August 2018 KPA CTP of the Month
Stephanie Peters, KPA CTP and CPDT-KA, owner of Plucky Paws, adopted her “sweet little dog Marmalade” from Second Chance Animal Rescue Puerto Rico in 2013, spurring her interest in animal training. She had heard of using a clicker for training, but “stuck to lure-reward training, using a verbal marker informally” with Marmalade—until she attended A Weekend with Ken Ramirez in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2016, after a recent move to Iowa from Boston. Ken spoke about reinforcement, the pitfalls of coercion, elements of behavior science, and more. Stephanie says, “I was incredibly inspired and enlightened, and eagerly attended ClickerExpo in Cincinnati a month later.”
At ClickerExpo, Stephanie “walked rather longingly past the information booth for Karen Pryor Academy (KPA),” but it wasn’t until she held an internship in Dogtown at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that she applied to KPA. “I felt that a rigorous educational experience in operant conditioning would complement all that I had learned about behavior modification and rescue-dog care at the sanctuary,” explains Stephanie. She started the KPA Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program when the internship ended. “I would not have been able to enroll in the Academy and complete the DTP program without the support of my husband, and dog-dad extraordinaire, Nick,” says Stephanie. She finished the program in April 2017 in Minneapolis, “under the guidance of the amazing Shelly Brouwer.” According to Stephanie, the dogs that participated in the program included “three Labs, a golden retriever, a border collie, an Aussie, a Newfie, and my ponytailed shih tzu-poodle, Marmalade!”
Stephanie enrolled in the Dog Trainer Foundations course ahead of the Dog Trainer Professional program. “Marmalade and I sailed through Dog Trainer Foundations and the first half of the DTP program,” reports Stephanie. However, during the second hands-on weekend in Minneapolis, Stephanie noted that parts of the workshop experience were stressful for her fearful dog.
For the last two workshops, Stephanie had to juggle behavior modification as well as operant training. She watched out for Marmalade, “adapting and overcoming as needed.” Stephanie credits “long walks, play breaks, and frozen Kongs” for her dog’s eventual success in the workshop environment.
Even the DTP final assessment, completing a ten-part behavior chain for evaluation, presented challenges for her noise-phobic dog. Stephanie relates the story:
“Marmalade and I awoke to stormy skies. My stomach sank, and my heart flew into my throat. Marmalade was hypervigilant, wouldn’t take food, trembled, panted, and left sweaty paw prints on the floor. I knew I had to remain calm and positive. I suited up Marm in her sweater, cranked up Through a Dog’s Ear in the car, and took her on a walk in the drizzly weather. I put on a brave face, but deep down I was not hopeful. Nevertheless, I let Marm sniff around the empty room while I set up a white noise machine, warmed her up with a few hand targets, and took a deep breath.
Despite Marmalade’s delicate constitution that day, she showed only initial hesitation and then flew right through her behavior chain. All of our teamwork and preparation prevailed, and she absolutely rocked it! At the conclusion of the chain, Marmalade heard that beautiful click and bacon rained from the sky.”
In her varied professional and volunteer work, Stephanie encounters all types of animals and people: puppies, adult dogs, rescue dogs, dogs with reactivity and other behavioral challenges, service dogs in training, and therapy dogs; children, adults, family groups, rescue organizations, and dog-handler teams in the PAWS training program at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. She offers coaching and day-training options that include Behavior Solutions; Basic, Intermediate, and Continuing Skills; Plucky Parents training packages for expecting and new parents; and Family Training packages for families with older children who can participate in the training process. Stephanie emphasizes the relationship basis of successful training, “strengthening and celebrating the bond between pet guardians and their dogs.” As a KPA graduate and clicker trainer, her progressive methods are always based in behavior science and emphasize safety.
In addition to offering a range of training and behavior services for dogs, Stephanie also provides humane education “for children of all ages.” Marmalade is her frequent companion in this work, as the Plucky Paws Therapy Dog. Stephanie’s background in learning theory and child development combined with more than 15 years working with kids in a variety of contexts, is a remarkable asset that can be applied readily to “educating and enriching our canine friends.” She puts this proficiency with children and dogs “to perfect use when I work with pet guardians who are busy raising children and dogs in the same household.” Stephanie is proud and pleased to be a Certified Humane Education Specialist, as there are not many trainers with this qualification in the country!
Stephanie believes that Plucky Paws would not be able to offer its extensive range of services if she had not graduated from Karen Pryor Academy. She has no doubt that her KPA education has also enabled her to “provide clients with detailed and individualized guidance.” Clients that in the past have worked with “unqualified trainers who used intimidation or coercion without their [owners’] consent or recommended that they harm or frighten their own dogs in the name of training” are relieved and excited to meet Stephanie. “These clients are enthusiastic about the wonderful world of positive reinforcement and cross over to more humane and effective methods. They are relieved to know that a simple click paired with a tasty treat can vastly improve a dog’s behavior.”
Stephanie believes that Plucky Paws would not be able to offer its extensive range of services if she had not graduated from Karen Pryor Academy.
One of Stephanie’s recent volunteer efforts has been with offenders at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women, through the Animal Rescue League of Iowa’s PAWS program. She says, “I have always wanted to be part of a prison-training program.” The participants themselves work on core behaviors with the dogs in their care, readying them for future adoption, but Stephanie provides a bonus and fun opportunity for the participants and dogs. “I let them try techniques like mat work and target-stick training that go beyond the core behaviors that are practiced at the facility.” Stephanie describes the PAWS program, and other programs like it, as “life-changing for adoptable dogs and cats and mutually beneficial for the participating shelters and for the correctional institutions.” She believes that similar programs should be in wider use and is proud that the Animal Rescue League “endorses only positive reinforcement techniques.”
Outside of her work with animals, Stephanie has found lessons from KPA to be useful in her personal life. A performer with multiple degrees in acting/theater education, Stephanie had thought of herself as “self-aware and emotionally intelligent.” However, post-KPA “I used the lens of behavior science to reflect on past struggles and mistakes, and more fully understood my choices and interpersonal relationships,” she shares. “Positive reinforcement training, as a professional pursuit and a way of being, promotes wellness, helping me be more perceptive and compassionate toward myself and others.
Stephanie pursues advanced education and qualification quite avidly. She is currently completing certification as a behavior consultant with both the IAABC and the CCPDT. “I eventually want to complete all the Karen Pryor Academy online courses, Susan Friedman’s online course, and Fear Free certification.” Stephanie’s membership in the Pet Professional Guild and other groups, experiential programs at accredited zoos and aquariums, and books related to canine ethology, cognition, and behavior all add to her knowledge and confidence. “Right now, I am reading Coercion and Its Fallout by Murray Sidman and Brian Hare’s The Genius of Dogs.”
Envisioning the future, Stephanie says that she is interested in working with other animals in addition to canines. “Plucky Paws will offer clicker services for cats in the next year or two, so stay tuned!” Plans include training with animals such as pot-bellied pigs, horses, chickens, and goats, “and then offering consultations for zoos” in order to work with an even wider range of species. Finally, Stephanie’s childhood passion for Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, and Birutė Galdikas may someday lead her to interact with non-human primates in a professional capacity. Stephanie is open to following her path as a trainer and positive individual wherever it might lead. She says that “learning about the dynamics of classical and operant conditioning changed my life immeasurably.”