What’s Waggin’ – Spring 2023
By Steven Appelbaum, ABC President & CEO
Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of What’s Waggin. A lot is happening at ABC, so let’s jump in.
Service Dog Trainer Program. After much work and planning, ABC finally launched our Service Dog Training Program in October 2022. This program grew from numerous requests the school received from mentors, graduates, and other professional dog trainers not affiliated with our school that were all interested in the same thing. How can I take my current knowledge of dog training and build on it to help even more people and dogs?
Dog trainers who can teach Puppy K and general obedience classes, private lessons for obedience, and address common canine behavioral challenges, often keep quite busy for years. Some people spend their entire careers happily helping people and pets with those skills. I trained professionally for about seven years before I started to look at expanding my repertoire. In my case, that expansion focused on more difficult behavior problems, specifically aggression and various phobias. Other trainers had no interest in aggression or wanted to avoid taking the physical risks associated with working with aggressive dogs. Instead, they wished to take their practices in a different direction. Some gravitated toward personal protection dog work, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea and is physically hazardous.
Other trainers liked the idea of trying to train dogs for motion pictures or TV, although where a person lived had much to do with that decision. I know dozens of professional dog trainers that have worked with dogs in show business, but I live in Southern California and am much closer to the entrainment industry than someone in Maine or Alaska. There have always been many paths available for dog trainers once they have a strong foundation, and one of those paths is training service dogs. So after working on the content and creation of a program for close to 18 months, ABC launched this main program in October. Enrollments and feedback have been very positive. Also, remember that any alum who wants to take a new ABC program may do so at a significant discount.
Find out more info here and don’t hesitate to get in touch with email@animalbehaviorcollege.com for more information.
ZAP: That sounds like something you would see in a Batman comic. ZAP stands for zookeeper assistant program. We love acronyms at ABC! This program is a must for anyone interested in the habits and behavior of wild animals and how zoos and exotic animal rescues operate. For some, the idea of being able to work or even volunteer at such places is a dream. While taking ZAP doesn’t guarantee you a job at a rescue or zoo, it might give you the knowledge and perspective to make your dream a reality. Plus, it’s just a cool course. Enrollments since the program’s inception have been very high. ZAP is now our 4th most popular program, which is impressive given it is only a few years old.
Interested in taking this course? Find out more info here.
Please contact email@animalbehaviorcollege.com for more information.
RAF: I told you we love acronyms! RAF stands for refer a friend. In 2022 we had 172 students take one of our courses because of a friend that referred them to the school. You can earn $100 for every person you refer who enrolls in one of our main programs*.
*Note: Active students may earn a referral gift card valued at $100, 1 referral per year.
Do you know someone who would love to be a dog trainer but prefer the immersive environment of a physical classroom? Some of you might not know this, but ABC holds two classroom dog trainer programs each year. Find out more information about his program here.
This course covers everything contained in our DOP, but instead of taking 12-16 months to complete the program at home, classroom students come to our Southern California location and go to class with us five days a week for five and ½ months. The veteran’s administration approves the course, and it is fantastic for military veterans transitioning back to civilian life. Refer someone who takes this course, and you can earn $300. Earn cash, help friends, and help animals to have better lives.
That’s not a bad thing at all! For more information, check out this page in your student center.
There are a lot of other things going on, including but not limited to an affiliate program for non-ABC students and graduates, an operating agreement with a major sports organization that will allow their members and families to take our programs, and several agreements with major corporations that offer tuition assistance for their employees.
This has become more common in the last several years. In fact, if anyone reading this knows a company that offers tuition assistance to their staff, please let us know.
ABC continues to explore other programs and ways in which we can help you make a difference in the lives of animals. We are always open to suggestions.
Until next time, thanks for helping to make the world a better place for pets and the people who love them.
Most dog owners want to have their pup by their side whenever possible, but it’s important to set boundaries so that they know when it is and isn’t appropriate to occupy certain areas. Whether your client is cooking, on an important Zoom meeting, or has a sleeping baby in the next room, having a dog who knows their boundaries will prevent unnecessary stress for both your client and their dog.
Puppies are so much fun to watch as they begin to explore the world around them. Everything is totally new and exciting to these little bundles of energy. They get so charged up they don’t know where to look next. Scampering around with breathtaking speed, they seem to be everywhere at once.
Positive reinforcement with food treats is, of course, the key to successful training of dogs at any age, and it plays an even more crucial role with puppies. Just as it’s advisable to have customized training sessions, puppies will perform best if they are given reward treats that are tailored to their specialized needs.
A few of my ‘must-haves’ include a heavy-duty cordless clipper like the Andis Pulse ZR II, spring-loaded metal attachment combs, a large slicker brush, 10” steel comb, regular and fine-tooth rakes, a flea comb and several new blades – including an Andis UltraEdge or CeramicEdge #30 to use with the attachment combs. I also stock up on a variety of skin and coat care products so the salon is prepared for the spring rush.
Spring shave downs usually come with quite a bit of matting. It is important to check areas such as the armpits, behind the ears and the rear for more heavy matting. The coat must be able to separate and divide in order to allow the skin to breathe. That is necessary in order for the pet to maintain its body temperature and help prevent an array of skin conditions such as hot spots. The Andis large slicker brush and the 10” steel comb are the first tools I use on the majority of the dogs in the salon to help separate and divide the coat. Pay close attention to nails on those dogs that have not been into the salon all winter, and use an Andis nail clipper or Cordless Nail Grinder to get them under control.
As the warmer months quickly approach, we will also see those pesky fleas and ticks, so make sure you have the rights products and tools on hand like the Andis flea comb. You can also help clients prepare ahead of time by developing a checklist they can use and educating them on the best ways to handle flea and tick season.
