ClickerExpo Faculty 2010

Aaron Clayton is a management executive with over 15 years experience, much of it associated with growing service-based businesses. For the last four years, Aaron has been involved with reinforcement-based teaching and learning as the president of Karen Pryor Clickertraining (KPCT). Prior to joining TAGteach International, LLC, and KPCT, Aaron helped found and fund a human resources company and was a partner at a consulting firm focused on improving the market position and performance of Fortune 500 companies.

Aaron holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Aaron lives outside of Boston with his wife, Wendy, and two children, Michal and Elianna, and their black Labrador, Tucker.

Helix Fairweather has been training with operant conditioning since 1996 and is truly committed to this way of communicating with dogs. She offers group classes and private consultations, all with the goal of helping people and their dogs learn to live together and have fun. Helix’s classes include an innovative clicker training pet manners class, Control Unleashed® classes, agility classes, and beginning clicker training classes in Salem, Oregon. She also teaches online agility classes for clicker trainers who wish to homeschool their clicker trained agility dogs prior to taking a local agility class.

A contributing author for Clean Run magazine and The Clicker Journal, Helix is part of the Karen Pryor Academy faculty. Helix and her co-presenter, Megan Cruz, KPCTP, offer their GO FOR IT! Relaxed and Ready seminar (www.cyberagility.com) across the continent.

Helix holds a BS in physics from Oregon State University and an MS in physics and astrophysics from the University of New Mexico. She says, "I went off to grad school to be an astrophysicist and came back home hooked on dog training." To learn more about Helix, visit her website.

Tia Guest is a dog trainer and instructor, exotic animal trainer, and business executive. As Program Director for Karen Pryor Academy, she oversees students and faculty, and is also involved in curriculum design and the development of teaching materials and programs.

Tia is a graduate of the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program at Moorpark College in California, where she clicker trained animals ranging from rats to big cats. As a Moorpark graduate, Tia worked in the entertainment industry, training animals for television, movies, and commercials, and also presented wildlife education shows to the general public. 

Tia began teaching pet dog training classes in 1993. Starting in 1994, she served as the National Training Manager for a corporation contracted to provide dog training for a national pet supply retailer. Tia was responsible for producing curriculum, hiring and managing trainers, and increasing revenues. In 1999, Tia left her corporate position and opened her own facility in Texas, offering dog training, private consultation and coaching, group classes, daycare, and overnight boarding.

Tia’s own dogs compete in agility, dabble in disc dog, and offer training demonstrations and entertainment at schools and animal events. Tia is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, an Associate Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator for the American Kennel Club.

Alexandra Kurland began her instructional career as a dressage rider and teacher and as an accredited TTouch Practitioner. In 1998 she launched the rapidly growing field of clicker training for horses with the publication of her first book, Clicker Training for Your Horse. Alexandra teaches clicker training geared to any horse need or sport—including training a gentle and companionable riding horse, halter training foals, training advanced performance horses, and reforming difficult and unmanageable horses. She travels widely, giving hands-on clicker training seminars across North America, including Canada and Alaska. Several years ago, Alexandra trained a miniature horse, Panda, to serve as the guide animal for a blind owner.

A graduate of Cornell University and the author of a series of children's books, Alexandra Kurland has also produced a number of videos on clicker training for horses and is presently at work on new books and videos. She lives in upstate New York with her horses and her clicker trained cats. To learn more, read our profile of Alexandra, or visit her website here.

Kay Laurence is widely recognized in the UK as a top teacher of clicker training. Kay has been teaching, writing and training from her UK based home and farm for 35 years. Her wit and experience landed her a spot as “Judge Kay” in 2007 the BBC2 Reality TV show “The Underdogs Show," and in 2008, she was honored for her innovation in canine freestyle when she was aked to be a judge in the Heelwork to Music and Freestyle Events at Crufts.

Kay has designed and taught college courses covering many aspects of dogs: training, behaviour, psychology, history, care and welfare. She is the author of numerous well regarded books on clicker training. Kay also has extensive experience breeding dogs. Cavaliers, Gordon Setters and Border Collies have graced her household and she has reared more than 30 litters of all three breeds under the GenAbacab kennel name, with the collies now spanning 9 generations!

Karen Pryor has called Kay "one of the world's top clicker trainers" (Karen Pryor). Kay teaches workshops around the world and even more from her newly renovated lovely barn in the UK. Kay is a past presenter at ClickerExpo and we are thrilled that she is back again in 2010.

Theresa McKeon is a coach and flexibility expert in the field of competitive athletics. With over 25 years of practical experience, she has personally trained athletes from a variety of disciplines, including gymnastics, dance, diving, ice-skating, ice-hockey, and horseback riding. Many of her students have attained national and international competitive status, including Junior Olympic National Gymnastic Champions, and the world and five- time National Aerobic Team Champions. In addition to her work with athletes, Theresa has taught, directed, and acted for major performing arts centers and councils, as well as for film and television.

Theresa is a pioneer in applying concepts from other disciplines, including the theater arts, to the competitive athletics arena. Her work with body alignment techniques for injury prevention and athletic longevity is ongoing, and she has been called upon to speak at numerous clinics and workshops.

Theresa’s recent work has focused on using clicker training concepts to develop competitive athletes. This clicker training crossover, TAGteach™, began in 1998 when Theresa applied the clicker training principles she used with her horses toward improving the effectiveness and immediacy of communication between gymnast and coach during advanced-level skills. Theresa has teamed with scientist Joan Orr, dance teacher Beth Wheeler, and Aaron Clayton and Karen Pryor of Karen Pryor Clickertraining, to found TAGteach International, LLC. The company provides training and certification for TAGteach educators and coaches in the US and Europe, in fields ranging from athletics and sports coaching to special needs and autism.

Joan Orr is a scientist with 20 years of experience in the application of scientific principles to study design and data interpretation. Joan has worked with animal behaviorists and has taught clicker training techniques to pet owners and trainers. She has trained dogs using positive reinforcement methods for more than 10 years, and has applied clicker training principles to her work with pet dogs and puppies, problem dogs, shelter dogs, and service dogs. She is a pioneer in the field of clicker training rabbits to participate in the sport of rabbit hopping.

Joan is a former competitive athlete at the national level. She is the mother of two competitive athletes and has coached using clicker training in several sports including volleyball, soccer, Special Olympics rhythmic gymnastics, long jump, and high jump. She worked with experts Theresa McKeon and Karen Pryor to develop TAGteach, a method for using clicker training principles with child athletes. Joan is active in its promotion and development.

Joan holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in biochemistry from McMaster University. She operates a private consulting practice in the fields of human health and environmental risk assessment. In addition, she is active in dog bite prevention and has given many seminars on this topic.

Joan is the co-inventor, along with animal behaviorist Teresa Lewin, of the fun family board game Doggone Crazy!, a game that teaches children to read dogs’ body language and act safely around them. She lives in Campbellville, a small village in Southern Ontario, with her husband Dave, two daughters, a Newfoundland dog, a cat, and two bunnies. To learn more about Joan and the nonprofit Doggone Safe, visit her website here .

Emma Parsons, BA, former president and head instructor for the New England Obedience Club, is the Canine Behavior Training Consultant for the VCA Rotherwood Animal Hospital, and Training Director for Karen Pryor Clickertraining. She is also the author of the popular book, Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog. The book was inspired by her work with her golden retriever Ben, who became aggressive to other dogs after being severely punished by an “aggression expert.” Emma turned to clicker training and successfully eliminated Ben's dog-on-dog aggression.

Emma has been featured on numerous television shows, and gives seminars around the US on training and managing the reactive dog. She has also taught clicker training classes to graduate students at Tufts Veterinary School of Medicine and at Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue. Emma runs her own dog training business, the Creative Canine, specializing in canine aggression issues. To learn more about Emma, visit her website here.

Karen Pryor is a scientist with an international reputation in two fields, marine mammal biology and behavioral psychology. Through her work with dolphins in the 1960s she pioneered modern, force-free animal training methods. Karen is the author of many scientific papers and monographs and seven books. She is a founder and leading proponent of clicker training, the worldwide movement involving new ways to communicate positively with pets and other animals. She is the founder and CEO of the behavioral publishing company Sunshine Books, Inc., and its online divisions. Karen has three children and seven grandchildren. She lives in Boston with two clicker trained dogs and a clicker trained cat.

Ken Ramirez, vice president of animal collections and training at Chicago’s world-famous Shedd Aquarium, develops and supervises animal care programs, staff training and development, and public presentation programs for the marine mammal collection. He oversees animal training for all animals in the aquarium, including fish, sharks, and reptiles. He joined Shedd Aquarium in 1989.

A 30-year veteran of marine mammal care and training, Ken worked for nine years at Marineworld of Texas. He also coordinated marine mammal care programs at Ocean Safari in South Padre Island, Texas, and has acted as a consultant or coordinator for many marine mammal programs throughout the world. He began his training career working with guide dogs for the visually impaired and has maintained a close connection to dog training throughout his career. Currently, Ken has a new pet training television series in development.

Ken has been active in several professional organizations, including the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association (IMATA), of which he is a past president, and the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, where he has served on the board of directors since 1987. He also has served on the board of the American Cetacean Society.

In addition to his other work, Ken has written for several scientific publications, including Marine Mammals: Public Display and Research, and Soundings, published quarterly by IMATA. He teaches a graduate course on animal training at Western Illinois University and authored the book ANIMAL TRAINING: Successful Animal Management Through Positive Reinforcement, published in 1999. The book has become required reading for many animal trainers in the zoological field.

To learn more about Ken's work, visit the Shedd Aquarium's website here.

Jesús Rosales-Ruiz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas. He obtained his PhD from the University of Kansas in 1995 under the direction of Dr. Donald M. Baer. He serves on several editorial boards, including the European Journal of Behavior Analysis and the International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy. His areas of interest include antecedent control of behavior, generalization, behavioral cusps, fluency-based teaching, treatment of autism, teaching of academic behavior, animal training, and rule- and contingency-shaped behavior.

To learn more about the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas, visit the school’s website here.

Kathy Sdao has been a full-time animal trainer for more than two decades. She earned a master's degree in experimental psychology from the University of Hawaii in 1990. At the University's Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory, she was part of a research team that trained dolphins to solve complex cognitive puzzles. These dolphin "mind games" were designed to allow analysis of the animals' language-processing capabilities. When Kathy completed her graduate studies, the US Navy (Department of Defense) hired her to train dolphins to perform applied, open-ocean tasks. Training sessions took place in the waters off Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, with the trainers on a small boat and the dolphins swimming alongside unrestrained.

Later, Kathy accepted a job in Tacoma, Washington as a marine mammal trainer at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. For five years, the zoo's beluga whales, walruses, porpoises, sea lions, polar bears, and otters taught her to be a better trainer. In 1994, as vice president of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, she organized and chaired the organization's annual conference.

In 1996, Kathy made the big leap from wet mammals to dry ones. In partnership with a fellow zookeeper, she created and managed Puget Hound Daycare, western Washington's first dog daycare. There she had the opportunity to spend 10 hours a day observing a wide range of canine behavior. In the evenings, Kathy taught pet owners how to "dolphin-train" their dogs.

Kathy now specializes in presenting educational seminars to trainers and pet owners, developing behavior modification plans for "difficult" dogs, and teaching private training lessons. She is an enthusiastic clicker training advocate (or zealot, according to some), having experienced its awesome power to communicate clearly with so many different species.

To learn more, read a profile of Kathy, or visit her website here.

Julie Shaw obtained an Associate of Science degree in veterinary technology in 1983 from Purdue University and is currently working toward her Bachelor of Science degree in veterinary technology. She passed the first certified pet dog trainer’s examination in 2001. Julie worked in private practice for 16 years. She began training dogs in 1984 and began teaching organized classes in 1992. She owned and was the head trainer for the Academy for Obedient Paws, a dog training company utilizing clicker training methods. She has trained two service dogs for her physically challenged son.

Julie became the animal behavior technologist at the Purdue Animal Behavior Clinic in 1999. Her current responsibilities include organizing and assisting in teaching the five-day DOGS Behavior Modification course, teaching courses in behavior modification to veterinary and veterinary technician students, and leading continuing education seminars for veterinary technicians, veterinarians, and trainers. She also assists Dr. Luescher during referral behavior consultations, teaches puppy classes and clicker training classes, and does pet-selection counseling.

Julie is a charter member, past-president, co-newsletter editor, and website editor for the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians. She also chairs the organizing committee for the Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians. Julie Shaw is a popular national and international speaker on problem prevention, practical application of behavior modification techniques, and other companion animal behavior related topics. She was the recipient of the North American Veterinary Conference 2006 Veterinary Technician Speaker of the Year Award and was named the 2007 NAVC Mara Memorial Lecturer of the year for her accomplishments and leadership in the veterinary technician profession. Julie lives in Lafayette, Indiana with her three untrainable teenage children: Taylor (16), Dylan (14), and Skylar (13). She currently lives with two cats, a JRT, and “Hero,” her son’s 3 year old service dog. She spends her spare time riding her new motorcycle and daydreaming of skiing in the mountains.

To learn more about Julie read a profile.

Emelie Johnson Vegh began training dogs as a teenager, after many years of involvement with horses. Her first dog was a mixed breed that competed successfully in both agility and obedience. Emelie’s first Border terrier came into her life in 1994; all in all she’s had three terriers, with “My” still sharing her life. The Border terriers have mostly been involved in agility, but also in some freestyle and ground work.

In 2009, a Kelpie made an entrance into the family. With her, Emelie is working in agility, obedience, and freestyle, with the hope of adding some search work. Emelie and her dogs have won medals at the Swedish Nationals, both as youths and as adults, with a silver team medal as the best placement.

Although trained as a high school teacher (degrees from Lund University and Malmö University), Emelie works solely within Carpe Momentum, the cooperation that she runs with Eva Bertilsson. Together Emelie and Eva give seminars, private lessons, and lectures; they also write articles for magazines such as Canis (published by Morten Egtvedt and Cecilie Køste). They are about to release their first agility book, published by Sunshine Books.

Emelie and Eva also offer TAGteach Primary Certification seminars; they are the only level 3-certified TAGteachers in Europe. The Carpe Momentum colleagues work in both Sweden and Norway, and are very popular. Their approach is systematic and well-planned, and focuses on joy and success for both dog and handler.

Emelie lives in the very south of Sweden, in the country’s third largest city, Malmö. She shares her life with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. To learn more about Emelie, visit www.carpemomentum.nu.

With two decades in training and animal behavior consultation, Jennifer has worked with animals of all shapes and sizes—from dogs and cats to marine mammals and horses. She holds a bachelor’s degree in developmental psychology from Tufts University. At the New England Aquarium, Jennifer served as a marine mammal trainers' assistant and education associate. While working at the MSCPA-Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, she participated in a canine rehabilitation project and was chosen by the national president of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior to help pilot a new positive obedience training program. Jennifer stays current by attending seminars and workshops, doing literary research, and maintaining contact with colleagues.

With her husband, Steve White, Jennifer is the proprietor of Laughing Dog Enterprises, operating out of the beautiful Rivendale facility in Woodinville, Washington. She offers group dog training classes and workshops for owners of companion animals. Jennifer and her clients are committed to using motivational, non-force methods that preserve a positive relationship and keep training fun for all. Jennifer’s classes aim to provide dog owners with an education in canine behavior that will provide answers to all training issues throughout their lives with their dogs.

To learn more about Jennifer you can visit her website here.

More than half of Steve White's 31-year law enforcement career has been spent working with dogs. Steve was handler and trainer for one of the largest police K-9 units in the state of Washington. Accredited as a master trainer in 1993 by the Washington State Police Canine Association, Steve is also a past executive board member of that body, and past vice president of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers. He is an instructor for the K-9 Academy for Law Enforcement and has taught at police K-9 seminars in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the UK. He has taught obedience classes at parks, community centers, and kennels. His articles have appeared in police K-9 and dog training publications in the US and Canada. In addition to being a member of the ClickerExpo faculty, Steve has taught classes at the international conferences of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Canada's CAPPDT, and Mexico's AMAPAC. He has been an invited presenter at the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Plume Tracing Symposium and the Mountain Rescue Council of the United Kingdom.

Steve specializes in teaching behavior modification, tracking, and scent work through the use of positive reinforcement-based operant conditioning. Through his business i2iK9, he provides consultation and training to private parties, industry, K-9 units, and SAR organizations. Steve has been recognized as an expert witness by Washington courts in police K-9 and dog behavior matters.

To learn more about Steve, visit his website here.