Are we as force-free with our clients and our colleagues as we are with the animals in our care? Our behavior-consulting work often takes place amidst emotionally charged situations. The stakes can be high and our clients can be upset, argumentative and unpleasant. Additionally, these same characteristics can describe our colleagues as well at times. And so, when dealing with disagreeable people, can we apply our core skills of careful observation, non-reactivity, gradual shaping and timely reinforcement of alternate behaviors? Let’s consider if we are willing to extend our ethic of non-violence to include our interactions with people as well as pets, and if so, what practical changes we could make to support this.

About The Presenter

Kathy Sdao, MA, ACAAB.

Kathy is an associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist based in Tacoma, Washington and has spent the past two decades as a full-time professional trainer for dogs and other animals.

For her first ten years as an animal trainer, Kathy trained marine mammals at a research laboratory for the University of Hawaii, in the open-ocean for the US Navy and at a zoo in Tacoma Washington. Since 1995, Kathy has focused on training land-dwelling animals: dogs and their people.

She has been honored to be on the faculty of Karen Pryor’s Clicker Expos since 2003. She also has trained animal actors, written for The Clicker Journal and the APDT Newsletter, served as a subject-matter expert for the Delta Society's Service Dog Education System; conducted rat-training camp for Terry Ryan's DogSense, instructed at Dogs of Course’s Instructor Training Course and appeared as the "Way Cool Scientist" on an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy!

Kathy meets with dog owners in Tacoma, Seattle, and other areas in the Puget Sound region to design behavior modification plans, to teach basic manners to their dogs and to prepare for competition. She also travels extensively to lead dog training and behavior workshops that make the science of animal training accessible and practical for dog trainers and owners alike.

www.KathySado.com