Interview with Susan Smith!

Susan Smith, of Raising Canine, spent some time answering questions for me about her telecourses for dog trainers, veterinarians, and dog owners.  I've taken many of Raising Canine's courses on dog behavior and training and have been extremely happy with the quality of the seminars, speakers, and topics.  I highly recommend them!  And now, our interview:

Buddy's Chance, Austin Dog Training: Welcome, Sue.

Raising Canine: Hi, thanks for having me.

BC: Can you tell us a little bit about Raising Canine and the telecourses you offer dog trainers?

RC: Raising Canine started out as a dog training and behavior counseling business, but has turned into a business that provides educational and marketing products for animal professionals and owners.  The telecourses are short, focused lectures held over the telephone by a variety of speakers.  Those presentations are audio taped and are then available over the Internet off our website, www.raisingcanine.com. The first telecourse was held just about a year ago – March of 2005 – and they were originally geared to trainers.  This year we want to expand and have more courses for owners.  Most of them will be audio-taped, to start.  Once we build a big enough audience, we’ll start having live telecourses, as we do for animal consultants.  At this time the majority of courses are geared to dogs, but we are also expanding into cats and parrots this year.  Many of the courses are general and apply to all species (including humans!).

BC: How often do the telecourses run?:

RC: It varies, but I try to have around 5 courses per month.  They are usually held on Wednesdays during work hours.  When we start doing live courses geared to owners, we’ll probably start doing some weekend and week night courses.

BC: Are they ever repeated for someone who misses the course?:

RC: We’re just starting to do some repeats.  “The ABCs of Learning Theory: Operant Conditioning” with Stacy Braslau-Schneck has been done again, and we’re about to do “Aggression 101” with Daphne Robert-Hamilton again.  Both of those courses were held early in 2005.  Wendy Van Kerkhove and I have talked about re-doing “Understanding Antecedent Stimuli,” also.  It’s unlikely that we’ll repeat a lot of courses, but some will certainly be repeated.  I’d like to experiment a little and see what happens – for instance, I’d love to re-do Jean Donaldson’s “Dominance: Anatomy of a Mind Virus” for owners!  We haven’t talked about it yet, but she might be up for it.

BC: You've had some very well-known experts on dog behavior and training among your telecourse instructors.  Jean Donaldson, Dr. Lore Haug, Pat Goodwin.  You've also had some lesser-known speakers that have shared some very interesting research and work through your telecourses. Do you have a "top five" or "must hear" list for dog trainers:

RC: This list assumes the trainers have basic learning theory and behavior knowledge

      “Professional Ethics for Animal Consultants I & II” – Jim Barry

     “Workshop: Developing a Behavior Modification Plan” - Jean Donaldson

      “Functional Assessment/Analysis: Putting the ABCs to Work in the Real World” – Dr. Susan Friedman

     “Common Medical Problems that Can Affect Behavior” – Dr. Lore Haug

     “Environmental Enrichment Techniques for Companion Animals” – Dr. Joanne Oliva-Purdy

BC: How about a "top five" or "must hear' for dog owners:

RC: “Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous” – Janis Bradley

      “Dominance: Anatomy of a Mind Virus” – Jean Donaldson

      “Extinction Bursts & Spontaneous Recovery: How Behavior Problems Develop and Extinguish” – Ken McCort

      “Empower or Overpower: Reaching the Middle Ground With Our Clients and Our Pets” – Dr. Susan Friedman

      “ABCs of Learning Theory: Understanding Operant Conditioning” – Stacy Braslau-Schneck

You can find the telecourses at Susan's website www.RaisingCanine.com - the best part about them is that they are affordable and you don't have to leave the comfort of your home to attend them!  And, Sue just announced that Dr. Ian Dunbar will be teaching some telecourses for her starting in August!

Cara, Buddy's Chance, LLC