May 2021 KPA CTP of the Month
When he first began dog training in Korea, Alex encountered only traditional training methods. He says, “This did not sit right with me. I thought that there must be another way, one that uses less force.” Alex discovered clicker training through internet searching and when he came across Karen Pryor’s book Don’t Shoot the Dog, he was inspired by it. He went on to read other books by positive instructors about using positive-reinforcement training effectively to obtain desirable behaviors. He remembers, “I was particularly inspired by the positive effects of this training on the emotional relationship between human and animal.”
Alex has been a U.S. resident since 2012, living all over the country but now settled in Baltimore. However, his work is primarily with people and animals in Korea. Alex completed the KPA Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program in 2014, in Hawaii with Terry Ryan.
Alex remembers the KPA DTP program as a “very enlightening experience.” He enjoyed workshop activities “that illustrated how words are not needed to obtain a desired behavior from another being, a human or animal.” Alex shares that Terry was able to explain, “beautifully, the systematic approach of shaping behavior by allowing the learner time to think and by providing clear and accurate cues.” Terry’s explanations, and other parts of the DTP program, demonstrated to Alex the value of “two-way communication over one-way communication that does not consider the learner’s feelings/thoughts.”
Since completing the KPA program, Alex has noted its impact on his training work. “The science-based teachings of KPA have strengthened my clear conviction in what I teach. The science behind clicker training, demonstrates that force is not needed to elicit desired behaviors or to communicate with an animal.” This lesson, especially, was helpful to Alex because he was living with a dog, Beanie, that was completely deaf and unable to respond to any sort of verbal cue. “Although I could not utilize a clicker when I was training Beanie, we used hand signals and other cues. Throughout the positive-reinforcement training, there were no limits in what she could do.” Alex says that Beanie has been his “greatest teacher.”
Karen Pryor Academy launched me forward in my professional career.
Alex goes back to the value of establishing two-way communications when he discusses how KPA has influenced his non-professional life. “Clicker training is about awareness, patience, understanding, and clearly identifying learnable moments,” he says. “This understanding has helped me in many aspects of life, including my relationship with other humans.” Teaching others about communication and watching their development is Alex’s purpose in life. He says that he believes other CTPs feel the same way. “Positive-reinforcement training has offered me insight into animal training, opportunities to re-examine myself, and a chance to view the world with new eyes.”
Alex is helping others look at the world with new, positive eyes with his translation of the KPA Foundations courses to Korean. “When I first started in the world of animal training, it was difficult to find science-based resources and education materials in the Korean language. I have been fortunate to have some wonderful educational opportunities living in the United States.” Alex reports that Korea is experiencing an animal training cultural rebirth. “I hope that the KPA Foundations courses that are now available in Korean will be a good start to the changes I know will happen in Korea.”
Alex looks for new opportunities and perspectives for himself, too. In addition to the KPA DTP program, he has completed CCPDT, APDT, and PSI certifications and programs. Alex explains, “I am an avid reader and I think books are the main source of my depth. When I read good books or articles, I am able to remember their important contents by translating the material into the Korean language.” Books, and others with experience, help Alex learn and widen his perspective.
Right now, Alex is focused on sharing as much as possible about clicker training and positive reinforcement with the Korean public. He wrote an animal training book in 2020 (available only in Korean!) and is gratified by feedback from readers who have said the book was helpful to them in their lives with dogs. Alex and his wife, a physician who specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry, often talk about how their work overlaps. Alex says that they discuss ways “to integrate animal and child behavioral therapy. There could be some interesting developments in the near future,” hints Alex.