About Kim's Canines
My name is Kim Lutz and I appreciate the opportunity to share a little bit about myself and my dog training philosophy. I am a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and an associate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). Both of these organizations promote dog friendly training that utilizes positive reinforcement and a least intrusive, minimally aversive way of thinking. In addition, both organizations offer many opportunities to advance education. This is a good fit for me since I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement methods for training, and am always interested in furthering my education. Listed below are just a few classes I've taken:
-
Basic Behavioral Neuroanatomy
-
Common Medical Problems That Can Affect Behavior
-
Professional Ethics for Animal Consultants I & II
-
How to Conduct an Ethological Study
-
Conducting Behavioral Assessments for Shelters
-
Training Clients: An Interactive Course on Helping Clients Train
-
Understanding Antecedent Stimuli:
An Examination of Learning Theory from the front End.
-
Motivation for Behavior: Instincts, Motor Patterns and Drives in Domestic Dogs
In addition to the above, I attend seminars, workshops, and conferences - always on the lookout for opportunities to continue learning and growing. I am very proud to have earned a Certificate of Excellence from Dr. Susan Friedman's functional assessment and analysis course, Living and Learning with Parrots: The Fundamentals of Behavior. What I learned from Dr. Friedman can be applied to all animals and is amazingly affective In my work as a Behavior Consultant I became very aware of a need in my community for doggie daycare. I set a goal for myself to open a daycare and training facility with the desire and intention to meet the needs of both dogs and clients; joining ABKA was one of the first steps I took. As a member of ABKA, Kim’s Canines™ is committed to the ABKA Code of Ethics and Pet Owner’s Bill of Rights.
In closing, I want to mention that I am also a clicker trainer. A clicker is a very precise marker, allowing the dog to know exactly what behavior you want. It is a great tool for dog training, so if you're interested, please let me know and I will be happy to teach you! |