March 2021 KPA CTP of the Month
Kristina Dieta Setiabudi, KPA CTP, offers dog training services through her business, Puppy Colours in Singapore, focusing on puppies and fearful dogs in particular. Her own dog, Josh, inspired Kristina to learn more about reward-based training when she was able to help him with his fearful behavior using positive training methods. “There were not many qualified dog trainers or behavior consultants in Singapore,” Kristina explains. “I started to read books and watch online videos, helping Josh with my limited knowledge. I wanted to address the problem’s root cause, not just the symptoms.”
When she was researching the best certification programs for dog training, Kristina found Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior (KPA). She selected the KPA Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program, considering it a “good fit” as it offered both theory and hands-on instruction. The KPA DTP World program allowed Kristina to complete the majority of the course at home in Singapore and travel to the United States only once, at the end of the program. Kristina was also attracted by KPA’s “international recognition.” She completed the KPA DTP course in 2012 with Terry Ryan in Sequim, Washington. Josh, the motivating factor behind Kristina’s professional change, is now a “normal and happy dog, living a great life.”
Kristina describes the KPA program as a “wonderful experience with supportive peers.” She continues to be in touch with her fellow students. “We became instant friends, even though we were from different parts of the world.” (There are now several KPA CTPs in Singapore!) Kristina found the framework of classical conditioning along with the four-quadrants of operant conditioning, based on Pavlov’s and Skinner’s work,” to be her most powerful takeaway from the DTP course. “Understood and used correctly, these frameworks can help us teach animals in a precise and clear way.” Kristina has seen how clear signals from the trainer reduce potential misunderstanding and frustration for the animal.
Kristina believes that her Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP) designation has inspired respect and credibility from potential clients— “many of my students chose me because of that”—and offered her business a head start. Kristina owns and operate two dog training campuses in Singapore. “There are six teachers assisting me with private consultations, group classes, and a Day School for dogs,” she explains.
Thinking about what she learned from the DTP program, Kristina believes that one of the most significant lessons was about how technical skill allows the trainer to deliver secondary reinforcers quickly and precisely, resulting in the learner’s accelerated progress. “This revelation has made me a much better teacher to pet owners,” says Kristina. She includes pet owners in this class of learners. “I learned to be clear and concise delivering information to the human learner, too.” Kristina has completed the TAGteach certification program to improve her teaching skills, “especially for teaching children. Teaching humans efficiently is the key to gaining momentum with the animal learner.”
Outside of her training business, Kristina has found her knowledge of clicker training to be an advantage. “Clicker training has inspired me to be more patient, empathetic, and respectful toward humans and non-humans. I focus on reinforcing behavior positively.”
Clicker training has inspired me to be more patient, empathetic, and respectful toward humans and non-humans. I focus on reinforcing behavior positively.
Since enrolling in the KPA DTP program and becoming a KPA CTP, Kristina has completed Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animal course “to expand on what I have learned at Karen Pryor Academy.” Kristina explains that “Karen Pryor Academy ignited a craving for more knowledge.” She went on to earn a MSc degree in Canine Life Sciences at Bergin University of Canine Studies in California, where she was learned more about the expansive world of behavioral science and about service-dog training. “I saw puppies grow and learn to become service dogs.” Because she does not have an extensive background in science, Kristina found this additional education to be quite valuable, adding to her skill set and proficiency as a trainer and business owner. Next, Kristina earned a diploma in ethology, learning more about “animals’ adaptive nature, how behaviour evolves, behavior’s biological mechanisms, and how experience and environment influence behavior.” Her training plans have benefited from this knowledge, “I create a better training plan for every animal as an individual.” Kristina is now a tutor at Ethology Institute Cambridge.
Currently, Kristina is continuing to explore her curiosity about the biological mechanism of behavior and is enrolled in a postgraduate degree in Applied Neuroscience at King’s College London. “Neurobiology is fascinating. I learn about how the brain works and how environmental stimuli, hormones, and neurotransmitters influence behavior and affect mental health. I don’t know yet exactly what I will do after completing my Neuroscience degree, but I am almost sure it will have something to do with behavioral science!”
Kristina sees endless opportunities for the application of clicker training. “I don’t know where we will a new application and success story.”