About Renee
Certified Dog Trainer
About Renee
In March of 1997, I developed a keen interest in dog behavior and training after adopting “Jack,” a very mixed-up aggressive Border Collie. I was able to get help from a local obedience trainer who taught me how to use clicker training to rehabilitate my dog. After spending months working on behavior modification with him, I saw how positive training methods were so effective in motivating Jack to change his negative emotions and behaviors. The pictures below were taken during that very difficult and stressful time, As you can see, Jack began to “lighten up” and show that he actually had a great sense of humor. Sadly, my beautiful dog died much too early of a fatal liver disease at the young age of 6 years. Thinking back over the time he shared his life with me, he had chronic digestive problems, which may have been the root cause of his aggressive behavior.
I never realized how one dog could completely change someone’s life! My husband and I owned a gift shop in the Berlin Farmer’s Market (in Berlin, NJ) for 27 years. Thanks to Jack, we sold that store so that I could go out and professionally train other dogs. I don’t do any showing or trialing. I also don’t train agility or flyball. I leave that for other trainers. My goal is to prevent dogs from winding up in animal shelters and to help keep them in their forever homes. I do this by educating dog owners about dog behavior, and by training their dogs to be polite, well-mannered companion pets.
Since that time, my life has changed completely. I volunteered my time assisting Jack’s trainer for 2 years in her obedience classes. I enrolled in Cynology College (now known as The Companion Animal Sciences Institute – www.CASInstitute.com), an online college that teaches canine learning theory, canine behavior and positive reinforcement dog training methods. I graduated With Distinction as a Certified Canine Behavioral Theorist as well as earning a Diploma of Canine Behavior. I joined several email discussion lists where I continued to learn about dog behavior from experienced trainers as well as owners. Eventually, I was able to offer suggestions to people who had similar problems with their dogs to what I was experiencing with rescue, “Jack.”
Listen to Renee’s interview about Jack with Dog Cast Radio.
I have volunteered my time as the trainer for the Animal Adoption Center in Lindenwold, NJ and have spoken to the volunteers at the Camden County Animal Shelter and the Cumberland County SPCA animal shelter about how to clicker train their dogs in order to successfully adopt them out to their forever homes. I have been asked on numerous occasions to evaluate and work with dogs fostered and adopted from German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue. I’ve also been referred to many people by Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue to help acclimate their adopted Great Danes in their new homes.
Northstar published a book about their dogs entitled “The Golden Bridge.” I was asked to write a chapter for this book, which became Chapter 16, “Puppies 101.” For anyone interested in purchasing this book, it is available at www.amazon.com
My Methodology:
I Train Without Pain
When you reward good behaviors, those behaviors increase. When people punish their dogs or use harsh methods of training, relationships deteriorate. If your dog is barking excessively, chewing on furniture, or digging up your garden, you and I can teach him more appropriate behaviors to choose. If we punish him by jerking on his collar, hollering or hitting him he will only learn to choose avoidance behaviors. We don’t want our dogs to be afraid of us! There is no quick fix for serious behavior problems! You must take the time to train and you must be patient, consistent and understanding of your dog’s needs.
I am vehemently opposed to the use of shock collars! You would never hear the Veterinary Behaviorists at the University of Pennsylvania advise anyone to use these collars. You certainly wouldn’t hear any responsible trainer or veterinarian tell you to shock your dog to teach him how to behave appropriately. Please understand that the basics of any good training program requires that your dog trust you. You want to prevent your dog from associating you with pain and discomfort. A good trainer understands the scientific Laws of Learning. Anytime I’ve been asked to work with a dog that has been harshly trained or shocked, I have found them to be very slow and hesitant to learn new behaviors. The answer for this apparent slowness is not stupidity! The dogs are clearly afraid to make any mistake for fear of having to experience more punishment and inappropriate handling!
Dogs that are handled and trained with positive methods are eager to learn, and to volunteer desirable behaviors so they can get rewarded. They’re happy dogs, not stressed out, anxious and neurotic animals!
The so-called “trainers” who use this device (aka “remote collar ” or “e-collar”) are depending on the use of an electronic piece of equipment to do their job for them rather than using creative skills and talent to teach dogs. Don’t let someone convince you that you’re only going to use the collar to get your dog’s attention. If your dog sees you as being a valuable and trustworthy guide in his life, he will pay attention to you. Dog training should not be a shocking experience! If you hire a trainer and your gut feeling tells you something doesn’t feel quite right about how they’re treating your dog, listen to your gut feelings! Don’t allow anyone to cause physical pain to your dog! Physical pain results in emotional distress! Don’t hesitate to instruct this person to stop handling your dog immediately. You would never allow a person to cause physical harm to your children or other family members, right? Your dog is a member of your family. Let him know you will always keep him out of harm’s way. Think “red flag” if someone says, “I can train your dog in only one visit.” Training doesn’t happen overnight. No animal or human can learn everything they need to know in one session!
Whenever I’ve attended outdoor functions, like shelter fund raisers, I watch the shock trainers stroll around the grounds with their German Shepherds who walk offleash in heel position. I’ve observed that the dogs look very dull, they have no facial expressions, their heads are held low, they don’t appear to be unhappy and they don’t appear to be happy. The seem almost robotic, not like a normal, happy, playful, fun loving companion pet.
Listen to one of my radio broadcasts that discusses the use of shock collars and electronic invisible fences. Click on the page marked “Renee’s Radio Show.” Scroll down to one of my earliest shows that mention shock collars. It’s a 30 minute talk about the ramifications of using electronic equipment on our dogs.
Dogs need rules and structure in their lives. I can help you implement programs in your training and in your dog’s daily life so that he knows what is expected of him. Together, we can teach your dog to be polite and mannerly. We can teach him that he needs to get permission to get his meals or toys or special attention from you instead of demanding these things by pawing at you, or barking in your face or jumping on you or your family members. Believe it or not, spoiled dogs are not happy dogs.
Dogs that have no structure and know no boundaries in their lives are also not happy — they’re stressed and anxious. Dogs who are unhappy develop behavioral problems. For example, they can become unruly and out-of-control, they can become destructive of your home and possessions. Dogs can develop housetraining problems, even after they’ve had a good history of not soiling inside. Unhappy dogs very often develop neurotic behaviors, such as tail-chasing, fly-snapping, barking uncontrollably, biting and self-injurious behaviors. Their health can also suffer. If you see that these problems have developed in your dog, know that s/he is begging for help.
Contact
Renee Premaza
Certified Dog Behavior Consultant