there should be legislation that ensures certain standards of welfare for animals and is a respected national organization representing a diverse range of animal welfare groups, including the SPCA, New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA), Dogs NZ, New Zealand Cat Fancy, the New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association (NZVNA) and the New Zealand Institute of Animal Management (NZIAM). There are currently three PPAB titles available: Canine Training Technician (Accredited) (CTT-A), Professional Canine Trainer (Accredited) (PCT-A), and Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (Accredited) (PCBC-A). Special Notice: Effective April 1 - December 31, 2020, PPAB is waiving many of its application and submission fees for PPG members. Apply today and save: Canine Training Technician – All fees waived. Save $90 Professional Canine Trainer – All fees waived. Save $90 Professional Canine Behavior Consultant – All fees waived except the proctored online examination. Save $115 If you hold an existing credential and are thinking twice about renewing, now is the time to transfer it! Save the application fee of $50 and all other submission fees until December 31, 2020. PPG Signs Four New Corporate Partners PPG is proud and delighted to welcome TheDoGenius Ltd., The Gundog Trainers Academy, 2 Hounds Design, and the International School for Canine Psychology & Behaviour Ltd. onboard as new corporate partners.
Special Offer: 10% discount on course prices for PPG Members (excludes sale or discounted prices).
GTA offers educational courses in practical and theoretical formats with a final assessment process which accredits teachers to become GTA instructors. Handler only courses are devised to improve and extend upon gundog handling skills to owners and trainers by delving deeper into the learning process and applying it to field work.
Special Offers: 10% discount on 2021 Teachers Course for PPG members / 5% discount on 2021 Handlers Course for PPG members.
The ISCP is the only education provider that offers a 50% discount for members involved in dog rescues and in any charities which involve dogs (such as guide and service dogs, veterans with dogs, emotional support dogs, etc.) on its most popular behavior course which enables graduates to work professionally with dogs.
Special Offer: 10% discount on all ISCP courses. To take advantage of this offer, please use the PPG member discount code in the coupon code box in the course enrollment form.  2 Hounds Design, represented by Alisha Navarro makes the Freedom No-Pull Harness with double connection leash as well as fun and flashy martingale collars, buckle collars, and leashes.Special Offer: Try the Freedom No-Pull Harness for FREE! And send your feedback for 25% off your first order at wholesale pricing! For more details of discount codes and all available offers, see Vendor Discount Programs in the Members’ Area of the PPG website.
The Shock-Free Coalition has announced new dates for its Pledge Drive. The event will now take place March 1 - May 31, 2021. Pet Rescue Resource Releases Playgroups Toolkit
The Pet Rescue Resource (PRR) has released its much anticipated Dog Playgroups resource, which features in-depth information on science based, data driven, positively inspired dog playgroups and explains why these are so important for shelter/rescue dogs. The Academy for Dog Trainers and the PPG shelter and rescue committee went live on Facebook earlier this month to discuss the project and to provide a glimpse of some of the top level content that will be available to the public at no cost. PRR is an online toolkit for shelters and rescues designed to improve adoption and retention rates of homeless pets. The resource includes articles, step-by-step training plans and videos designed to support staff and volunteers in addressing common behavior and welfare issues. Its first project, Jumpy/Mouthy Dogs, launched earlier this year, with the Cat Project currently underway. The PPG shelter and rescue committee welcomes any feedback to the new resources. Please contact them via their Facebook page and let them know what you think! BARKS: Sneak Preview of September 2020 Issue
Sign up for your free lifetime digital subscription today to get a sneak preview of the September issue of BARKS from the Guild (above left).
In this issue's cover feature, Dr. Liz Bales explains why the behavioral, social, and environmental needs of our pet cats are often not being met and the simple steps cat guardians can take to alleviate their cats’ stress levels to ensure improved physical, mental and emotional well-being – as well as how dog trainers can help. Other articles include:
If you have not already registered for your free lifetime digital subscription to BARKS, you can do so here. Sign up today to get exclusive sneak previews of upcoming editions, download PDFs of individual articles, read all back issues from 2014-2020 inclusive, or order a print-on-demand copy. Already subscribed? Enter your BARKS Membership Zone here to read and download the July 2020 issue (above right), back issues from 2014-2020, download PDFs of individual articles, or order a print-on-demand copy.
BARKS from the Guild, PPG’s bimonthly official trade publication, is looking for new writers to contribute on both a regular and an ad hoc basis. BARKS is all about pet professionals sharing their individual knowledge and experience with others as we work to grow the force-free community and spread the message. BARKS’ online audience is comprised tens of thousands of pet professionals and pet guardians all over the world; being featured in BARKS is great for your business, for your fellow pet professionals, and for the clients and pets we serve! Please read the BARKS FAQs page for more information on submitting articles or contact the editor for further details. Are you an animal behaviorist? A trainer? Do you have experience and/or education in animal welfare or behavior? If so, Dr. Nathan Hall, assistant professor of companion animal science at Texas Tech University, and his PhD student Allie Andrukonis invite you to participate in a survey for a new study on the welfare of people and animals in the shelter. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to answer a few questions about your experience and education in the field and then watch 10 videos of dogs in kennels and answer 1-4 questions about each video. It should take no more than 20 minutes. Ultimately the goal of this study is to use the data collected to create training programs and/or protocols to improve the in-kennel welfare of dogs. Please share far and wide! PPG Names June Project Trade Ambassador
Congratulations to Emily Blythe of Homeward Bound Animal Behavior & Training, LLC in Wisconsin, USA for trading three shock collars and who has been named Project Trade Ambassador for June 2020. Project Trade is PPG's advocacy program whereby members offer service discounts in exchange for aversive training gear. Find out how Project Trade can help your business in Helping Dogs, Helping Families. 
BARKS Podcasts are now available on Anchor, from where you can select your preferred app to listen any time or download. Make sure you follow BARKS Podcasts on whichever app you choose so you can stay updated with new releases. Latest Podcasts: July 31, 2020: Denise O'Moore of INTODogs discussing Geek Week. July 24, 2020: Kelly Duggan of Kelly Duggan Design discussing marketing and websites, and how you can best leverage your site to service more clients and help more pets. July 17, 2020: PPG Summit 2017 keynote speaker Dr. Eduardo Fernandez talking all about science, ethics and data collection 
Tuesday, August 18 - 10 a.m. EDT Can dogs have ADHD? A look at recent research on impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention in dogs. Presented by Dr. Kristina Spaulding Did you know that PPG has hundreds of recorded webinars? Each month more are added as live events are completed. You can search on them via topic, or presenter. Click here to have a browse through them or to check out the new scheduled live webinars. Service Dog Owner Training -- Is this the path for you? Presented by Sharon Wachsler Lining up the How, What and Why of Training. Presented by Alexandra Kurland Brains, Bowls & Bull. Presented by Dr. Nick Thompson Debunk, Support Science, or Tell a Story? Presented by Zazie Todd PhD A Simple Recipe for Social Media Success. Presented by Tracey Lee Davis  The PPG Archive holds over 3,400 articles, blogs and videos. Here's a selection of what's been added this month: The Startling Science of Fear and Love – Dr. Robert Falconer-Taylor Efficacy of dog training with and without remote electronic collars versus a focus on positive reinforcement - Lucy China, Daniel S. Mills and Jonathan J. Cooper Dogs, But Not Pigs, Look to People for Help with a Problem – Zazie Todd Tips for Successful Senior Cat Foraging Sessions! – Conscious Companion
See the full PPG Archive.
New this month! Phoenix Blog Competition: Learning Compassion - Charleen Cordo Examining Anxiety Traits and Breed Specifics – Dr. Sheryl L. Walker Behavior Modification — A Case Study of a “Difficult” Dog - Maren Jensen and Angelica Steinker Developing Food Manners - Michelle Martiya Bath Time - Robyn Lowe Respect, Routines and Redirection - Andrea Carne Understanding Our Dogs: Separation Anxiety in Canines - Animal Courses Direct Empowering Dogs and Humans to Have a Deeper, More Connected Relationship – One Harness at a Time - Joan Hunter Mayer Do “Carbon Copy” Dogs Exist? - Anna Bradley Quick Cat Behavior Tip: Trimming Claws - PPG Cat Committee Stumbling through Puppy Socialization - Daniel Antolec
Subscribe to the BARKS Blog.
YOUR QUICK PPG LINKS * BARKS Blog - latest blog posts and subscribe * BARKS from the Guild: back issues * BARKS from the Guild: subscribe * BARKS from the Guild on Facebook * Pet Professional Accreditation Board * PPG All about Cats Facebook Group * PPG All about Horses Facebook Group * PPG Archive (links to over 3,250 articles, blogs and studies and growing daily) * PPG Education Scholarship Program * PPG Educational Resources: webinars and workshops * PPG Member Discussion Board (note: you must be logged in) * PPG Shelter and Rescue Facebook Group * Shelter and Rescue Resources |
