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Off the Beaten Path

Making Music Together

When Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP) Laura Monaco Torelli began her training career, she knew she would meet many interesting animals—and humans. In the past she has worked with beluga whales, dolphins, sea otters, seals, river otters, and penguins (at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago), primates, large cats, birds of prey, horses, parrots, macaws, tree kangaroos, and red pandas (at the San Diego Zoo and Brookfield Zoo), and, of course, dogs (just about everywhere).

A recent referral from the Shedd Aquarium led Laura to one of her newest, youngest, and most interesting clients—an 8-year-old girl named Emily Bear. Emily and her family have worked with Laura over the past year training the family dog, Winston.

A Valentine Letter to the Obama Girls

Authors and clicker trainers Evelyn Pang and Hilary Louie—who happen to be kids themselves—encourage Sasha and Malia Obama to choose clicker training.

The Life of One Clicker Trained Dog: A Love Story

In 1995 a little papillon was born. Thanks to an impressive overbite, she was labeled "pet quality" and made available to a "pedestrian" like me. Papillons can be hard to come by, so I jumped at the chance to meet her. After a long drive to the breeder's home (sadly, more like a puppy mill), I found a litter of pups cowering in the corner of an oversized terrarium. The room's pervasive odor must have choked the voice of reason in my head, as I found myself handing over $500 (cash only, please) to rescue a two-pound bundle of fuzz.

Podcast: Marley and Us—Clicker Training on the Movie Set—Part 2

This month's podcast is Part 2 of Helen Schwarzmann sharing her experiences on the set of the upcoming film Marley and Me. Listen to the podcast (available at the bottom of the page) to learn more about the film and the dog training behind the scenes. You can also read the accompanying article here.

Podcast: Marley and Us—Clicker Training on the Movie Set—Part 1

This month's podcast was recorded by Helen Schwarzmann for KPCT to share her experiences on the set of the upcoming film Marley and Me. Listen to the podcast (available at the bottom of the page) to learn more about the film and the dog training behind the scenes. You can also read the accompanying article here.