Wow I’ve gained enough new followers that it’s time for another intro post/cuttin em down post! Hi, I like dogs. I also like bad early 2000s nu metal, musicians named Ben, horror movies, and ghost hunting. I like camping out of my car and exploring abandoned buildings. Lemons are good, lemonade is really bad. I don’t like country music or comedy or Lord Huron’s newest album. I’m studying to be a dogtor with the end goal of a specialty. I have a few invisible illnesses (tbqh if you watch me close enough some of them are fairly obvious). Ed is my service dog. Jōnsi is the general disservice dog. I like dog shows and showing dogs and doing silly sports things with my silly dogs. I like R+ training a lot. I don’t rly ascribe to the “all training methods are valid uwu” mindset; present evidence shows that training methodology isn’t a matter of taste, it’s a welfare issue. I don’t think using aversive-based makes someone a bad person: we all have ways we can and should improve our care. But we SHOULD be improving, not just going with “what works.” I used to be a compulsion trainer with hunting dogs, then a “pretty good” balanced trainer. I had lots of stuff from leerburg, Michael Ellis, Dave Kroyer, etc etc. I was well-educated and knew how to “use tools the right way.” I’m in a STEM field, so I wanted to find science-based evidence to support my training methods when engaging online. I found the opposite and changed my methodology. Now I’m an almost professional: AVSAB has made a definitive statement on the current standard of behavioral care for dogs. I’m obligated to stay current with standard of care. I think folks can and should continue to use evidence-based methods to improve all aspects of canine welfare, including training. I am always happy to talk about training or offer resources if someone is working on a training challenge, wants input, etc. I’m not happy to debate methodology, but I can direct folks to resources for further reading. I can be slow to respond bc I study 40+ hrs a week outside of class time. Feel free to remind me to keep up! Thanks for reading, hello &/or goodbye, thanks for stopping by and maybe thanks for sticking around! https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlHGXvr4WZ/?utm_medium=tumblr
