Welcome to Betty's TLC Dog & Puppy Training LLC! - Betty Laurin's Credentials: Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers Certified Dog Behavior Consultant - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants A.K.C. Canine Good Citizen Evaluator Clicker Practitioner Presenter/Speaker S.S.A. -Expert Shelter Dog Evaluator ( before you adopt - be sure the dog is "safe" and you are a match!) Professional Member Association of Pet Dog Trainers Delta Society Pet Partners Therapy Dogs Incorporated Service Dog Training Founder & Instructor of 1st Dog Training Program's For: Potter League for Animals Animal Rescue League of Southern RI .................... Betty's History: I started training dogs at the age of nine with positive reinforcement. I grew up two doors down from the original Potter League for Animals on Harrington Street in Newport. I spent each and everyday at the shelter working with and walking dogs. Joan DeMello opened the doors to the Potter League For Animals in 1962. Unbeknownst to Joan, she would be responsible, for shelter dogs to be my natural mentors, for many, many years to follow! As a five year old child, I walked amongst dog packs of 20-30 dogs in 3 separate community pens, all though my childhood years, feeding, caring, training and loving shelter dogs. When they say that "experience is your best teacher", it's a fact. Surrounded by 20-30 dogs in community pens allowed me, at a very early age, to unintentionally learn and absorb natural canine behavior/s. As a child, I was always drawn to dogs or perhaps they were drawn to me. No matter where I went there were always dogs beside me. Needless to say, I have been a natural pack leader for many, many years and owe it all to those wonderful shelter dogs who taught me how to lead naturally! When the Potter League on Harrington Street in Newport closed their doors and reopened a new facility on Oliphant Lane in Middletown, I followed. I became a fixture as a volunteer once again, teaching staff and volunteers how to work with and train their shelter dogs. Through my years of previous experience training shelter dogs, I was successful at helping the Potter League, and their new staff, once again place shelter dogs with basic training into new loving homes. In the late 90's the Potter League hired me to develop and instruct their very first dog obedience classes. My position required training staff and volunteers to handle and train shelter dogs each and every Saturday along with the implementation of Potter's first Puppy Kindergarten Classes. The programs were very successful and many more dogs were adopted lowering the rate of euthanasia in the shelter. I left the Potter League in 1999 because it was too difficult to work for the Potter League and run my own business at the same time. I continue to help shelters evaluate dogs when necessary and I offer my services to potential adopters who wish to adopt the right dogs for their families. 1979 Betty's TLC Dog Training Evolves! I started my dog training business in 1979 with my partner, Dusty, a wonderful and irreplaceable Golden Retriever that I adopted at the age of 4 months! Dusty and I worked in fields all over Aquidneck Island and Jamestown, teaching people to train their dogs. When Dusty retired at the age of 14, it was time to get a new working dog so off to the Potter League I went. I acquired a 3 year old Doberman who was on the list for euthanasia due to her very serious aggression problem. My new, untrained, aggressive Doberman named Alexis would be my next top obedience dog within a year of behavior modification and training. Alexis took Dusty's position on the field like a natural and assisted me in all of my classes until she retired. After Alexis' retirement, 3 more adoptions followed and all turned into "working dogs", assisting me on the field. All of my working dogs came off the list of "unadoptables" due to their serious behavioral issues. Ashley, another female Doberman, Jake, a Doberman/Shepherd/Lab mix and my 135 pound, male German Shepherd named Dakota. With each passing year, I owe all my success to these wonderful dogs who proved over and over again that "training" done properly, will change a dog's negative behavior into outstanding behavior! Many dogs and many years later, through careful thought and consideration, I decided for the first time to purchase a new working dog from a professional breeder. I purchased my new working dog in January of 2009, a female Golden Retriever named Telcey. I brought my new bundle of joy home on January 11, 2009 at the age of 7 weeks. I will never replace my past working dogs but I am hoping that Telcey will walk gently in their paw prints! Telcey will be my new working dog on the field at the Middletown High School, helping YOU to train YOUR dogs this coming year! I hope you come and join us! .......... Telcey Waiting For Directional Signal on a Retrieve! .......................... Dog Training Today......... Important information about dog trainers and dog behavior consultants - before you hire anyone, read this............ Since the dog training industry is NOT currently a regulated industry, it opens it's doors to ANYONE who wishes to CALL themselves dog trainers! Individuals with little to NO knowledge or experience CAN start up a dog training business and charge the public for their services. Individuals with little or no experience can also be found working for other individuals or entities. Would you allow someone to work on your car if they were not a certified mechanic??? Currently there are NO Certification requirements necessary for someone to start up a dog training business. It's scary but it's a fact! Until the Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers evolved, there was no way for highly skilled individuals like myself to be recognized from those who had little or no experience in dog behavior or skills to train people to train their dogs. Fortunately, those experienced trainers with years of knowledge and experience, like myself, had the opportunity to be recognized and critically tested on instructional skills, animal husbandry, ethology, learning theory and use of equipment through the Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)! In order to qualify to take the exam a trainer must have acquired over 300 hours of dog training experience, 75% must be actual teaching hours, a high school diploma, references from a veterinarian, a client and a colleague. If the prospective candidate is eligible to take the exam, they then must pass a critical, demanding, 4 hour exam of 250 questions. If they pass, they will have acquired their CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed Certification! If a dog trainer does not have the CPDT certification after their name, they have NOT passed the exam and are NOT entitled to claim that they are "certified" by The Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers. My education in the field of dog training and behavior didn't stop after my certification under the Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers. A Professional Dog Trainer continues their education and keeps current on the latest educational materials and research. I continued my education and proudly passed certification under the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). To become a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, a dog trainer must have knowledge and experience in five core areas of competency: 1. Assessment 2. Consulting skills, communication and social systems assessment 3. Learning and Training Theory 4. General Knowledge of Animal Behavior - Ethology, Animal senses and perception, genetics, domestication and evolution 5. Species Specific Knowledge ............... Although my certifications were not necessary to have in order to be "labeled" a "dog trainer or "dog behavior consultant", thanks to these "certifications" and certifying bodies, professional trainers are now being recognized for their true knowledge and skills in the field of dog training and behavior. I continue to attend ongoing learning seminars and acquire higher levels of certification when available. Soon the CCPDT will be offering a higher level of certification, further assessing trainers skills and expertise in areas of specialties. Watch for the letters: CPDT-KSA (certified professional dog trainer - knowledge and skills assessed) Most recently I attended and completed a 3 day behavioral seminar in Boston Massachusettes given by Dr.Ian Dunbar and Dr. Nicholas Dodman. ......................... See the testimonials from dog owner's who have experienced Betty's TLC Dog Training program of success! Sign up for classes now, the 2010 Training Schedule is available now! ...................... Can my dog trainer possibly be certified through another certifying body? To understand more about "certifications" click here! "I have one goal in life, to keep every dog in their loving homes and out of animal rescues, pounds and shelters. I achieve this goal when I am granted the opportunity to help you train, manage and care for your companion in a motivational and non-confrontational manner. I thank you for giving me that opportunity, for more than 40 years!" Betty's TLC Dog Training Copyright 2008 Betty's TLC Dog Training LLC Copyright 2008 - Betty's TLC Dog Training LLC is a registered trade name. All materials presented within this website are the exclusive property of Betty's TLC Dog Training LLC. Copying or reproducing any material/s within this website is strictly prohibited. |
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