The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2018 | Page 29

FEATURE | PUPPY HOLD
You’re already ready to retire the Puppy Hold.
If you’re teaching a puppy class, it’s likely that you already have
the skills to teach excellent alternatives to the Puppy Hold. For
example, if your goal with the Puppy Hold was to calm the
puppy, practice Relax on Your Mat instead. If your goal was to
prepare for veterinary visits, use the systematic desensitization
skills you’ve perfected with nail trims, and apply them to sitting
calmly during physical exams.
I know firsthand the embarrassment of facing an action that you
later come to regret. Yet discomfort, change, and growth are all a
part of the professional process. Perhaps this realization takes out
a little of the sting and feels more like empowerment instead. It’s
the freedom to become our best versions, for our students, dogs,
professional community, and for ourselves.
References
1
Overall, Karen. Manual of clinical behavioral medicine for dogs
and cats. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2013.
Lindsay, Steven R. Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and
Training, Adaptation and Learning. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
2
O’Heare, James. Changing Problem Behavior: A Systematic &
Comprehensive Approach to Behavior Change Project Management.
BehaveTech Publishing, 2010.
3
Katherine Grillaert, CBCC, CPDT-KA, CBATI,
specializes in behavioral wellness and behavior
modification for fearful, anxious, and reactive dogs.
While pursuing her Master’s deg ree in Human-Animal
Interactions in Austria, she earned the government-
recognized certification Tierschutzqualifizierte
HundetrainerInnen (Animal Welfare Qualified Dog
Trainer). Katherine also uses positive reinforcement to start
young horses and to rehabilitate horses with physical and
behavioral issues. She can usually be found covered in some
degree of hair or mud in Minnesota, where she lives with
her husband and small menagerie.
Stewart, Grisha. Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0 - New
Practical Techniques for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in Dogs.
Dogwise Publishing, 2016.
4
Friedman, Susan G. “What’s wrong with this picture?
Effectiveness is not enough.” Journal of Applied Companion
Animal Behavior 3.1 (2009): 41-45.
5
Herron, Meghan E., Frances S. Shofer, and Ilana R. Reisner.
“Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-
confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing
undesired behaviors.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 117.1
(2009): 47-54.
6
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