“Animals deserve the best care that we can possibly provide.” That is the philosophy of 35-year animal training veteran and creative teacher and consultant, Ken Ramirez. Having worked with a dizzying number of species, including overseeing the care and training of more than 1500 species at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, Ken has developed a reputation for his ability to train any animal to do anything.
Trainer Interviews
A Click from the Start: Karen Pryor Academy and Guide Dogs for the Blind Team Together to Bring Positive Training to Puppy Raising
By Marie Clougher on 07/31/2014An exciting match
The Creative Clicker: An Interview with Laura VanArendonk Baugh
By Julie Gordon on 01/02/2014Encouraging creativity—in all species
Clicker trainers know that one of the benefits of clicker training is that it fosters creativity in the learner. A cl
Every Dog, Every Day: An Interview with Kay Laurence
By Julie Gordon on 05/01/2013Editor's note:
On a working farm in the English countryside, nearly a mile from the nearest road, people and dogs come together from all over the world to learn from one of the world's top trainers, Kay Laurence. Kay has been teaching, writing, and training dogs from her UK-based home and farm for more than 35 years. What she teaches is far more than just training skills. Her philosophy, developed from her years of living with and observing dogs, is that that we should give dogs equal consideration and try view the world from the dog's perspective. Only then can we achieve a relationship with dogs based on connection and pleasure.
From Pipe Dream to Positive: Lindsay Wood's Impact in Animal Welfare
By Julie Gordon on 04/02/2013Editor's Note:
Lindsay Wood, Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Certified Training Partner (CTP) and the newest member of the KPA faculty, once thought her lifelong desire for a career working with animals was nothing more than a pipe dream. Fortunately for both Lindsay and the animals in her care at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Lindsay's pipe dream is now a reality. Since 2007, Lindsay has served as the Director of Animal Training and Behavior for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. She developed and implemented the Humane Society's comprehensive behavior modification program created to rehabilitate dogs with specific concerns, including food guarding, fearful behavior, body-handling sensitivities, separation anxiety, and dog-dog aggression. As a result, adoption and retention rates have increased at the Humane Society, and many dogs that might have been euthanized have been re-homed successfully.